While most people have already given up on their 2025 New Years resolutions, I’ve been stuck in 2024 for the last few weeks as I waited for films to expand to more cities so I could finally see them and get this list out. This last year was a relatively light film going experience for me, as the six months I spent in Minnesota, I was largely unable to get to the theaters. That said I still saw over 90 new releases including most of the things on my list (I’m mostly just sad that no distributors were willing to release No Other Land). As always, I’m interested in evaluating how much of my film watching and enjoying comes from female (and this year for the first time a non-binary) directors. This year, 9 of the films in my top 2 were made by non-male directors which is a pretty sizable number given that men still make up the vast majority of directors (though the numbers are slowly but surely getting better). Now, onto the list.

25. Flow (Dir. Gints Zilbalodis)

While 2024 was a relatively great year for animated films, only one film will be making my year end list and then even just in the 25^th slot. That said Flow is more than deserving of its place on this list. The Latvian film tells a story of biblical proportions as a great flood devastates the land which humans have already left. In their absence, the film is populated with various species of animals, none of which talk in a language humans can understand. Having characters who don’t speak is always a risk in any film, especially in one devoid of human facial experiences, but Zilbalodis delivers despite this hindrance as the animals which inhabit the world are vibrant, alive, and each have their own personalities. The black cat at the center of the film was so convincing that I found watching the film in the theater to be almost torturous as I missed my own black cat who was less than three miles away at home so much. Stunningly beautiful, Flow is the best animated film of the year, and a great way to kick off my list.

24. Anora (Dir. Sean Baker)

Sean Baker has made a career out of humanizing sex workers, and Anora is another entry into that lineage of film. A transcendental Mikey Madison plays Ani (or the titular Anora) who evolves from sex worker just doing her job to girlfriend for hire and eventually wife of Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) the unbelievably rich son of a Russian oligarch. When his parents’ goons come to Ivan and Ani’s home to confront him, Ivan flees leading to a screwball comedy as the goons along with Ani search the city for Ivan. It may be lower on my list than most people’s as the search for Ivan dragged on a little long in my book, there is no denying that Sean Baker is a masterful filmmaker and the way he elevates his protagonists is commendable. The Palme d’Or winning film may be a little messy at times, but there is no denying Madison has immaculate acting chops and is deserving of all of the recognition.

23. The Fire Inside (Dir. Rachel Morrison)

While most people were aware of three of the films that opened on Christmas this year (Babygirl, Nosferatu, and A Complete Unknown all of which missed the list) it is the fourth film that opened on the holiday that I believe was the best. What is at it’s heart a sports film, The Fire Inside spends just as much time after its protagonist wins the gold medal to tell the story of the disrespect female athletes receive especially when they are in sports that are seen as less feminine. With a strong lead performance by the young Ryan Destiny as Claressa Shields and a stand out performance from the Oscar nominated Brian Tyree Henry as her coach Jason, the film takes what should be a rags to riches story but brings it back to reality. Even after proving herself the best in the world, Claressa a Flint Michigan native still has to fight tooth and nail for respect in a world antagonistic against strong Black women, and director Rachel Morrison is able to capture that struggle and agony from a young woman who did everything right but still has to fight to survive.

22. A Real Pain (Dir. Jesse Eisenberg)

In A Real Pain, Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who take a Holocaust tour of Poland in the wake of their grandmother’s passing. While previously close, the two have drifted over the years as Eisenberg’s David has settled down with a wife and child while Culkin’s Benji remains as aloof and free spirited as ever. These contrasting personalities inevitably lead to clashes between the two as their emotions are already high given the circumstances of their reunion. Set primarily in David’s viewpoint, Benji can be seen as infuriating, yet Eisenberg paints the film with a deft hand to show how each cousin is mourning in their own way and acting out accordingly. Excellently acted by both, Culkin’s vast oscillations in mood in an understandable and believable way steel the show.

21. We Live in Time (Dir. John Crowley)

Yes, the crazy horse poster movie made my year end list. This is a film that seemed to disappear from the conversation even before it came out, but I think the chemistry between and acting prowess exhibited by Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield carry this film excellently. While this film is certainly a melodrama, that moniker is often unfairly maligned and when done well can still result in an excellent piece of filmmaking. Pugh in particular is remarkable as Almut, a chef/ restaurateur. Jumping between years the relationship between the two leads is always believable and captivating. Crowley’s decision to tell the story non-linearly is welcome as it allows lighter moments to be intercut with the darker, more melodramatic happenings that result in a film that feels much more even than had it played out chronologically.

20. Bird (Dir. Andrea Arnold)

After the huge success of casting at the time non-actor Sasha Lane in her previous narrative feature American Honey, director Andrea Arnold once again finds gold in casting Nykiya Adams in her first feature film as Bailey, a 13-year-old girl squatting in an apartment building outside of London with her father Bug (Barry Keoghan), his girlfriend and her daughter. Arnold once again captures the teenage angst of her young female protagonist as Bailey wants nothing to do with her father and wants to live as if she’s older than she is. Accompanied by a mysterious young man named Bird (Franz Rogowski) Bailey takes on tasks too adult for her to deal with though she feels pressured to do so. Culminating with a bit of magical realism, Bird captures the fine line between childhood and adulthood and how girls living in less than ideal circumstances are forced to cross that line sooner than they should. Arnold as always has a great deal of respect for her protagonist and captures her experiences without judging like others might.

19. His Three Daughters (Dir. Azazl Jacobs)

Unceremoniously dumped on Netflix, His Three Daughters could have received some significant Oscar pushes had it had the chance to find its audience on the big screen. Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyoone, and Elizabeth Olsen play sisters Katie, Rachel, and Christina reunited in the last days of their father’s life sharing a single roof for the first time since they were kids. Between the already stressful circumstances of their reunion and their conflicting personalities, tensions abound between the three women as one thing compounds upon the next. These tensions escalate throughout the film leading to numerous misunderstandings and fights letting each of the three women stretch their acting muscles in what proves to be an excellent showcase for all three.

18. Gasoline Rainbow (Dir. Turner Ross and Bill Ross)

Following five high school graduates as they take one last road trip to the coast before leaving for college Gasoline Rainbow is a tone poem capturing a moment in one’s life where the future appears endless before you, much like the Pacific Ocean that the teens strive to see. Embarking in an old van that appears to be on its last legs, the film captures the listlessness of small town life and the urge to see what exists beyond the seemingly endless stretch of highways surrounding all the five friends have ever known. Light on plot, the Ross brothers capture what its like to be a certain age in a certain place knowing that life will change forever in a couple of months in ways both wanted and unwanted. An ethereal road trip movie that is timeless.

17. The Last Showgirl (dir. Gia Coppola)

Sometimes a film acts as a reclamation project for a disrespected actor and makes one question what they may have been missing for years or decades, and The Last Showgirl is that project for Pamela Anderson. Directed by Gia Coppola, the film centers Anderson as Shelly a Las Vegas showgirl at a storied show in the last weeks of the show’s life. Anderson’s performance is mesmerizing as the former star of the show coming to terms with her aging and losing direction with the closing of the show that she kept her job at largely as a legacy piece. The film comments on society’s lack of want or respect for women performs once they age out of their traditional beauty standards as well as the sacrifice that women have to endure to provide for their loved ones. Refusing to be just a story of loss, the film also shows the power of female solidarity and its power to unite even despite momentary fights. Ending on an ambiguous reality questioning moment, Anderson’s performance is career defining and deserving of all the accolades.

16. Tuesday (Dir. Daina Oniunas-Pusic)

Of all the Seinfeld alumnus Julia Louis-Dreyfus proves time and time again that she has the most skill and range. Tuesday sees Louis-Dreyfus flexing her dramatic muscles as the mother, Zora, of a sick daughter, Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), who is forced to confront death who arrives at their home in the form of a talking bird (Arinzé Kene). Even before the appearance of death, Zora largely hides from her daughter unable to stomach the inevitability of losing her, and attempts to destroy the manifestation of death when he makes himself known to save her from the pain. Wonderfully layered in storytelling and acted emotion, Tuesday is an underseen gem that plays stronger than one would expect largely because of Louis-Dreyfus’s performance.

15. The Beast (Dir. Bertrand Bonello)

Maybe it’s my person love of French cinema, but in my opinion, Léa Seydoux is one of the most underappreciated actresses working today. The Beast is the most recent film in which she excels. Set in the near future where artificial intelligence is in control, Seydoux’s Gabrielle undergoes a process of cleaning her mind of traumas from past lives so that she can rid herself of emotions and take a higher position in the new world. From this premise, the film takes a light Cloud Atlas approach to filmmaking where Seydoux plays her predicesors at various points in time, with George MacKay playing a man attached to her in one way or another in each moment. While I personally would have welcomed more time periods, and an even longer run time, the film is still a miraculous experiment and earns it’s spot high up on my list.

14. Challengers (Dir. Luca Guadagnino)

Guadagnino released two films this year, and while he seemed to think Queer was the one worth pushing for awards, Challengers was in my mind the undeniable better film. Boasting a year’s best score by the duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, every moment of the film is propulsed forward by a litany of great cinematic decisions. Between the unique “ball cam” camera movements, oozing sexual tension between all three leads, time jumping, and the afore mentioned booming score, every second of Challengers is a welcome affront to the senses. The love triangle between Art, Patrick, and Tashi (Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor, and Zendaya) is a delight to view, and the constant phallic imagery (special shout out to the churro) prove that every leg of the triangle has just as much sexual passion as the other.

13. Conclave (Dir. Edward Berger)

2022’s surprise Oscar breakout All Quite on the Western Front introduced the world to German director Edward Berger, but while his skill was undeniable, few would have guessed that he would make a relatively high grossing English language film for his next outing. Conclave tapped into the underserved adult audience at the box office as the mystery/ drama surrounding the election of a new Pope under the supervision of Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) was a true crowd pleaser. With a stacked supporting cast including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Oscar hopeful Isabella Rossellini all putting in great performances, it’s the deft direction by Berger that highlight the film and prove he is more than a one hit wonder.

12. Red Rooms (Dir. Pascal Plante)

Taking place during the trial of fictional serial murderer Ludovic Chevalier, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) has an odd obsession with the case. Presumed to be fan girl of the charged, Kelly-Anne’s true motivations remain mysterious throughout the runtime of the psychological thriller. Appearing at times sociopathic, Kelly-Anne’s obsession takes her well passed the line of acceptability and legality in a way that keeps one guessing throughout. The film wouldn’t have succeeded without Gariépy’s miraculous portrayal of the cold Kelly-Anne. Like all good thrillers, Red Rooms kept me glued to my seat watching what would happen next with apprehension and anticipation.

11. Love Lies Bleeding (Dir. Rose Glass)

Maybe putting the Kristen Stewart lesbian film on my list is a little cliché, but the heart wants what the heart wants. All jokes aside, Glass follows up her moody horror film Saint Maud with a bombastic, ‘roided out fever dream of love story. Jackie (Katy O’Brian) enters Stewart’s Lou’s life as a hurricane, breaking her out of her uneventful life living in the shadow of her father (an unhinged Ed Harris). The pair fall for each other fast and have undeniable chemistry as the film indulges in the sexiness of their relationship. Mix in some murder complete with unsettling gore, and the film is a singular experience in 2024 film.

10. Evil Does Not Exist (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)

A few years removed from his Oscar surprise Drive My Car, Hamaguchi returns with another quite contemplative Japanese feature. Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) lives in a remote wooded village with his young daughter Hana(Ryô Nishikawa) doing odd jobs for the other village residents. When a corporation plans on building a glamping facility in the area, the village becomes concerned with the pollution it will bring to their water supply. Despite this threatening presence, Hamaguchi still takes his time and uses silence to force the audience to identify with the serenity of the village and question the upheaval that the proposed building would have on the community.

9. The People’s Joker (Dir. Vera Drew)

For the first time in the over a decade since I’ve been putting out these lists, a comic book movie has made the list… sort of. For those who don’t know, The People’s Joker is Vera Drew’s parody of the DC villain. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, but it was quickly shut down with a cease and desist from the comic corporation. Two years later the film finally received a release as it was deemed protected by parody law. The first of two trans allegories on my list Drew plays Joke the Harlequin, a trans comedian working in an underground anti-comedy club in Gotham. The film touches on identity and finding oneself all through the guise of famous comic characters. If like me, you’re not a fan of the stranglehold the comic industry has had on the media landscape the past decade and a half, don’t let this one pass you by assuming it’s more of the same.

8. How to Have Sex (Dir. Molly Manning Walker)

Taking place during the British summer holiday, How to Have Sex centers around three female friends as they take place in teenage debauchery and attempt to get laid. Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce) is especially anxious to have sex, as she never has before. Director Molly Manning Walker plays on the presumed importance of losing one’s virginity and explores how sex as a symbol can be damaging when not emotionally prepared for it. McKenna-Bruce embraces her character’s mental state after losing her virginity in a way much different than she expected. Her dissociated wandering after the incident and eventual breakdown to her friend were some of the best acting moments of the year.

7. Sing Sing (Dir. Greg Kwedar)

For all the accolades I will sing for the distribution studio A24, Sing Sing was one of the largest failures in their tenure. Not because the movie is bad, obviously as it has made my top 10 of the year, but because they completely botched the distribution of the film. It never even came close to opening wide which likely cost it quite a few Oscar nominations. That said, even a baffeling distribution model shouldn’t be enough to deny Colman Domingo his second consecutive Oscar nomination as the enigmatic prisoner John Divine Whitfield. The film headlined by Domingo imparts the importance of art programs in correctional facilities to the wider public and is an essential film in humanizing the incarcerated population.

6. The Breaking Ice (Dir. Anthony Chen)

One of the least seen films on this list, The Breaking Ice touched me in a way that I was ill-prepared for. Li Haofeng (Haoran Liu) is a twenty something man lost in the world. He is constantly receiving calls from his therapist’s office concerned that he hasn’t shown up to his session and seems unsure of what his life is for. While out of town for the wedding of a college friend, he ends up in the company of a tour guide Nana (Dongyu Zhou) and her friend Han Xiao (Chuxiao Qu). The three of them create an immediate friendship that hovers in the liminal space between platonic and romantic and brought my depressed self a lot of hope in the cold winter.

5. Nickel Boys (Dir. RaMell Ross)

Shot almost entirely in first person, RaMell Ross’s devastating examination of the criminalization of Black boys, is a masterwork. Chronicling the friendship of two Black boys, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who meet in Nickel Academy, a reform school for criminal youth with a sordid secret Nickel Boys pushes the boundaries of the medium to induce sympathy for its two subjects. By putting oneself directly in the eyes of the dual protagonists, one is able to empathize with the unjust lot in life they received. Early on the film plays loose with narrative structure playing only short clips over long periods in time, but once Elwood enters Nickel and meets Turner, the film takes a somewhat more narratively structured approach and is stronger for it.  

4. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of The World (Dir. Radu Jude)

At nearly three hours long, this Romanian film will most assuredly not be for everyone, especially as Angela’s (Ilinca Manolache) alter-ego Bobita is tailor made to be a turn off, but the brashness of the film and its lead are essential to the feel of the film. Jude’s film can be seen as a hit piece against capitalistic tendencies and the corporations that have complete control over a working-class person’s ability to survive in the world. Overworked and underpaid, Angela is put face to face with the people whose lives her bosses directly negatively impacted, but in need of her paycheck she escapes into short videos under her assumed male chauvinist identity as a reprieve from the world crumbling around her.

3. All We Imagine as Light (Dir. Payal Kapadia)

Something needs to be done about the best international film category at the Oscars because countries refuse to put forward their best films (especially India between this and RRR in 2022) leaving them unable to be nominated thus denying them of the recognition that they deserve. All We Imagine as Light is a wonderful picture following three women living on their own in Mumbai. Directed by a woman, Payal Kapadia, the film captures the intimacy between female friendship and its universality even if not more so existent in a country where women’s rights to independence, especially in making their romantic decisions, is less common.

2. The Brutalist (Dir. Brady Corbet)

Sometimes upon first viewing of a film, I don’t think anything special of it, yet even without a subsequent viewing it lodges itself in my mind and refuses to budge greatly increasing in my opinion throughout the years. This is what happened with director Brady Corbet’s previous film, Vox Lux. That film still haunts me six plus years after its release. The Brutalist I feel will have a likewise long lifespan in my mind, though this one hit with me immediately. This three-and-a-half-hour epic, complete with overture and intermission, explores the impact trauma has on oneself and the processing of said trauma through art. Beautifully shot and scored, The Brutalist feels akin to a dream, with fictional architect László Tóth’s building being impossible to comprehend in its scope and layout.

1. I Saw the TV Glow (Dir. Jane Schoenbrun)

In their newest release, Jane Schoenbrun takes the power of nostalgia and uses it as a jumping off point to make one of the most poignant allegories for the trans experience ever committed to celluloid (yes I double checked, it was shot on film). Owen (played by Ian Foreman while young and Justice Smith after) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) are both outsiders who bond over a teenage TV show called the Pink Opaque. Their experiences with the show take on a surreal quality and end up existing as a hazy memory but are essential to their being. While Owen’s journey takes a dark turn due to personal inaction, the film’s enduring image is the message “there is still time” written in sidewalk chalk on the street in suburbia. This sentiment leaves the viewer with the hope that it’s never too late to live one’s truth.

I’m so late this year, I’m sorry. But It’s finally list time again! I love films and I love sharing my love of films with others. As I’ve done for the past decade plus, I’ve put together a list of what I consider to be the best films of the year that just ended. I put this off as long as I did so that I could see The Zone of Interest, but honestly I had a lot to catch up on after mental health issues kept me from seeing most of the year end films. Of the films on this list, 10 of them were directed by women, which is quite a high percentage considering what the wide release percentage of women directors tends to be. As far as regrets go, there were two Argentinian films I wanted to watch before putting together this list, The Delinquents and Trenque Laquen, but at 3 and 4 ½ hours a piece, they just weren’t in the cards this year. Additionally not being in one of the major markets, Seattle is only so big, I was unable to see The Taste of Things and Perfect Days. Both open here in mid-February, but I didn’t want to be that delayed in putting out my list any further. Now without further ado, the list.

25. Fallen Leaves (Dir. Aki Kaurismäki)

Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki is the master of the dry, social commentary comedy, and his most recent film Fallen Leaves fits into that category and excels while doing so. A love story between two miserable, working-class people, Fallen Leaves captures the desperation for connection that can plague the underserved. Ansa (Alma Pöysti) may not especially like Holappa (Jussi Vatanen), but that does not stop her from falling in love in service of no longer being alone. Patently ridiculous and lovingly poignant, Kaurismäki delivers a great film about living the best life one can.

24. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Dir. Raven Jackson)

It did not take long for the pretentious side of my list to show its face. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is definitely not for everyone, but for those willing to put up with a meandering, vibes over narrative approach to filmmaking, Raven Jackson’s film will be a blessing. The story of a Black, Mississippi woman that spans decades speaks to moments that make a life. Methodical in its pacing, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt feels almost Malickian and I say that in the best way possible.

23. The Holdovers (Dir. Alexander Payne)

Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti reunite 19 years after Sideways to create the most quintessentially winter film of the year. While Giamatti may bring the star power to the film this place on the list is essentially a Da’Vine Joy Randolph recognition. She plays Mary, a cafeteria worker who is staying over at the school for the holidays as a way of grieving her son’s passing. Her performance is devastating as she slowly breaks down as the holiday break continues, and she will almost certainly walk away with an Oscar this year as the lone winner for the film.

22. Blue Jean (Dir. Georgia Oakley)

While it is true that many lesbian films end up being period pieces, most of them take place well before the Thatcher era where Blue Jean does. Rosy McEwen plays Jean a physical education teacher who needs to hide her homosexuality from her place of employment less risk being fired because of the archaic Tory laws. McEwen is the highlight of the film as she captures the strife of a women unsure with how to proceed as herself. A solid screenplay also heightens McEwen’s performance in this underseen gem.

21. Barbie (Dir. Greta Gerwig)

While many people were skeptical of a movie based on Barbie, I had faith in Gerwig’s direction to deliver something special, and I feel confident that I won that bet. Some may scoff at the feminism 101 speachs that inhabit the film but remembering that this film is a PG-13 film that many teens will watch should absolve that critique. Outside of the philosophical arguments about the film, Barbie is just outright fun. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are both exceptional, and the return of the dream ballet in “I’m Just Ken” was the most entertaining moment in film this year.

20. R.M.N. (Dir. Christian Mungiu)

Christian Mungiu, acclaimed director of 2007’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, returns to the big screen with the slowest of burns R.M.N. The film explores human nature when confronted with the unknown. Matthias (Marin Grigore) is the unlikable protagonist at the center of the film. He has extramarital affairs, is less than understanding of his scared son, and takes a passive approach to the racism that has infected his town. Yet through these unlikable eyes, the story has a strong sense of right and wrong and stands with those who need it most. Undeniably a slow watch, but the payoff is well worth the commitment.

19. 20,000 Species of Bees (Dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)

Possibly the least traditional entry onto my list, 20,000 Species of Bees was a SIFF discovery for me, and one for which I was clearly the target audience. The film is about Lucía (Sofía Otero) an eight-year-old who is just coming to terms with her gender identity and her mother Ane (Patricia López Arnaiz) learning to accept her daughter for who she is. As a trans woman, I found the story to ring exceptionally true. Lucía’s inner conflict with whom she was reminded me of my own, and Ane’s reluctance followed by eventual acceptance felt like what I wished would have happened for me. Extremely emotional and expertly acted, 20,000 Species of Bees is a film to look out for if it ever receives distribution.

18. Monster (Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)

A modern day Rashomon (Dir. Akira Kurosawa, 1950), Monster is acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s tale on perspective. When her son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) starts acting strangely, his mother Saori (Sakura Ando) is understandably concerned. Starting with her perspective, Kore-eda slowly unravels the mystery behind Minato’s strange behavior. And while the principle view point may shift at various times throughout the film, it is Ando’s performance as the mother desperate to find out what is wrong with her son that shines through.

17. Poor Things (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

I never would have guessed that the man who directed Dogtooth (2009) would become one of the most well known and acclaimed directors working 15 years later, but Lanthimos has managed to tap into the weirder aspect of the cultural mind. Poor Things is another film that should not have mass appeal, but we are better off because it does. Emma Stone is excellent as Bella Baxter, the Frankenstein’s Monster stand in of the mad genius Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Stone plays Bella as an infant minded creation all the way to a wise beyond her years independent woman and is convincing at all stages of that development. A wickedly devious performance for a wickedly devious film.

16. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig)

I am a sucker for a good coming of age film, and that is exactly what Kelly Fremon Craig delivered with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. The adolescent girl’s coming of age film seems to be Craig’s forte as this film follows up her 2016 debut The Edge of Seventeen. While Abby Ryder Fortson is great as the titular Margaret, it is Rachel McAdams, playing Margaret’s mother Barbara, who steals the show. Craig rightfully expands Barbara’s role from what it was in the book, and McAdams delivers wonderfully on the expanded material.

15. Showing Up (Dir. Kelly Reichardt)

As far as current actor director pairs go, it is hard to pick a pair much better than Michelle Williams and Kelly Reichardt. Williams is able to thrive under Reichardt’s deliberate pacing and muted direction to portray characters still filled with the depth normally ascribed to showier performances. Showing Up is a look at the less glamorous side of being an artist. Working hard for little acknowledgement and fighting hard for every bit of exposure. The film may well be too slow for most viewers, but for those willing to sit with a movie and take it at its own pace, it is an excellent watch.

14. The Iron Claw (Dir. Sean Durkin)

I have never watched a single wrestling match in my life, but one does not need to in order to find the latest Sean Durkin film The Iron Claw fascinating. The tragic story of the Von Erich brothers lends itself perfectly to the silver screen. Durkin is masterful at slowly teasing the dark side of things out from his subjects and he does just that from this film. He lets the unease slowly build before exposing the devastating truth of the Von Erich curse. As the eldest (living) brother Kevin, Zac Efron proves that he is more than just a pretty face, but an excellent actor as well. His performance is what allows the audience to maintain hope despite all of the tragedies the film portrays.

13. May December (Dir. Todd Haynes)

Director Todd Haynes reunites with Julianne Moore and works with Natalie Portman and Charles Melton for the first time to deliver a story based largely on the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal from the late 90s. In this film Moore plays the Letourneau stand in Gracie seemingly happily married to her victim Joe (Melton) 20 years after the abuse. Portman’s Elizabeth throws a wrench into their lives when she comes to observe Gracie in service of performing as her in an upcoming film. Haynes’s film is filled with melodrama and camp in a way that heightens the absurdity of the situation (even if based on real life). All three actors put in exquisite performances in a film that leaves them all questioning the relationship at the center of their connection.

12. Afire (Dir. Christian Petzold)

German auteur Christian Petzold’s most recent film Afire is a haunting look at someone so blinded by a self-imposed sense of obligation that he misses out on the small wonders of life in front of him. Leon (Thomas Schubert) is an asshole, even if deep down he does not want to be. On a trip with his friend Felix (Langston Uibel), they meet Nadja (Paula Beer) who attempts to befriend Leon even if Leon’s instincts keep ruining things. All this happens under the threat of impending wildfires which threaten to ruin the three’s holiday. Poignant and contemplative, Afire is another excellently realized film for Petzold.

11. Beau is Afraid (Dir. Ari Aster)

Ari Aster follows up is two highly acclaimed horror films (2018’s Hereditary and 2019’s Midsommar) with something completely different in Beau is Afraid. While the most recent film could maybe be classified as a horror film, that would be more in the horrific root word than what the genre has come to mean. Joaquin Phoenix gives a terrifying performance of Beau, a man plagued with anxiety. Phoenix’s performance and Aster’s direction combine to create a perpetual feeling of unease as reality is blurred under Beau’s anxious delusions.

10. Infinity Pool (Dir. Brandon Cronenberg)

The best horror film of the year continues to prove that Brandon Cronenberg is more than just a nepo baby, he is an excellent film maker with his own style. Infinity Pool lingered with me, the creepy imagery, the complex themes, and especially the supporting performance from Mia Goth. The film is dark and twisted in a way that lingers in the mind for weeks after viewing. Alexander Skarsgård is excellent as the slimy failed author James, and as mentioned, Mia Goth as Gabi is impeccably deranged.

9. Asteroid City (Dir. Wes Anderson)

If you think Wes Anderson’s style is a little bit too much, then this is not the film for you. However, if you want to see Wes Anderson dive into his style headfirst and make the most Wes Anderson film ever, then you need to see Asteroid City. Consisting of multiple layers of storytelling, the film is a complex narrative that I’m still grappling with after only one watch. The innermost layer of the film, the one in color, is filled to the brim with interesting acting decisions and Anderson’s trademark production design. Yet it is the combination with the outer layers that elevate Asteroid City into one of Anderson’s best.

8. Killers of the Flower Moon (Dir. Martin Scorsese)

It is sacrilege to say this as a cinephile, but Scorsese has never really been my cup of tea. I respect him as a film maker, and I’ve never disliked his movies, they just have not resonated with me the way they do for most. That said Killers of the Flower Moon spoke to me in a way that most of his more recent films have not. While much of the film does fall in the bad men doing bad things that many of his films fall into, the inclusion of Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart won me over. By centering on the victim, he made a film that resonated much more with me. Scorsese’s undeniable prowess with directing combined with a sympathetic co-lead make this one of his best films. I only wish that Gladstone appeared on screen more.

7. How to Blow Up a Pipeline (Dir. Daniel Goldhaber)

We’ve reached the point in our climate dystopia where our films can paint ecoterrorists as both the protagonists of a film and completely in the right. How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an incredibly tense thriller about a band of people whom all for different reasons believe that the destruction of an oil pipeline in Texas will serve their causes. Goldhaber cuts back and forth between the ecoterrorists’ past that motivated them to join this cause with the building of bombs and act of blowing up the pipeline. The film is remarkable in its ability to build tension and speak to a necessary issue in today’s world.

6. Anatomy of a Fall (Dir. Justine Triet)

The Palme winning Anatomy of a Fall cemented itself this year as one of the greatest courtroom dramas in cinema history. Sandra Hüller is impeccable as a wife who is under suspicion of killing her husband. She skirts the line in her performance such that the audience can never be certain if she is innocent or guilty. Much of that uncertainty is also due to Triet’s remarkable direction. The use of audio recordings of a fight between Hüller’s Sandra and her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) is a linchpin of the film. It both represents a possible motive for Sandra and questions if normal marital fights can be used to incriminate. Triet delivers a complex picture of marriage and the court system.

5. A Thousand and One (Dir. A.V. Rockwell)

Sundance Grand Jury: Narrative winner A Thousand and One snuck up on me for how good it was. Similar to 2016’s Moonlight (Dir. Barry Jenkins), A Thousand and One explores the Black experience of a young man through various points in his life. Rockwell’s film, however, uses these time skips to show the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother played wonderfully by Teyana Taylor. Her performance is one of the best of the year, as she manages to capture Inez’s change over the decade while still making each era feel like the same person, just with more years of experience. I’d also like to call out Gary Gunn’s score for the film which was my favorite of the year.

4. The Zone of Interest (Dir. Jonathan Glazer)

The second of Sandra Hüller’s Oscar worth performances this year, Jonathan Glazer’s follow up to the haunting 2014 Under the Skin is no less shaking. Taking place in an estate sharing a wall with Auschwitz, The Zone of Interest manages to capture the horrors of the Holocaust without showing a single frame of the violence inflicted upon its victims. Instead, everything is conveyed through sound design and the acting of the guilty family. The sound design is in particularly remarkable, and while I don’t think it is the frontrunner, I will be very upset if it’s snubbed on Oscar nomination morning. While the sound design may be the most apparent standout of the film, the entire thing is meticulously put together in a way to leave the viewer in devastated silence.

3. The Blue Caftan (Dir. Maryam Touzani)

What at its heart is a love triangle film between a married couple and the worker they hire to work at their apparel shop, The Blue Caftan is an exceptionally warm watch that can’t help but fill the viewer with love. While Youssef (Ayoub Missioui) would be seen as in interloping home wrecker in most films, here he and his relationship with Halim (Saleh Bakri) is understood by Halim’s wife Mina (Lubna Azabal) and the three of them end up in a familial relationship where each clearly cares about the rest. A complex romance, The Blue Caftan was an amazing watch that stuck with me even as a mid-SIFF watch.

2. All of Us Strangers (Dir. Andrew Haigh)

One of the last films I saw in my 2023 film catch up, All of Us Strangers came awfully close to being my number one. The film is an exploration of a man’s struggles with his queerness due in large part to never being able to tell his parents who he was. Haigh lets Adam (Andrew Scott) process that longing by creating a world where his parents still live in their childhood home having never aged since they passed when he was 12. These scenes are intercut with his burgeoning relationship with Harry (Paul Mescal) which grows as Adam is able to process his identity with his late parents. The film hit me especially hard as a queer person who is struggling with processing her past, but even without that personal connection the film would rank high on this list.

1. Past Lives (Dir. Celine Song)

I managed to catch Celine Song’s directorial debut at the opening night gala for SIFF (The Seattle International Film Festival) and while she could not directly talk about her captivating screenplay – it was the midst of the writer’s strike – one couldn’t help but see the brilliance in her that lead to such a perfect screenplay and perfect movie as she addressed the pack room of viewers stunned in silence. Past Lives is both a romance and not at the same time. It captures the longing that exists when considering the potential loves that we never had, and how even when we are happy in our current lives those memories persist. Greta Lee is revelatory as a woman who is happy in her current life, married to a man she loves, but is taken by the remembrance of a boy she used to know. The movie feels like the inverse of Linklater’s Before films and deserves to be seen with the same reverence.