Compiling the list of Year’s best movies is not an easy task. Viewers tastes varies from individual to individual and region to region. Watching a film at home allows for a seamless transition to the next one, the shared space of a theater provides a unique impact. A movie watched in a cinema crates a different impact on emotions, entertainment level and influencing our thoughts/. The following is a curated list of 10 impactful films, along with honorable mentions, that continued to resonate with me long after the credits rolled—a testament to the enduring power of cinema, whether experienced at home or in a communal setting.
10. Passages (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Directed by Ira Sachs’ the film “Passages,” tells us about a self-centered filmmaker. The role is played beautifully by Franz Rogowski who carelessly navigates through life. It causes emotional turmoil for people around him, including his husband (Ben Whishaw) and a temporary love (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Despite his angry behavior and the pain he imposes, there’s a complex connection that creates both sympathy and anguish. The movie explores the delicate balance between charm and harm as this ear-shattering love triangle unfolds during the movie.
9. Dreamin’ Wild (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Some people in the world, see rock’n’roll dreams as something you are too mature for, while others keep living them. Even if it’s just in the music they listen to. “Dreamin’ Wild,” directed by Bill Pohlad and featuring Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins, is for those who never give up on their dreams. It tells the true story of two people who wanted to be pop stars when they were young and get a second chance later in life. The movie unfolds to show how music can both shatter and heal dreams over the course of a lifetime.
8. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (10 Best Movies of 2023)
It is not very common even today to get movies that focus on women’s experiences. Convincing the movie executives for funding a film which discusses about the beginning of menstruation cycles in women and also about menopause can be so much difficult. However, Kelly Fremon Craig’s adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1970 coming-of-age classic, unfolds the confusion of adolescence. The movie cast includes Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, and Abby Ryder Fortson. It explores what it’s like for women to navigate through middle age. While it’s a great movie for young people, it might be even better for those who are approaching middle age themselves.
7. Killers of the Flower Moon (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Many parts of history that many of us didn’t know about until recently, unfolds in a mesmerizing manner while watching this movie. Lily Gladstone acting in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is like rediscovering the history. Scorsese has created a serious and poetic adaptation of David Grann’s story. It reveales how a group of greedy white men murdered members of the Osage Nation in a systematic mode in early 1920s Oklahoma. Playing Mollie Burkhart, a wealthy Osage woman whose family was targeted during that time, Gladstone brings to life numerous stories that are forgotten in modern America. The movie also features well-known stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. But watching the movie you will acknowledge Gladstone’s portrayal of Mollie is the heart and soul of Scorsese’s film. And he recognizes it very well.
6. Past Lives (10 Best Movies of 2023)
This is Director Celine Song’s debut film. It shows life of a Korean immigrant who has made a life in Toronto and New York (Greta Lee). She reunites with a childhood friend (Teo Yoo) whom she left many years ago. Her husband (John Magaro) watches as the deep connection between them becomes apparent. Life presents numerous paths we could have taken, but we can only choose one at a time. Song’s movie explores the sad beauty of the missed chances we couldn’t take, acknowledging that longing and desires are natural parts of life. Without it, we’re left with false certainty, which might be the biggest dishonesty of all.
5. Revoir Paris (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Alice Winocour is a French writer and director who had a personal connection to the 2015 terrorist attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris. Her brother survived that attack. She was unable to communicate with him during the attack. She was waiting apprehensively to know if he was safe. In “Revoir Paris,” Virginie Efira acts in a extraordinary maaner to perform as Mia. Mia is a character who survives a similar attack, though fictional. Mia’s survival is a complex concept for her. She can’t remember much of the traumatic event. However, she gradually finds her way back to life by connecting with others affected by the tragedy. Without using clichés, Winocour and Efira explore the harsh and at times painful reality of committing to the world of the living.
4. Priscilla (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Elvis met Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, when he was a 24-year-old soldier in Germany, and she was just a 14-year-old girl? Elvis is still a big deal, even 46 years after he passed away. Sofia Coppola turned Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir into a film with a lot of care. Jacob Elordi plays Elvis, a talented but troubled man who didn’t treat the woman he loved very well. However, the star of the movie is Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla. She’s amazingly confident as a young teenager and even wiser and stronger by the time she’s 27, when her marriage to Elvis ended. Spaeny takes us step by step through this extraordinary but painful time in one woman’s life.
3. The Zone of Interest (10 Best Movies of 2023)
This chilling film is directed by Jonathan Glazer’s, based on Martin Amis’ 2014 novel. Sandra Hüller portrays Hedwig, the wife of Rudolf Höss, a German SS officer in charge of Auschwitz. Just like most of us, they also desired the same everyday things like food, companionship, and a secure home. Hedwig manages her household efficiently. She was also somewhat aware of the atrocities happening beyond her garden but just seeing them as an annoyance. Rudolf, played by Christian Friedel, is inventive in pleasing his superiors and was contributing to the evil. “The Zone of Interest” isn’t just a historical story crafted very well in the film; it’s also a reminder to us that finding happiness in others’ suffering is not a true happiness in any sense.
2. Maestro (10 Best Movies of 2023)
Committing your life to someone else is not an easy thing to do. Bradley Cooper directorial “Maestro” is not exactly a biopic. It’s a glimpse into a complicated and passionate marriage, a rare modern example of a big and star-studded production telling a genuinely mature story. Cooper takes on the role of Leonard Bernstein, a conductor, and composer who is both complex and charismatic as an artist and a person. Carey Mulligan delivers one of the best performances of the year with a mix of strength and vulnerability. She plays Felicia Montealegre, Bernstein’s wife, and the mother of his three children. It’s a great film that also brings a personal and emotional touch.
1. Fallen Leaves (10 Best Movies of 2023)
‘Fallen Leaves’ is a very simple story made by Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki. It’s about a woman (Alma Pöysti) living through a dull daily life and a metalworker (Jussi Vatanen) struggling with perpetual drunkenness. The key player is a dog that helps bridge the gap between loneliness and contentment for its owner. Kaurismäki excels in deadpan humanist comedy. He captures life’s little revelations that define who we are. His efforts in putting these moments onscreen are worth appreciating which makes them relatable to us all.
Not Limited to above List
Creating a top 10 or Top 5 List is not a good thing as it creates a view in our minds which overshadows one film or the other. These all are a good watch which we can connect with our emotions apart from mere entertainment films.
They year also witnessed a number of other great movies worth mentioning-
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Lisa Cortes’ Little Richard: I Am Everything