The 50 best movies of 2023
Another 12 months have passed, seeing with it the consumption a trillion kernels of popcorn, a good billion scoops of ice cream, and millions of movies being viewed across the world. Much like every other year, 2023 has been a mixed bag when it comes to cinematic offerings, with directors like Martin Scorsese and Wim Wenders making their long-awaited return to the big screen alongside tentpole franchises like Mission: Impossible and Fast and Furious.
Yet, one pretty notable omission from this year in cinema is the loud-mouthed presence of Marvel, with Disney’s superhero wing failing to make a considerable mark on Hollywood. While James Gunn managed to see off his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in style, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels failed critically and commercially, with the latter becoming the company’s greatest financial failure to date.
In its place was the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, which ruled the roost, with Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb, being parcelled together with Greta Gerwig’s plastic fantastic Barbie movie. The result was a cinematic event unlike anything modern cinema has seen, with audiences charging to the cinema in their droves to catch the unlikely double bill.
Sitting pretty with over $1.4 billion to its name at the worldwide box office, Barbie edged out the number one spot with the popular kids flick Super Mario Bros coming in at a close second. Indeed, if the success of Nintendo’s character on the big screen is anything to go by, similar video game movies will be on their way, with the same company having already announced a Legend of Zelda film.
So, with tentpole franchises having collapsed in 2023 and established directors having once again proven their worth, let’s look at the year’s greatest movies.
The 50 best movies of 2023:
50. Infinity Pool (Brandon Cronenberg)
Release Date: 22 January | Genre: Horror | Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth
Sometimes, a movie can hang on the performance of a single star. Mia Goth continued her journey towards becoming modern horror’s true scream queen with Brandon Cronenberg’s directorial debut Infinity Pool, where the brilliance of the science fiction/horror hybrid, with distinctive shades of J.G. Ballard and Cronenberg Snr., all comes down to Goth’s entirely scintillating performance.
Technically second on the call sheet to Alexander Skarsgård, Goth is everything one wants in a horror star; arresting and agitated, she devours every scene she’s in and delivers a shocking performance. This movie is a true cult classic in the making.
49. Ferrari (Michael Mann)
Release Date: 25 December | Genre: Sports Drama | Starring: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz
With Michael Mann behind the wheel of the biopic of notorious racing man Enzo Ferrari, there were more than a few high expectations. With all the high-octane drama of a Sunday afternoon Formula 1 race, the rubber burned, and the engines roared as Mann made a swift change in thematic direction.
Adam Driver as the titular Ferrari is a bold and, ultimately, bountiful choice as he portrays the former racer in his retirement and caught between his wife, his mistress and imminent bankruptcy. Driver’s Italian accent is humourous enough and lends the film a lighter weight, making Ferrari an effort that zooms by with graceful ease.
48. Wonka (Paul King)
Release Date: 8 December | Genre: Musical Fantasy | Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant
There was a clear and audible gasp among lovers of the iconic 1971 movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory when word came to the fore that the story of the famous chocolatier was once again being given the silver-screen treatment. However, fans needn’t worry because in the capable hands of Timothée Chalamet, the legendary character has been given a burst of new life.
Though Gene Wilder may still reign supreme over Chalamet’s impression of Wonka, the latter certainly provides ample reasons to find yourself in the cinema with a goofy smile across your face. Energetic and affable, Wonka has enough caramel to keep things gooey and smooth as we witness the iconic chocolatier’s rise to confectionary brilliance.
47. Saltburn (Emerald Fennell)
Release Date: 17 November | Genre: Drama | Starring: Barry Keogan, Jacob Elordi
Saltburn had audiences audibly gasping and groaning at the many provocative moments, but Emerald Fennell’s sophomore film is at its best when it’s a full-scale modern gothic tale, ticking all the boxes of genre tropes. With a general sense of uncanniness, played to perfection by Barry Keoghan, and the grand gothic settings of the sprawling country houses offset by jarring modern music, Saltburn is just about as riveting as British cinema gets.
Fennell’s second directorial effort continued her reign as a controversial figure, following up her 2020 picture Promising Young Woman. Saltburn is a frenetic carnival of cinematic vision and dramatic joy, and while it may make you squirm and scream along the way, it’s simply a pleasure to participate in the party.
46. Asteroid City (Wes Anderson)
Release Date: 16 June | Genre: Comedy Drama | Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson
One of the industry’s most beloved directors, Wes Anderson wasted no time after 2021’s The French Dispatch, jumping straight into Asteroid City with another star-studded ensemble that puts someone like Robert Altman or Quentin Tarantino to shame. The movie is arguably the most ‘Wes Anderson’ film he’s ever made, defined by intensely saturated pastel hues and incredibly precise symmetry.
The movie includes actors such as Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman, Margot Robbie, Edward Norton, Maya Hawke and Bryan Cranston – most of whom have collaborated with the director before. Set in the 1950s, Anderson sprinkles his own distinctive charm over every scene with a good blend of humour and tragedy and features perhaps one of his greatest-ever scenes.
45. Talk to Me (Danny and Michael Philippou)
Release Date: 27 July | Genre: Horror | Starring: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen
The transition from being a YouTuber to being a fully-fledged filmmaker is becoming a path well-trodden for many burgeoning movie directors, with Danny and Michael Philippou, also known as RackaRacka, being the latest to make the switch. Their A24 horror flick Talk to Me was one of the genre hits of the year, telling an emotional tale that wasn’t short on scares either.
Telling the story of a group of friends who discover an embalmed hand that allows them to conjure spirits, Talk to Me is a brutal film that is superbly shot with a powerful lead performance from Sophie Wilde.
44. Passages (Ira Sachs)
Release Date: 28 June | Genre: Romantic Drama | Starring: Franz Rogowski, Ben Wishaw
Passages, from the American filmmaker Ira Sachs, is a remarkable cinematic achievement, teetering on the border of being a genuine phenomenon. Starring Adèle Exarchopoulos, Franz Rogowski and Ben Whishaw, the film tells the story of a gay marriage which is thrown into turmoil once one of the men begins a love affair with a woman.
With utterly fantastic performances from the lead trio and a sense of romantic magic that drips through the best movies in the romantic drama genre, Passages is a beautiful LGBTQ movie that pulls at the heartstrings throughout its entire runtime. Not to be missed.
43. Enys Men (Mark Jenkin)
Release Date: 13 January | Genre: Folk Horror | Starring: Mary Woodvine, Edward Rowe
Mark Jenkin, the man behind the critically acclaimed Bait, returned with his second feature this year, Enys Men, a highly experimental horror movie set on a mysterious island near the Cornish coast. Drawing from folk horror influences, Enys Men is an intentionally abstract exploration of grief and isolation, shot on stunning 16mm film. Time becomes fluid, and nature begins to dominate as the unnamed protagonist spends her moments observing rare plants.
The director also shot, edited and scored the movie, which carries a distinctive auteur feel. While its low-budget, DIY roots are evident, the movie in no way feels poorly made. In fact, its cinematography is some of the most breathtaking 2023 had to offer, and Jenkin’s score is enough to unsettle even the biggest horror buff.
42. The Killer (David Fincher)
Release Date: 27 October | Genre: Action Thriller | Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton
David Fincher, the legendary director behind modern classics such as Fight Club and The Social Network, released his twelfth film, The Killer, in 2023. The movie follows Michael Fassbender as a hitman who spends much of his time listening to The Smiths, waiting for his next kill. Chaos spirals after he makes a grave error, and the killer finds himself at the centre of a manhunt.
The director is no stranger to the thriller genre, and The Killer is certainly a solid addition to his oeuvre, complete with absurd humour, tense interactions between characters, and stellar performances, particularly from Fassbender. When Morrissey’s voice can’t be heard, you’re most likely listening to the impeccable work of Fincher’s longtime collaborators, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
41. Maestro (Bradley Cooper)
Release Date: 22 November | Genre: Biographical Drama | Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan
Following on from the success of his directorial debut, A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper has taken the reins on Maestro, the biopic of the legendary American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Cooper also plays the lead role opposite Carey Mulligan, who portrays Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre, and the film details their tumultuous relationship while charting Bernstein’s rise to fame.
There’s an actual degree of authenticity that runs throughout the film, whether it be in the props and clothing used by the real-life Felicia and Leonard or in the fact that Cooper spent several years learning how to conduct for just one scene. Cooper’s performance is attentive, and he’s only overshadowed by Mulligan, who is on absolute fire with a dedicated and intense portrayal of a hardened and somewhat neglected wife.
40. Youth (Spring) (Wang Bing)
Release Date: 18 May | Genre: Documentary | Starring: N/A
When we discuss the greatest documentarians of the cinematic form, often it is the likes of Werner Herzog and Errol Morris who are discussed in great length, but it’s about time Wang Bing is considered among the best. With a filmography that boasts an embarrassment of riches, his latest movie, Youth (Spring), is set in Zhili, a region of China where the textile industry rules and the majority of the local communities each work in squalid conditions for low pay.
Much like his previous documentaries, Youth (Spring) unfolds as if an organic slice of life, clocking in at three and a half hours, but every minute you spend in his presence is an utter joy. Following on from the poetic power of Dead Souls or ‘Til Madness Do Us Part, Youth (Spring) joins as a solid addition to Wang’s filmography.
39. M3gan (Gerard Johnstone)
Release Date: 6 January | Genre: Horror | Starring: Alison Williams, Violet McGraw
Enthusiasts of the killer doll genre were practically bursting with excitement when it was announced that Blumhouse Productions was working on a new comedy horror movie centring around a life-sized AI doll with violent impulses. M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone, is a hilariously silly exploration of rapid technological advancement, asking us – at what point are humans going to go too far?
Perfectly camp, M3gan is an excellent example of horror and comedy combined, with director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper knowing precisely what his film is and can be, never trying to intellectualise, making for a simply joyous party.
38. Rodeo (Lola Quivoron)
Release Date: 7 September | Genre: Drama | Starring: Julie Ledru, Yanis Lafki
2023 has been quite the year for indie coming-of-age tales, with Lola Quivoron’s remarkable French drama Rodeo adding to the pile of greats. Starring the likes of Julie Ledru, Antonia Buresi and Yannis Lafki, the film provides some raw insight into the lives of underrepresented teens, following Julia, a passionate dirt bike rider who infiltrates a male-dominated subculture only for an accident to hinder her personal life.
It is the energy of Quivoron as a burgeoning filmmaker that gives Rodeo it’s genuine quality, with the director inspiring the film with an infectious energy that is transferred to Ledru in the lead role.
37. Klokkenluider (Neil Maskell)
Release Date: 1 September | Genre: Comedy Thriller | Starring: Amit Shah, Jenna Coleman
Known for his efforts in the Ben Wheatley horror Kill List as well as Utopia and Peaky Blinders, actor Neil Maskell transitioned to director this year with the black comedy thriller Klokkenluider. The Dutch title means ‘bell ringer’, a term used to describe a whistleblower: a person who reveals the nefarious or illegal activity of a government or organisation.
And that’s precisely how the film begins, with Amit Shah’s ‘Mr Appleby’ and his wife hiding out in a rented Belgian manor to reveal to a journalist the secret he’s uncovered working in IT for the British administration. What ensues is a game of paranoia with its fair share of comic moments in the style of Samuel Beckett and The Thick of It. Sleep on this film at your peril.
36. Reality (Tina Satter)
Release Date: 29 May | Genre: Crime Drama | Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Josh Hamilton
An excellent example of a simple story well delivered to its audience, Tina Satter’s Reality tells the remarkable true story of Reality Winner (yes, that is her real name), an American intelligence specialist who leaked information regarding Russia’s involvement in the 2016 United States elections to the media. Set in just one location, the film is a masterclass in simplicity that delves into the complex tactics of interrogation.
Having burst onto the scene in recent years thanks to her performance in HBO’s Euphoria, fans of Sydney Sweeney are sleeping on her performance in Satter’s film, which subtly shuffles and twitches with discomfort.
35. Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros (Frederick Wiseman)
Release Date: 20 December | Genre: Documentary | Starring: N/A
Everyone loves a food documentary, but almost every other work in the genre seems to pale in comparison to Frederick Wiseman’s remarkable four-hour-long Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, an odyssey of gastronomy which follows the life and inner workings of a French restaurant that, for 50 years, has held three prestigious Michelin stars.
For food lovers, this is no doubt a must-watch, and documentary heads will also get a rush out of this genuinely special work, with Wiseman presenting food as if it were not merely a human necessity but instead some sort of magical totem of superiority.
34. A Thousand and One (A.V. Rockwell)
Release Date: 31 March | Genre: Drama | Starring: Teyana Taylor, Will Catlett
The American filmmaker A.V. Rockwell should be considered to be one of the most promising directors currently working in the industry, with her first feature, A Thousand and One, being one of the most impressive debut feats of the year. Punching well above its weight, Rockwell’s film hits like a freight train, telling the story of a fierce mother who kidnaps her son from foster care and sets out to reassert their connection and identity together.
Starring Teyana Taylor in the lead role, with a supporting cast that includes William Catlett and Terri Abney, this film is a showcase of high-stakes, low-budget indie excellence, with superb performances from the entire cast.
33. About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Release Date: 12 July | Genre: Drama | Starring: Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar
Talk about underrated filmmakers, and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan will be a part of the conversation. Not only did he direct the Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep at Cannes in 2014, but the filmmaker has also chipped in with some of the modern century’s greatest masterworks, and you can add About Dry Grasses to that list. Ceylan’s film is an odyssey of emotion that does everything it sets out to do with a sense of focus and grace.
Starring the likes of Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici, the film tells the story of a young teacher who hopes to teach in Istanbul after working in a small village, only for the opportunity never to arise, forcing him to change perspective.
32. Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki)
Release Date: 14 Germany | Genre: Comedy Drama | Starring: Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen
Love takes a lot of luck; succeeding in anything in life does, for that matter. However, few films ever play with this plot and derail reality as truthfully and comically as Fallen Leaves. After meeting in a karaoke bar somewhere nondescript in Helsinki, a pair of would-be lovers’ quest to meet is constantly thrown off course by lost numbers, booze, stray dogs and everyday calamities.
‘Love is Luck’, the Walkmen once sang, and Aki Kaurismäki captures that with just as much beauty in this deeply human tale. Unpolished and anti-Hollywood, there is a guttural, honest, earthiness to Fallen Leaves. To use the horrid parlance of our times, it makes you ‘feel seen’, and in the process, it makes you laugh at yourself, with just enough charm to comfort you too.
31. R.M.N. (Cristian Mungiu)
Release Date: 3 June | Genre: Drama Thriller | Starring: Marin Grigore
There is something wholly terrifying about the thriller R.M.N., and yet it is oddly comforting, too. How such a dichotomy can exist is a puzzling paradigm that keeps you riveted throughout the film. Cristian Mungiu’s movie is an empathetic look at trepidation. In a world where this is widespread, he brings the narrative down to a small and spooky scale, weaving through snow-covered streets.
R.M.N. sees a whole community in the grips of this unsettling change as a father returns from working away and looks to rekindle a relationship with his young son, who is riddled with fear. However, the father also longs to see his ex-partner, but she, too, is in turmoil after hiring a selection of shady men to work in her factory. A quality psychological study from Romania.
30. Bottoms (Emma Seligman)
Release Date: 25 August | Genre: Comedy | Starring: Rachell Sennott, Ayo Edebiri
Fans of the edgy comedy Shiva Baby were excited to discover that director Emma Seligman had reteamed with Rachel Sennott for another movie, Bottoms, when their new project was announced back in 2021. Bottoms is much more outrageously funny than its predecessor, drawing from the American teen comedy genre with pinpoint panache, making it easily one of the year’s most humorous movies.
Of course, the movie also pays homage to the ultimate 2000s teen comedy, Superbad, with the plot focusing on two high-schoolers with a desperate need to get laid. The movie sees Sennott and Ayo Edebiri play two lesbian best friends as they go to extreme measures to get closer to their cheerleader crushes, which leads to a series of hilarious, bizarre and even gruesome events.
29. Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)
Release Date: 27 October | Genre: Biographical Drama | Starring: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi
Fresh on the heels of that other Presley biopic, Sofia Coppola arrives a year later to tell the alternate side of the Elvis and Priscilla relationship with her usual motif of wealth and privilege never really satisfying our innermost desires. With Jacob Elordi portraying ‘The King’ of rock and roll and Cailee Spaeny as his far-younger and potentially groomed wife, Priscilla focuses on Miss Beaulieu’s loneliness behind the locked gates of Graceland while Elvis is off galavanting around Hollywood.
Lanky Elordi looms over tiny Spaeny, further reiterating the Presley’s off-balance power dynamic, and Coppola details the transition Priscilla makes from being a 14-year-old girl on a West German US Army base to being a woman with sexual needs that are never met by the increasingly self-absorbed and manipulative singer. Where Baz Luhrmann went for spectacle, Coppola went for emotional authenticity and delivered a biopic of genuinely feminist quality.
28. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson)
Release Date: 2 June | Genre: Animated Superhero | Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld
The latest Spider-Man feature, Across the Spider-Verse, continued to give the famous webslinger a new identity, in this instance, several, showing that there is a Spider-Man for everyone. Or, as lead actor Shameik Moore stated, “Anyone can wear the mask”. The second movie in this beautifully animated series sees Miles Morales dive back into the Spider-Verse, where he meets the Spider Society, gaining access to the worlds of Spider-Punk, Spider-Man India and Spider-Man 2099.
The film, therefore, pays homage to perhaps the greatest superheroes of all time with a look across the more wild and wacky versions of the iconic arachnid champion while delivering a narrative in which Miles must save his own universe from a villain from the previous movie. Throw in some of the most outstanding animation styles, which seamlessly blend into one another, and emotional pulls of family and identity, and Across the Spider-Verse suddenly becomes the best superhero film of the year.
27. Perfect Days (Wim Wenders)
Release Date: 21 December | Genre: Drama | Starring: Kōji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto
At one point in the 1980s, there were fewer filmmakers quite as significant as Wim Wenders, the German director behind such classics as Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire. Wenders hadn’t been as successful until 2023 when he released two excellent movies, the documentary Anselm and the heartwarming drama Perfect Days, starring Kôji Yakusho, an actor better known for his role in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure.
Telling the story of a janitor in Japan who drives from job to job listening to rock music in his car, Wenders’ film is a return to his European and American culture clash, creating another classic road movie to add to his repertoire that oozes style and sheer love for humanity.
26. You Hurt My Feelings (Nicole Holofcener)
Release Date: 26 May | Genre: Comedy Drama | Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies
Isn’t it refreshing to go to the cinema and not be completely drenched in big-budget bravado? To pick up your popcorn and sit down to an intelligent and engaged story about adult-focused issues? Well, if you’ve been longing for something that delivers on all those fronts, then make sure you add Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies’ Woody Allen-adjacent flick to your essential watch list.
While Louis-Dreyfus is naturally the most captivating component of the movie, delivering a more downbeat comedic punch than she is most well known for doing, it is the pain at the core of this story that is its biggest asset. A film about middle-aged anxiety may not sound like the best way to spend your evening, but if you’re either middle-aged, anxious, or craving a chunk of cinema that isn’t smothered in buttery blockbuster sauce, then this could be your perfect new movie.
25. La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)
Release Date: 23 November | Genre: Adventure Drama | Starring: Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini
This curious gem of a fantasy film is the sort of release that will be recognised and remembered for years rather than being celebrated at the end-of-year award shows. Helmed by the Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, who also directed 2018’s Happy as Lazzaro, La Chimera tells the story of a group of archaeologists who look for historical artefacts as a way to find fortune and their other deepest desires in life.
A truly strange, daring and eccentric piece of cinema, La Chimera is a delight to behold, feeling like something genuinely unique, a grand, idiosyncratic statement on the mystery of life that also manages to be painfully universal. If you don’t get around to watching Rohrwacher’s film over the Christmas period of 2023, you can be sure that it will come back to your attention in the near future.
24. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli)
Release Date: 10 November | Genre: Comedy | Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Cera
We’re so used to seeing Nicolas Cage play men in the midst of genuine psychotic breakdowns – Mandy, Leaving Las Vegas, etc – that his character in the A24-produced, Nicolas Borgli-directed comedy-drama Dream Scenario promised to serve as a welcome refresher to his back catalogue. The result did not fail to deliver in the slightest, with the iconic actor on new turf but still in scintillating form.
With Cage playing Paul Matthews, arguably the world’s biggest pushover and most boring man who suddenly finds himself at the centre of the world’s attention when he inexplicably begins to appear in the dreams of his friends, family and those he’s never met, Dream Scenario is already off to a flyer. Then with added drama, a reflection on the nature of cancel culture and one of the best fart jokes in the history of cinema, Borgli’s film becomes one of the best comedies of the year without a doubt.
23. Earth Mama (Savanah Leaf)
Release Date: 7 July | Genre: Drama | Starring: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander
Filmmaker Savanah Leaf’s debut feature, Earth Mama, expands upon her short film, The Heart Still Hums, which she co-created with actor Taylor Russell in 2020. Not only is Earth Mama Leaf’s first full-length feature, but it is also rapper Tia Nomore’s acting debut, and she does a fine job of portraying a young single mother recovering from addiction, desperate to fight for the union of her family.
Her character, Gia, tries her hardest in spite of the oppressive social structures that seem to be working against her. A poignant exploration of class, gender and race, Leaf’s film gives an honest look at the hardships faced by many women across the world, presenting Gia with understanding, all without filtering away her flaws. One of the most underrated and understated movies of the year, Earth Mama is undoubtedly one of the year’s most hard-hitting dramas.
22. Barbie (Greta Gerwig)
Release Date: 21 July | Genre: Fantasy Comedy | Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
It felt like Barbie could go either way when it was released to audiences in the summer, threatening to fall into the overhyped camp or slipping into harsh scrutiny, but as the crowds flocked out of the screening, the general consensus was that the film deserved all the frenzy it was getting. Gorgeously designed, Greta Gerwig’s tale was an escapist movie that has few creative comparisons.
From the nods towards archival doll outfits and the clever composition of Barbieland to the narrated meta-comment about Margot Robbie’s beauty during Barbie’s self-esteem meltdown, they took every opportunity to make this feel so thorough and so special. But it’s in the last quarter that Barbie reveals her true heart. It all boils down to an outright film about feminism, motherhood and womanhood on the whole.
21. Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster)
Release Date: 14 April | Genre: Tragicomedy Horror | Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Ryan
Joaquin Phoenix once again proved that there’s simply no role he can’t take on and make entirely his own, this time with Ari Aster’s mother trauma comedy horror Beau is Afraid. The always-mesmerising actor plays Beau Wasserman, a man in the throes of a seemingly life-long state of anxiety and paranoia, and his performance is enough to make his persistently psychotic hallucinations almost pour out of the screen itself.
Beau has been seriously messed up by his obsessive mother during his childhood, and he begins a surreal and mind-bending journey to make it back to his home to attend her funeral. Also featuring brilliant efforts by Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone and Amy Ryan, Beau is Afraid is Aster’s most symbolic movie, and while it’s certainly not for the faint of heart, it still serves as his craziest cinematic creation yet.
20. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Chad Stahelski)
Release Date: 24 March | Genre: Action Thriller | Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen
After suffering gunshots, body blows, and enough smacks around the head to give even Stone Cold Steve Austin a brain haemorrhage, John Wick donned the suit, loaded the pistols and cracked his knuckles once again for Chapter 4, this time to take on the members of the High Table who left him for dead at the conclusion of the action franchise’s previous entry.
Making his way through New York, Morocco, Osaka, Berlin and Paris, Keanu Reeve’s titular assassin makes good on the film’s promise to consistently deliver the best fight sequences. In a cinematic world that lacks strong action heroes, John Wick has made himself as iconic as John McClane, Rambo and the Terminator, which, in itself, is incredibly commendable.
19. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
Release Date: 21 July | Genre: Biographical Drama | Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt
There’s always widespread publicity surrounding any Christopher Nolan movie, such is the pull of the iconic British film director, but this year’s Oppenheimer seemed to get even more hype with it being released on the same day as the painfully different-in-tone Greta Gerwig movie Barbie. The darker half of Barbenheimer sees Cillian Murphy take the lead role in a Nolan movie for the first time as the American theoretical physicist and ‘father of the atomic bomb’ J. Robert Oppenheimer.
With megatons of pressure on his shoulders to bring about the end of World War II by inventing the atomic bomb and thereby changing the political world and global warfare forever, Oppenheimer is magnificently portrayed by Murphy, while the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh are also on hand to deliver a film of genuine historical importance. Even three hours in length, Oppenheimer never falters.
18. May December (Todd Haynes)
Release Date: 17 November | Genre: Drama | Starring: Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman
Inspired loosely by the life of Mary Kay Letourneau, the real-life sex offender and teacher who pleaded guilty to second-degree rape of a child in 1997, Todd Haynes’ new film May December uses a similar narrative to examine the blurred boundaries between truth and fiction. Natalie Portman plays Elizabeth, an actor who travels to Georgia to meet and study Julianne Moore’s Gracie, an infamous woman known for her relationship with a man that began when he was only 13 years old.
Gracie and husband Joe (played by Charles Melton) seem to live a somewhat normal life. Their kids are soon departing for college, and they’re liked by the local community, but the arrival of Elizabeth seems to put the familiar spotlight on them, and the trauma they had once buried begins to bubble up to the surface. Melton’s performance as the heartbreakingly lost Joe, who’s missed out entirely on his teenagehood, is the pick of the bunch, and Haynes delivers a sometimes hilarious, often uncomfortable watch that surpasses some of his previous works.
17. Theater Camp (Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman)
Release Date: 14 July | Genre: Comedy | Starring: Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon
Loved by a small sub-section of movie lovers at the time of its release before being inextricably swept under the carpet, Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s Theater Camp is an utter joy and an escapist gem that’s perfect to bookend a year of global unrest. With the energy of School of Rock and the cinematic imprint of something far more unique, the mockumentary tells the story of a summer camp preparing for its annual musical performance.
Refreshingly lacking cynicism, Theater Camp is a celebration of identity that feels like a 90-minute party. While the film is rife with excellent child performances, it is brought to life by Ben Platt and Molly Gordon, who are utterly superb. In a year of some excellent coming of ages tales, Theater Camp is a treat for anybody who is or has felt like they exist on the periphery of ‘popularity’.
16. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
Release Date: 15 December | Genre: Historical Drama | Starring: Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller
The fourth film from Jonathan Glazer is an adaptation of Martin Amis’ 2014 historical novel The Zone of Interest, detailing the seemingly idyllic life that Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family experience just on the other side of walls surrounding the infamous Polish concentration camp, a life so bountiful and obliviously joyous that Höss’ wife Hedwig bounds around her “paradise garden” as the self-named ‘Queen of Auschwitz’.
The Zone of Interest is a rather excruciating examination of the immorality and disregarding nature of Nazi families as their atrocities are undertaken just a stone’s throw from their own dwellings. Glazer’s happy to throw in an artistic flourish or two – an intense electronic score and a handful of scenes shot in negative – and manages to adapt the ‘unadaptable’ novel with a deft touch, reflecting the moral passivity of the events felt by the Nazi soldiers.
15. Kokomo City (D. Smith)
Release Date: 28 July | Genre: Documentary | Starring: N/A
Coming well and truly out of nowhere, D. Smith’s slick, stylish and eternally powerful documentary Kokomo City is undoubtedly one of the year’s very best: a pocket rocket of cinematic vigour. It all follows the lives of four black trans sex workers in contemporary America as each one navigates the world and finds themselves in a complex society that demonises sexual liberation.
A truly powerful film, Kokomo City is a tender portrayal of the subjects’ lives that also addresses wider issues of sexuality in the black community. It’s a tenacious piece of filmmaking and a passionate societal plea from the director and its subjects that directly taps into a modern conversation as a leading voice. If you’re going to watch one movie this Christmas, make it this urgent 73-minute gem.
14. Rye Lane (Raine Allen-Miller)
Release Date: 17 March | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Starring: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah
Truth be told, it is rare to find a good rom-com these days. Yet, Raine Allen-Miller challenged this notion with Rye Lane, her heartwarming debut feature, set in the heart of London. The romantic-comedy genre is historically overwhelmingly American and white, but Allen-Miller’s movie proves that everyone deserves to watch a sweet love story and see characters like themselves reflected on screen.
She called the film “a love letter to South London”, which is clear from the outset. The film frames the area’s beloved eccentricities with love, and Allen-Miller allows her characters to use real locations as their playground. Paying homage to everything from Wes Anderson to Before Sunrise and Peep Show, Rye Lane is the romantic comedy British cinema has long been needing.
13. Anselm (Wim Wenders)
Release Date: 12 October | Genre: Documentary | Starring: N/A
Wim Wenders effortlessly explores his subject in his 3D portrait of German Anselm Keifer, telling a sparsely narrated story of a controversial figure who rarely gave much of himself away. In many ways, Wenders is lucky he can rely largely on the stunning visuals of Keifer’s artworks, all enormous, foreboding, and captured in acute detail.
The resulting experience goes beyond immersive. The constant chorus of crickets pulls you into the landscapes Kiefer creates while Wenders guides you through the techniques he uses to create them. Like a continuous dream sequence and art exhibition in one, its fragmented narrative and inability to truly interrogate its reluctant subject makes it one of the year’s most intriguing films, both visually and conceptually.
12. Evil Does Not Exist (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Release Date: 4 September | Genre: Drama | Starring: Hitoshi Omia, Ryo Nishikawa
Ryusuke Hamaguchi has returned with yet another phenomenal work of cinema, the most recent since his 2021 masterpiece Drive My Car. Evil Does Not Exist tells the story of a rural village community in an untouched and beautiful part of Japan, whose serene way of life is threatened when a talent agency announces plans to build a glamping site as a method of securing Covid subsidies.
Like many of Hamaguchi’s films, Evil Does Not Exist takes its time in working its magic on you, and its slow pace is aligned with the rural way of life and nature itself, almost to the point where the director allows audiences to project their own anxieties onto the healing solemnity of the forest, lakes and surrounding scenery. However, something sinister seems to lurk under the quiet throughout the runtime, and the final act takes a painful and dramatic turn, crafting more cinematic magic from Hamaguchi.
11. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Kelly Fremon Craig)
Release Date: 28 April | Genre: Comedy Drama | Starring: Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson
Following her well-received debut, The Edge of Seventeen, Kelly Fremon Craig returned with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, in 2023. Proving her capabilities of understanding the experience of being a young girl, Fremon Craig’s sophomore feature is a delightful exploration of faith, girlhood and family, perfect for audiences of all ages, starring Benny Safdie, Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson.
The movie, based on Judy Blume’s novel of the same name, follows Margaret, an 11-year-old unsure of her religious identity – her mother is Christian while her father is Jewish. As she explores both, she deals with the trials and tribulations of becoming a teenage girl, such as getting her first period and attempting to make her boobs grow. Fremon Craig removes all stigma from such topics, which makes for a refreshing and empowering watch. Nuanced, heartfelt and hilarious, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret should be required viewing for all teenagers, being one of the greatest coming-of-age movies, not only of 2023 but of modern cinema on the whole.
10. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
Release Date: 23 August | Genre: Courtroom Drama | Starring: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud
Courtroom dramas always feel like relics of the 1990s, with the likes of A Few Good Men and A Time to Kill proving popular at the time, but Justine Triet has revitalised the genre this year with Anatomy of a Fall, written in collaboration with Arthur Harari. Sandra Hüller plays novelist Sandra Voyter, who is tried for her husband Samuel’s murder after he falls from the balcony of their chalet in Grenoble, France, and while the trial indeed attempts to make clear what happened to Samuel, it also serves as a dissection of the couple’s relationship.
Anatomy of a Fall is brimming with intensity and intrigue and might just be the quietest film of the year, save for a blaring and central-to-the-case instrumental version of 50 Cent’s ‘P.I.M.P.’. While Hüller’s performance is one of remarkable swaying deception and verity, it’s eclipsed only by Milo Machado-Graner, who plays the couple’s blind son, a young boy who must painfully learn of his parent’s depression, infidelity and conflicted love for one another. This is a phenomenal Palme d’Or winner.
9. How to Have Sex (Molly Manning Walker)
Release Date: 3 November | Genre: Drama | Starring: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake
Molly Manning-Walker made her breathtaking debut with How To Have Sex earlier this year, a vital watch about sexual assault, friendship and British youth culture. Without a polished Hollywood feel, Walker introduces us to a group of British teenagers who simply want to drink away their worries following their GCSEs, wearing skimpy Pretty Little Thing dresses and obsessing over greasy, cheesy chips as they stumble around the strips of Crete.
While the movie has many comedic moments, this never detracts from the seriousness and delicacy with which Regan explores assault. Lead actor Mia McKenna Bruce, who might be best recognised as Tee from CBBC’s Tracy Beaker Returns, gives an incredibly vulnerable performance which will undoubtedly pave the way for even greater successes in the future. With a powerful message that doesn’t ever feel overtly didactic, How to Have Sex is one of 2023’s most essential releases.
8. The Boy and the Heron (Hayao Miyazaki)
Release Date: 14 July | Genre: Animated Fantasy | Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda
Hayao Miyazaki delivered what is purported to be his final film this year with Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron, and the Japanese cinema icon’s potential farewell swansong serves as a homage to his history at the head of the legendary animation studio. There are all the narrative features we’d expect from a Miyazaki film: a lonely boy named Mahito moving to the countryside, discovering a strange ruinous tower near his new abode, and entering a magical world when he ventures inside for the first time.
While the central narrative is indeed ubiquitous in Miyazaki and Ghibli, there are also some brilliantly unique facets, too: painfully cute spirit creatures called Warawara, hilarious man-eating parakeets and a tender story of tragedy and trauma. What’s best about The Boy and the Heron, though, is how it seems to portray the handing over of the creative reins from Miyazaki to his son Goro, which finds its analogy in a wizard of remarkable artistry finding a bloodline successor to craft entire worlds of beauty, which the anime hero himself has been doing for the last four decades.
7. American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)
Release Date: 15 December | Genre: Comedy Drama | Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross
Following in the same vein of satire as the sensational and bold Spike Lee comedy Bamboozled, Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction is a sharp drama that criticises the racism innate within expectations of black artists. Starring Jeffrey Wright in a career-best performance, the film follows a novelist who uses a pen name and a fictional tale that exploits black stereotypes to propel him to international fame.
A hilarious exploration of modern values, director Cord Jefferson has his finger tightly on the pulse of modern sensibilities, with not an inch of his script going off course. Cinema doesn’t always have to dazzle with spectacular cinematography and emotional might; sometimes it simply has to deliver a sensational script and an ingenious central conceit.
6. Napoleon (Ridley Scott)
Release Date: 22 November | Genre: Historical Drama | Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby
Joaquin Phoenix has already played a historical emperor for Ridley Scott in Gladiator, so the prospect of the two icons of cinema teaming up again for yet another epic in the form of Napoleon had history nuts practically foaming at the mouth. The result is a movie that defies all expectations, delivering a historically dubious but cinematically glorious biopic.
Not only are the battles beautifully choreographed and directed with canon fire so loud that it almost rattles the bones of audience members, but the actual performance of Phoenix was also truly stultifying, an effort only matched by Vanessa Kirby, who plays Napoleon’s wife and one true love Josephine. By simultaneously documenting Napoleon’s rise to power on the battlefield and examining his emotional conflict with Josephine, Scott is back on form with one of the best historical epics in recent years.
5. Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)
Release Date: 8 December | Genre: Black Comedy Fantasy | Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo
With Poor Things, the Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has strengthened his filmography further, joining forces with Emma Stone for the third time to create a magnificent movie that feels uniquely ‘him’. Poor Things follows Stone’s Bella, who is brought to life by Willem Dafoe’s Dr Godwin Baxter after she kills herself. Set in a fantastical version of Victorian England, which feels simultaneously rooted in the past and the future, the movie tracks Bella’s newfound sense of the world.
Running away with Mark Ruffalo’s Duncan Wedderburn, Bella sees the world in a way she never did before, experiencing life for the first time without the rigid expectations placed on Victorian women. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography is stunning, and the costumes and set designs are exquisite, immersing the audience in a beautiful fairytale-esque world. Stone gives a complex and endearing performance, taking us with her as she discovers her surroundings in Lanthimos’ absorbing and inherently sexual flick.
4. Rotting in the Sun (Sebastián Silva)
Release Date: 8 September | Genre: Black Comedy Thriller | Starring: Jordan Firstman, Sebastián Silva
Modern life can sometimes feel almost impossible to pin down, define and get control over, but Sebastián Silva’s comedy-drama Rotting in the Sun does a remarkable job lending you a helping hand, telling an audacious tale that rides the fine line between tragedy and farce. The entirely meta-movie follows the real-life director of the movie, Sebastián Silva, an artist who struggles with a ketamine addiction who heads on a trip to a nudist beach and befriends the TikTok influencer Jordan Firstman.
Refreshingly homemade, Silva shoots the film as if it were a rustic holiday video, often tailing the characters or awkwardly hanging onto their conversations as they discuss everything from homosexuality to social media addiction to drug use. The result is one of the most accurate social satires of the modern era, with Silva drawing an organic comparison between the online world and drug addiction while telling a nihilistic tale that feels disturbingly relevant.
3. All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh)
Release Date: 31 August | Genre: Romantic Fantasy | Starring: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal
It’s about time the British director Andrew Haigh was given the credit he so rightfully deserves, with the filmmaker of such past classics as 2015’s 45 Years making a film that painfully defines the loneliness of the modern world with All of Us Strangers. Not entirely unlike the previous film on this list, Haigh’s All of Us Strangers has a deft ability to tap into the mood of the modern world with an almost existential accuracy.
Telling the story of a screenwriter who encounters the ghosts of his mother and father after being drawn back to his family home, the film explores human connection and loneliness in a world that seems to lack emotional disconnection. Featuring performances from Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal that simply solidify their place among the very best actors working today, All of Us Strangers is an emotional odyssey and a piece of fiction that perfectly toes the line between fantasy and drama. If the entire film doesn’t rock you to your core, the final scene certainly will.
2. Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese)
Release Date: 20 October | Genre: Drama | Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone
There’s always big anticipation for any Martin Scorsese movie, but when it features both of his most favoured actors, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, the excitement is ramped up yet another notch. Thankfully, Killers of the Flower Moon did not disappoint and saw the legendary director deliver a remarkable historical chronicle of faith, deception and greed in the 1920s, documenting the amassing of oil-induced wealth in the Osage Nation of Oklahoma and the subsequent manipulation of Native Americans.
DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, a greedy and rather stupid World War I cook who comes to work for his uncle William King Hale (De Niro), a friend of the Osage who, with the former, quickly sparks a relationship with Lily Gladstone’s Mollie. As expected from Scorsese, every shot is carefully thought out and remarkably performed by the cast, and even at three-and-a-half hours long, Killers of the Flower Moon never falters, with new threads of narrative and deception constantly unfurling. It might sound audacious, but Killers of the Flower Moon is among Scorsese’s all-time best movies.
1. Past Lives (Celine Song)
Release Date: 20 October | Genre: Romantic Drama | Starring: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo
It’s been a truly phenomenal year for film with action-heavy blockbusters, indie breakouts and moving moments of world cinema across the board, but the greatest movie of 2023 is, without doubt, Celine Song’s debut feature, Past Lives. Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, Song’s first directorial effort tells of the ongoing and ever-shifting relationship between two South Korean childhood friends, Na Young and Hae Sung. The pair develop a romantic connection with one another when they’re just 12 years old, but their union is broken when Na Young emigrates to Canada with her family.
Twelve years later, Na Young changed her name to Nora and sought out a career as a writer in New York City while Hae Sung completed his military service. After reconnecting online, their bond strengthens once again, but Nora makes the heartbreaking decision to focus on her writing. Another dozen years pass, and Nora has married fellow writer Arthur, but Hae Sung still feels an emotional pull to his childhood crush and sets out to meet her in New York.
Past Lives is a reflection on ‘what might have been’ were our circumstances slightly different and serves as an examination of missed connections and alternate possibilities with shades of Jorge Luis Borges’ short story The Garden of Forking Paths. Scenes in which the young Na Young and Hae Sung walk down separate paths and in which their adult selves stare longingly at one another as Hae Sung prepares to return to South Korea will live long in the memory. With painfully authentic and heart-shattering performances from the cast, plus a beautifully tender score from Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen, Past Lives is a cinematic world of genuine quality and is the best of 2023, well-capturing the ephemeral quality of life’s most precious moments.
