15 Films That Show Why Mia Goth Is in a League of Her Own

15 Films That Show Why Mia Goth Is in a League of Her Own

Mia Goth is one of the most fearless actresses working in Hollywood today. Whether she’s playing a wide-eyed innocent or a terrifying villain, she brings something raw and unforgettable to every role.

Her filmography reads like a masterclass in bold choices, spanning horror, drama, and everything in between. If you haven’t paid close attention to her work yet, these 15 films will absolutely change that.

1. Pearl (2022)

Few performances in recent horror history hit as hard as Mia Goth’s turn in Pearl.

She co-wrote this film with director Ti West, and that creative ownership shows in every single scene.

Pearl is a prequel to X, set during World War I, following a young woman trapped on a farm with enormous, dangerous dreams.

Goth carries the entire film on her shoulders, switching between heartbreaking vulnerability and shocking menace without missing a beat.

The final monologue alone is worth the price of admission.

Critics called it one of the best horror performances ever recorded on screen.

2. X (2022)

Released the same year as Pearl, X announced Mia Goth as a true force in modern horror.

She plays two roles in this slasher film set in 1979 Texas, a young actress chasing fame and an elderly woman with terrifying secrets.

Pulling off both characters in the same movie is an extraordinary acting feat.

Director Ti West crafted X as a love letter to grindhouse cinema, but Goth elevated it far beyond genre exercise.

Watching her navigate both sides of the same story adds layers of meaning that reward close attention.

X proved she wasn’t just talented, she was genuinely daring.

3. Infinity Pool (2023)

Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool is one of the most unsettling films of the 2020s, and Mia Goth is the main reason why.

She plays Gabi, a seductive and deeply disturbing woman who pulls a vacationing writer into a spiral of violence and identity crisis.

Her performance is hypnotic and genuinely frightening.

What makes Goth so effective here is her unpredictability.

You never quite know what Gabi wants or what she’s capable of, and that tension never lets up.

Cronenberg gave her enormous freedom, and she used every inch of it.

Infinity Pool confirmed she could command any genre she touched.

4. Suspiria (2018)

Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria is a slow-burning, deeply strange horror film, and Mia Goth holds her own alongside Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson.

She plays Sara, a dance student who begins uncovering dark secrets hidden within a prestigious Berlin academy.

Her quiet intensity anchors some of the film’s most chilling moments.

Goth had been building her reputation steadily before this role, but Suspiria showed she could thrive in prestigious, art-house territory.

The film demands patience from its audience, and her grounded performance helps make that patience worthwhile.

It remains one of her most underrated contributions to modern cinema.

5. A Cure for Wellness (2016)

Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness is a visually stunning psychological thriller, and Mia Goth plays Hannah, a mysterious young woman living at a remote Swiss health resort.

She brings an ethereal, almost ghostly quality to the role that perfectly matches the film’s dreamlike and unsettling atmosphere.

At the time of filming, Goth was relatively new to major productions, yet she commanded every scene she appeared in.

Hannah is a complex character wrapped in layers of secrets, and Goth peeled those layers back with careful, deliberate precision.

This film showed early on that she had something special most young actors simply don’t possess.

6. Emma. (2020)

Not everything in Mia Goth’s filmography leans toward the dark and disturbing.

Emma., Autumn de Wilde’s vibrant adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, showed a completely different side of her range.

She plays Harriet Smith, Emma’s well-meaning but easily influenced best friend, with warmth and genuine comedic timing.

The film is visually gorgeous and tonally playful, and Goth matched its energy effortlessly.

Harriet could easily become a background character, but Goth made her memorable and relatable.

Seeing her thrive in a sunny period comedy after horror roles proved that her talent has no genre ceiling.

Emma. is a genuinely delightful watch.

7. High Life (2018)

Claire Denis’s High Life is not an easy film to watch, but it is an extraordinary one.

Set aboard a spacecraft drifting toward a black hole, it features Mia Goth in a supporting role that leaves a lasting impression.

Her character, Boyse, is volatile, raw, and deeply human beneath layers of desperation and isolation.

Working alongside Robert Pattinson under Denis’s famously intuitive direction, Goth held her ground completely.

High Life requires actors willing to commit to extreme emotional and physical territory, and she never hesitated.

The film is a meditation on survival and human nature, and Goth’s presence adds essential emotional weight throughout.

8. The Survivalist (2015)

Before the world fully knew her name, Mia Goth appeared in Stephen Fingleton’s The Survivalist, a stark and gripping post-apocalyptic film set in a near-future world stripped of resources.

She plays Milja, a young woman who arrives at a lone man’s forest hideout alongside her mother, carrying hidden motives and quiet desperation.

The film relies almost entirely on nonverbal communication, and Goth delivers volumes through her eyes and body language alone.

It’s a restrained, physically demanding performance that punches well above its budget.

For fans tracing her career from the beginning, The Survivalist is essential viewing.

You can see the fearlessness already forming.

9. Marrowbone (2017)

Sergio G. Sanchez’s Marrowbone is a gothic mystery that blends family drama with supernatural horror, and Mia Goth plays Jane, the eldest sibling trying to protect her younger brothers after tragedy strikes their family.

Her performance is tender and quietly heartbreaking, anchoring the film’s emotional core with real conviction.

Marrowbone works best as a slow reveal, and Goth’s steady presence helps maintain tension without tipping into melodrama.

She shares the screen with Anya Taylor-Joy and George MacKay, and the ensemble chemistry feels genuinely lived-in.

This film reminded audiences that Goth excels at vulnerability just as much as she excels at unease.

10. Mayday (2021)

Karen Cinorre’s Mayday is a fever-dream feminist fantasy unlike almost anything else in recent cinema.

Mia Goth plays Marsha, the fierce and charismatic leader of a group of women who lure men to their deaths in a mysterious wartime limbo.

She brings magnetic energy and genuine menace to every scene she owns.

The film has a surreal, almost theatrical quality that could easily feel hollow, but Goth grounds Marsha in something real and compelling.

She makes you understand why people follow her, even while questioning everything she stands for.

Mayday is a bold, flawed, and fascinating film, and Goth is its beating heart.

11. The House (2022)

The House is a Netflix anthology film told in three animated segments, and Mia Goth lends her voice to the final chapter.

She plays Rosa, a landlord trying to evict stubborn tenants from a house slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Her vocal performance is warm, wry, and surprisingly moving for an animated short.

Voice acting demands a different skill set than on-screen work, and Goth adapted beautifully.

The third segment of The House is widely considered its strongest, and her performance is a big reason why.

It’s a reminder that her talents extend beyond physical presence into pure, expressive sound.

A genuinely unexpected delight in her career.

12. The Staggering Girl (2019)

Luca Guadagnino directed this short film for Valentino, and Mia Goth stars as a young woman returning home to care for her aging mother while confronting buried memories and unresolved emotions.

Despite its brief runtime, the film carries genuine dramatic weight and showcases Goth in full dramatic mode.

Julianne Moore co-stars, and watching these two share the screen is quietly thrilling.

Goth holds her own completely, matching Moore’s intensity without straining for it.

The Staggering Girl is visually lush and emotionally precise, a fascinating crossover between high fashion and serious filmmaking.

It proves that even in shorter formats, Goth finds the full truth of a character.

13. The Eternal Daughter (2022)

Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter is a quiet, ghostly meditation on grief, memory, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters.

Mia Goth appears in a supporting role, but her presence adds texture and mystery to this already haunting film.

Tilda Swinton plays dual roles as both mother and daughter at the film’s center.

Goth’s scenes feel delicate and carefully observed, fitting Hogg’s precise, restrained filmmaking style perfectly.

She doesn’t overplay a single moment, which takes real confidence and craft.

The Eternal Daughter rewards patient viewers, and Goth’s understated work is part of what makes it linger long after the credits roll.

A quietly powerful entry in her filmography.

14. MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine closes Ti West’s trilogy in spectacular fashion, following Maxine Minx from the events of X as she chases stardom in 1980s Hollywood while a killer closes in around her.

Mia Goth is electric in this film, bringing a steely determination and fierce charisma that makes Maxine one of horror’s greatest modern protagonists.

The film is louder and more stylized than its predecessors, and Goth rises to match every beat of its heightened energy.

She has lived with this character across three films, and that familiarity shows in every glance and gesture.

MaXXXine is a triumphant finish to an already remarkable trilogy.

15. Frankenstein (2025)

Guillermo del Toro’s long-anticipated Frankenstein adaptation brings Mia Goth into one of cinema’s most iconic stories, and early buzz suggests she is extraordinary in the role.

Playing a character connected to the creature’s creation, she brings her signature blend of fragility and ferocity to a classic that demands exactly that combination.

Del Toro is known for drawing career-best performances from his actors, and Goth seems like a perfect match for his visually rich, emotionally complex filmmaking style.

Frankenstein represents another bold, high-profile creative risk from an actress who has never played it safe.

If her track record means anything, this one is going to be unforgettable.