As another year draws to a close, I spent an evening enjoying one of my favorite year-end traditions: looking back at all the films I’d seen in the last twelve months (thanks, Letterboxd!) and deciding which of the more than 220 (roughly 227 this year, a massive increase from 2022’s flimsy 167 films) would ultimately land as my favorites. This year proved more difficult than usual to pare the list down to just a select favorites, as I really think 2023 will go down as a very, very good year in film.
What jumped out at me most about my viewing habits this year is the sporadic nature of my screen time over the course of the year. I started January off strong at Sundance, with 22 films watched in the first thirty-one days of the year. But by the time summer rolled around, I must’ve been too busy enjoying the long days and warm temps, because in June I only watched a piddly four films. Four! I knew I had some making-up to do in the second half of the year; I watched 26 films in both October and November, while in December, I logged thirty-three films to round out the calendar year.
There were a few other interesting findings, like the fact that 40 of the films I watched are documentaries, and about 75 of them are from countries other than the United States. Roughly the same number of films were released in a year before 2023, with the oldest new-to-me movie I watched this year being 1978’s The Star Wars Holiday Special (anything can happen during that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s), followed closely by 1979’s The Jerk (I’d never seen it!).
After much consideration and a lot of hemming and hawing—because oh my gosh, there were so many good movies this year!—I finally narrowed down my favorites for the year. Instead of separating out narrative films from documentaries, I’ve organized this year’s selections as honorable mentions, then ranked 20 – 11, and finally, my top ten of the year. It’s quite a list, if I do say so myself.
This year’s honorable mentions include, in alphabetical order (click through for my reviews): 20 Days in Mariupol; Afire; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.; Asteroid City; The Boy and the Heron; Fair Play; The Holdovers; Kokomo City; May December; Society of the Snow; The Starling Girl; Wonka.
And without further ado, here are my top 20 films of the year – starting with number 20 and working our way up to my personal favorite of the last twelve months.
BARBIE — I know, I’m surprised Greta Gerwig’s pink extravaganza is this low on the list, too. Read my full review. Barbie is now streaming on Max.
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS — Nicole Holofcener is uniquely capable of capturing contemporary relationships predicaments, and in You Hurt My Feelings, she riffs off the small (and big) lies and insults we tell each other, sometimes those we love most. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
POOR THINGS — I love a good Yorgos Lanthimos, and this is a good Yorgos Lanthimos. From its whimsical set pieces to lush costume designs, Poor Things is a feast for the eyes. The plot, as weird and wonderful as ever, is brought to beautiful life by Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo and more.
OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN — a small French film I had the pleasure of working on this year, Rebecca Zlotowski’s relationship drama about loving someone with children from another partner is a smart, warm and realistic meditation on the reality of mid-life love. Now streaming on Mubi, or available to rent/purchase.
MAESTRO — Bradley Cooper’s biopic about Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia (played by the divine Carey Mulligan) is a sweeping drama about an ambitious man’s professional accomplishments and personal struggles, and it’s beautiful. Read my full review; now streaming on Netflix.
OPPENHEIMER — Christopher Nolan has made some impressive films in his day, and Oppenheimer ranks right up there, in no small part thanks to Cillian Murphy finally getting his moment in a major starring role. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
AMERICAN FICTION — In his feature filmmaking debut, Cord Jefferson crafts one of the funniest, smartest films of the year, a satire that skewers the literary world, Black stereotypes and more, all while maintaining a heart at the center of it all.
BEYOND UTOPIA — One of only two documentaries on my best-of list, Beyond Utopia offers a historical look at how North Korea became so isolated from the rest of the world, while focusing on the desperate families trying to escape the regime. It’s eye-opening and impressive. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
MEMORY — Peter Sarsgaard and Jessica Chastain star in a quiet but moving drama about a man with early-onset dementia and the woman, struggling with her own trauma, who becomes his caretaker. It’s a sad story told with warmth and a gentle touch.
FLORA AND SON — John Carney is a filmmaker who’s never let me down (seriously, if you haven’t seen Sing Street yet, how are we even friends?), and Flora and Son is no exception. An Irish mother tries to get through to her teenage son through music, thanks to virtual guitar lessons with an instructor in LA, and the results are melodic. Now available on AppleTV.
That’s already a strong list—we had such an amazing year in movies! But wait, there’s more…my top ten films of 2023:
SHOWING UP — Kelly Reichardt’s latest was a late catch for me, and I’m so glad I made the time for it. Michelle Williams shines as a put-upon artist preparing for her latest gallery show if only everyone would stop annoying her. Or maybe that’s just…life? Now streaming on Showtime and Hoopla, or available to rent/purchase.
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE — Ilker Çatak creates a world within the halls of a high school in this tense, intelligent moral drama starring Leonie Benesch in one of the best performances of the year. As a young teacher still learning the ropes, she gets caught up in the drama while attempting to do what’s right.
PAST LIVES — As often happens, I discovered one of the year’s best films at Sundance in January. Celine Song crafts a love story that spans decades and asks who we are as our identities change over such lengths of time. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
ANATOMY OF A FALL — Here is where things get complicated, because Anatomy of a Fall, like any of the remaining films, could be my favorite of the year. Sandra Hüller is exceptional as a woman navigating the unknown after her spouse is found dead outside their chalet, from helping their young son cope to establishing her innocence when she’s charged with murder. A compelling script bolstered by fantastic performances, it’s a triumph.
FOUR DAUGHTERS — It’s very hard to do something new in the realm of documentary filmmaking, but Kaouther Ben Hania manages it in this devastating but gripping story of a family torn apart by extremism and war. Through a clever use of reenactments, a narrative mechanism that doesn’t typically work for me, Ben Hania somehow manages to make this already powerful story all the more moving. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON — It’s rare that the great Marty S. releases a film and it doesn’t end up on my best-of-the-year list. Killers is not a perfect film; it is certainly not a perfect representation of the Osage experience. But it is a remarkable epic of greed, power, shame and legacy featuring a legendary cast. Available to rent/purchase on most platforms.
THE TASTE OF THINGS — This gem of a French film combines pretty much everything I love. It’s a period film centered on an unrequited romance, all unfolding in a rustic kitchen where a food scholar and a talented chef host dinners to discuss the ramifications of cuisine on our everyday lives. It’s simply dreamy. (The Taste of Things technically doesn’t open in theaters until February, 2024, but it is shortlisted for a Oscar already, so I’m counting it in this year’s run of films.)
ALL OF US STRANGERS — In so many ways, Andrew Haigh’s metaphysical drama about life, death, love and memory is a perfect film. With a dreamy quietness all around, Andrew Scott stars as a screenwriter simultaneously falling in love and coming to terms with the death of his parents in a car crash when he was twelve. It is emotionally devastating in the best possible way. Full review coming soon.
THE ZONE OF INTEREST —When I say that The Zone of Interest is the best film of the year, I feel the need to greatly caution that it is also the most difficult, painful films I’ve watched in recent memory. But Jonathan Glazer’s astonishing and audacious choice to center a Holocaust film on the real story of a Nazi commandant and his family living on a sequestered estate on the edge of Auschwitz (yes, really) is one of the most incredible narratives perhaps ever put to film. This is a movie that proves that cinema as an art form is far from exhausted, and that as long as there are filmmakers willing to challenge norms and push boundaries, there will always be surprises each time the lights of a theater dim. (It helps that Sandra Hüller here again turns in one of the best performances of the year.) Full review coming soon; The Zone of Interest opens in theaters in January.
I had a very, very full year in 2023, with more personal and professional growth than I ever could have anticipated. That I also managed to fit in over 225 films in the midst of all that is crazy, I know, but it was also so much fun. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2024, and I can’t wait to hear about what you saw and loved this year (or what you’ll seek out now that you’ve heard my take!). Happy New Year!
