I wonder if you asked people what they considered "directed" well, would they describe a scene that is good because it is acted well? Or great story? Or great effects? To me, it's about how they helped me relate to the story, but bonus points if it is challenging to convey.

A scene like this one from Chernobyl tops it for me. When I think about this setup, the actors were not stars, the visuals were pretty simple (ie practical effects), no music (but great audio effects), and there wasn't a lot of dialogue. The costumes were pretty authentic, but not complicated. But all things considered, they managed to convey just how harrowing this experience was in a very relatable way for the audience.

There were probably some other scenes in Chernobyl that I liked more because of the dialogue, or acting, but I think this was very well directed on the whole.

BenTheGoodAg said:

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I wonder if you asked people what they considered "directed" well, would they describe a scene that is good because it is acted well? Or great story? Or great effects? To me, it's about how they helped me relate to the story, but bonus points if it is challenging to convey.

A scene like this one from Chernobyl tops it for me. When I think about this setup, the actors were not stars, the visuals were pretty simple (ie practical effects), no music (but great audio effects), and there wasn't a lot of dialogue. The costumes were pretty authentic, but not complicated. But all things considered, they managed to convey just how harrowing this experience was in a very relatable way for the audience.

There were probably some other scenes in Chernobyl that I liked more because of the dialogue, or acting, but I think this was very well directed on the whole.

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You can't say enough about how great Chernobyl is.

Villeneuve in Sicario. From the moment they arrive in El Paso through the entire prisoner recovery and back to base. That has got to be one of the best directed scenes. It's also a masterclass in building tension.