It’s that time of year again! With all of the major cinematic releases of the year behind us, it’s time to highlight the best of what the year had to offer. What will top my list? Which fan favorites will be left off? Let’s dive in and discuss some great films!
Honorable Mentions: The Boy and the Heron, Poor Things, Perfect Days, Past Lives, Barbie
This was a strong year for cinema, and as always, some tough cuts had to be made. No discussion of 2023 is complete without mentioning Barbie, one-half of the cinematic event of the year. I also loved the understated brilliance of the 3 P’s Poor Things, Perfect Days and Past Lives, and was particularly taken by Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, a lovely swan song (no pun intended). But there were so many great films this year that it’s hard to narrow it down!
10. May December (Todd Haynes)
I can’t imagine this story working nearly as well in the hands of any other director besides Todd Haynes. He walks the most delicate of balances with the story of a couple with salacious origins attempting to find normalcy in their lives long after the media has moved on from their scandal. There is a performative element to their lives that becomes more clear the longer the film goes on, and the “campy” tone that Haynes strikes highlights the divide between appearances and reality that the characters wish to conceal. Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are both spectacular as two misanthropes in their own rights with complex relationships to the spectacle of this scandal, while Charles Melton is the real standout as an emotionally stunted young man learning for the first time just how dark and sinister his life truly is. It’s thought-provoking and emotional, one that rewards careful attention to detail and subtext, and I already can’t wait for my next rewatch to look for more hidden details.
9. Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki)
This lovely little Finnish romance was not what I expected at all. It’s incredibly bleak and deadpan, with characters not expressing their emotions very often and dialogue delivered in the same flat, monotone tone from every character. And yet I found myself rolling with laughter at the film’s dry sense of humor, depicting characters at the lowest of lows in the hopeless cycle of poverty who yearn for something better in life. Despite the lack of overt emotion and physical signs of affection toward one another, I fell in love with the dynamic between the two leads as they explore a relationship despite the obstacles in their path. It may not work for everyone, but I was 100% on this film’s wavelength and loved the absurdist journey it took me on.
8. The Holdovers (Alexander Payne)
Of all the movies that came out this past year, The Holdovers might be the surest bet to become a cult classic that will be remembered for decades. It follows in a similar vein as films like Dead Poets Society as we follow a misanthropic boarding school teacher who is forced to tolerate the restless energy of the troubled boy he looks after over Christmas break. All three of the central characters (the teacher, the student, and the school chef) have a compelling story arc to follow and unique dynamics between them that creates an effortlessly entertaining and thought-provoking story. It may not have anything profound to say about life, but do all films have to do so? This is just a sweet story of three broken souls who find kinship with one another and learn how to live their lives better thanks to the time they spend together.
7. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
How do we determine what is true and what is fiction when we don’t have all the facts? That is the question at the heart of Justine Triet’s compelling courtroom drama, which sees Sandra Huller put on trial for her husband’s suspicious death. It plays on audience sympathies masterfully, playing a constant game of “did she or didn’t she” as we learn more and more context that makes a seemingly-innocent woman look guilty as hell. It provides no easy answers and leaves us with more questions than we started with, but it paints a stunning picture of a toxic relationship and the broken family left behind from this tragedy. It features one of the best youth performances I’ve seen in a while from Milo Machado-Graner, and also one of my favorite dog performances from Snoop the border collie! He is the bestest boy who deserves all the scratches.
6. Theater Camp (Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman)
My expectations were not high for this little comedy number, given that I was never a theater kid and might not understand many of the inside jokes and references of the film. But I was impressed with how well this draws in outside viewers, as it both celebrates and lampoons theater culture so that we can laugh at the ridiculous personalities and behaviors populating this camp. But it isn’t mean-spirited in the least, as it also does a great job of highlighting the importance of these safe spaces for misfit kids and the power of collective appreciation of the arts. It’s also drop-dead hilarious, with some fantastic writing and performances from comedic voices both new and old, like Jimmy Tatro, Molly Gordon, Ayo Edibiri and breakout star Noah Galvin. I’ll be humming “Camp Isn’t Home” from the show-stopping finale for the foreseeable future!
5. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
This film bowled me over like few other films have in recent years. It’s a frustrating and cryptic watch, but deliberately so, inviting is to confront our own consumption of film media as entertainment and how we view tragic events like the Holocaust through such a lens. No other film has called me out on my B.S. before, forcing me to reckon with my own insistence that movies ought to entertain me first and foremost when such atrocities are happening beyond the scope of human comprehension. Jonathan Glazer posits that we are no better than the Nazis in many regards, because regardless of our perspective on the tragedy, we are still living on the safe side of the wall while people suffer immeasurably just beyond our reach. A brilliant film that will only get better in my estimation the more I rewatch it in the future and ponder its chilling implications.
4. BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)
I was NOT prepared for this film to bowl me over like it did! This little Canadian indie number, which tells the story of the rise and fall of smartphone innovator BlackBerry, came out sandwiched between similar corporate origin stories like Air and Tetris and got a fraction of the attention from the public. But it is somehow the best of all of them, evoking shades of The Social Network in the way it explores this company’s rise through the eyes of the two founders and their rocky relationship over the years. It is that human component that makes the film so special, not to mention the perfectly comedic tone and fantastic acting ensemble, especially from Glenn Howerton (still my pick for the best supporting performance of the year). It’s probably the most obscure pick on my list, but absolutely one you need to seek out for yourself!
3. The Iron Claw (Sean Durkin)
The Iron Claw walks a delicate balance throughout its runtime, as it is both a condemnation of toxic masculinity and a celebration of the healthier version of said masculinity. We come to love all four of these brothers and their competitive dynamic, even as their father impresses his own philosophies and insecurities onto them and unwittingly ruins their lives. It asks similar questions as other great past films like Whiplash and Black Swan: what is the true price of success, and how much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve greatness? This film lands firmly on the “not worth it” side, but still treats these boys’ accomplishments as worthy of praise and their story as an ultimately hopeful one that the vicious cycle of generational trauma can be broken to save future kids from the same treatment our parents gave us.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson)
What this film manages to pull off is nothing short of miraculous. First off, it had to follow up one of the greatest animated films of all time with the original Spider-Verse, and somehow managed to not just meet, but EXCEED our expectations with an equally-entertaining story. It also had to deliver a satisfying, full experience despite only telling half of its intended story. AND it takes the risky decision of removing Miles as the primary protagonist of his own story, leaning heavily on Gwen Stacy and highlighting her own struggles as Spider-Woman as a contrast (and complement) to Miles. It juggles so many complex themes and emotions and somehow pulls them all off perfectly, once again getting at the heart of what makes the character of Spider-Man so special to people. Oh, and never mind that it’s one of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful pieces of animation ever made!!
1. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
What’s there to say about Nolan’s masterpiece that hasn’t been said already? I’ve seen it numerous times now since theaters and firmly believe it’s one of the greatest pieces of not just directing, but writing that Nolan has ever done. He walks a tightrope for three-plus hours, telling the story of a man over decades of his life, out of order, with dozens of characters we need to remember and events that became crucial to American history. And yet it all works flawlessly – a magic act of storytelling that few other films this year (hell, this DECADE) have managed to pull off. I might still be partial to some of his previous works like Inception and The Dark Knight for the sheer nostalgia and entertainment value, but this is Nolan’s Schindler’s List, and I desperately hope it is the film that brings him industry recognition and allows him to be rightfully recognized as one of cinema’s all-time greatest filmmakers.
Conclusion
Do you agree with my list? Which films am I missing? Will any of these films endure the test of time and be talked about decades from now?
-Austin Daniel
All image rights belong to the films’ respective distributors.
Scriptophile 