Evan D. Finding thematic connection in any given year is always a fools errand, but there is something of a theme to the films that resonated with me in 2023. I found myself latching onto stories about self-determination and definition, especially but not exclusively through art. Some of the most entertaining and moving films this year saw their characters grapple with who they are through their deeds, creations and often destructions. As with most things in film this year, no better example exists than Barbenheimer, half of which made this list with the other half not far behind. Barbie saw a consumerist idea of a woman seek out a life in which she can create ideas for herself, Oppenheimer traced a man whose creation ushered in great and terrible destruction and found himself defined by the devastation he sowed. Whether a through-line truly exists or not, the theme of creation and consequence spoke deeply through my favorite films. Regardless, 2023 was a year of immensely beautiful and wide ranging storytelling on screen. Here are the very best film had to offer this year:  10. Ferrari - dir. Michael MannPassion is perhaps the greatest engine ever conceived of. Enzo Ferrari’s (Adam Driver) engines might generate more combustion, but his fire to be the very best racer is what fuels his every action. Often those actions are counterintuitive or actively harmful. At the center of Ferrari, between its thrilling racing action and surprising number of jokes, is this contradiction. Single minded ambition destroys the relationships and lives around Enzo and leaves his massive accomplishments an afterthought. Its also very funny, Driver’s mannerisms and glib responses, the unintentional humor of Shailene Woodley’s Italian accent. All of it just punctuates how ridiculous it is to pursue something so inane and how cruel the world is to overlook the consequences of that ambition.  9. The Boy and the Heron - dir. Hayao MiyazakiWhile many of the films on this list deal with the fallout of creation for their protagonists, both directly and indirectly, The Boy and the Heron sees its director contemplating the empire he helped to create and what will become of it when he is gone. Surely it is not difficult to see this film, potentially Miyazaki’s last, as a meditation on his legacy but it is far more interesting to see it as a call to rebuild outside his own image. Mahito Maki loses everything that matters to him when his mother perishes in a Tokyo hospital fire in the dwindling years of World War II. As his father moves him out to the countryside to start a new life with Mahito’s aunt, the young boy’s rage turns towards a jaded apathy. When a mysterious gray heron begins to taunt him with rumors of his mother still living, Mahito faces a choice of whether or not to take the shattered pieces of his life and build them back into the type of life he wants live. Combined with somehow even more stunningly beautiful animation that we’re used to from Ghibli and one of the best scores of the year, The Boy and The Heron is not just one of the best of the year, it is one of the best films ever about loss, grief and what comes after. Full Review  8. The Holdovers - dir. Alexander PayneNever uproarious but consistently funny, The Holdovers manages to capture the intertwining of good spirits and melancholy that define the holiday season. As they seek to navigate a winter holiday stranded at an elite boarding school, Hunham (Paul Giamatti) and Tully (Dominic Sessa) are constantly at odds with one another, mining genuine humor out of the plight they jointly face. As the season grows colder the pair begin to thaw and connect over small acts of kindness. Not to forget Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph,) who is the true emotional center of the film. Her resiliency through unimaginable grief really grounds the whole story. The chemistry between the three is electric and all the more impressive by the fact that this is Sessa’s debut. Director Alexander Payne has a history with Giamatti and the pair strike gold here. His curmudgeonly demeanor and steadfast commitment to principles and discipline contrast sharply with Sessa’s, at times, almost feral rawness. Best of them all though is Randolph who captures the pain of a mother adrift in loss. The Holdovers is destined to be a Christmastime staple and is a welcome addition to the canon. As much about the hard work of generosity as it is about the act of giving, it’s a warm blanket of a film, made to wrap you up and melt away wintertime cynicism. Full Review  7. Perfect Days - dir. Wim WendersHirayama doesn’t do much day in and day out. He shuffles through Tokyo cleaning some of the most unique public restrooms you’ve ever seen and drives through town listening to classic rock on old cassettes. Its a simple life, defined by routine until his niece shows up at his doorstep having run away from home. Even that little bit of plotting is pretty thin, focusing more on welcoming in his niece to the routines. There are hints of turmoil under the surface throughout Perfect Days, but mostly it is simply the story of how Hirayama has found a way to live his life in peace and has crafted a little oasis for himself within the hustle and chaos of modernity. Perfect days is simply one of the most pleasant films of the year and a reminder to appreciate the small things in life. Wenders film got only a very limited qualifying release in 2023 but be sure not to miss it as it goes wide early in 2024.  6. Priscilla - dir. Sofia CoppolaIt’s no secret that Sofia Coppola has built a career depicting the juxtaposition of privilege and suffering of young women trapped in the shadow of men around them. The trappings of beautiful Tokyo hotels or the palace at Versailles become the bars of a gorgeous prison. Perhaps nowhere in her filmography has Coppola better realized this than Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) and the detention center of his child bride. Priscilla’s (Cailee Spaney) predicament is actualized brilliantly by each of Coppola’s choices. While Elvis is there a palpable energy can be felt, he is the sun in any room he enters, drawing everyone else in with a gravitational pull. When he’s gone Priscilla’s satellite is left adrift in the vast emptiness of their Memphis home. She wanders a cavernous palace and that both dwarfs her and imprisons her. Elvis wont allow her guests into his home and demands that she stay put when he’s away. Her fairytale castle has become her penitentiary. Priscilla shines near the very top of Coppola’s distinguished filmography. Full Review  5. Anatomy of a Fall - dir. Justine TrietOn trial for potentially murdering her husband, evidence in Sandra’s case is exceedingly sparse. Three drops of blood for forensic analysis is the only piece of physical evidence in the state’s case. Without witnesses or a murder weapon Sandra’s marriage and personality is put on trial. Central to the whole case is a tape Samuel made of the couple fighting. Both parties raise voices and get physical but it is the wife who is deemed irrational for her outbursts. Sandra’s past infidelity is brought to the fore and her callous demeanor interrogated. Prosecutors at one point even attempt to use her fiction writing against her. Unable to prove her guilt outright, the trial becomes about whether Sandra is a good wife or mother. In short, is she the kind of person who could be guilty. Anatomy of a Fall puts the French legal system on trial but more importantly it tests our own perception and susceptibility to a good story. We want to believe in narratives and forge connections to bridge gaps in our understanding. Justine Triet’s courtroom drama recognizes these patterns and weaponizes them to devastating effect. Full Review  4. The Zone of Interest - dir. Jonathan GlazerThe Zone of Interest is not an easy or pleasant watch, but it feels chillingly vital right now. Jonathan Glazer’s first narrative film in 7 years follows the commandant of Auschwitz and his family as they manage their gorgeous estate in the shadow of the Holocaust’s most infamous death camp. The squabbles and petty problems of this evil, vile family are all undermined by billowing ash, horrific screams and shattering gunshots. It is a very difficult watch but one that reminds of both the active horrors of those directly involved in the genocide of over 6 million Jewish people but also the societal rot that allowed millions to sit complicit in that campaign of death and torment. It is a towering and monumental achievement in filmmaking. Glazer examines, through the filthy privilege of despicable people, just how easily someone will trade their morality for a step up in life. Importantly, he serves up a reminder of how history will remember those same monsters and the actions they took. A gutting movie that I will likely never seek out again but that will linger in my mind for a very long time.  3. Showing Up - Kelly ReichardtWhere do we draw the line between genius and insanity? And how many people will drive themselves insane trying to find out? This question has rattled around my head in the months since seeing Showing Up and that probably accounts for why it has grown more in my estimation and continued to climb my list more than any other film this year. It is a subtle little miracle from Kelly Reichardt that tracks the life and art of amateur ceramist Lizzie. She’s passionate about the art but either doesn’t have that special quality or at least can’t seem to get out of her own way long enough to find it. Showing Up is all about chasing passion whether or not the skill warrants. Reichardt’s film shows us how profound art can be but also how profoundly silly the process of making it is. We don’t get to decide if what we put into the world is good, all we can do is keep putting it out. Slight as the film may be, there is such rich depth and texture underneath. Lizzie may not have what it takes to be anything more than a hobbyist, but its clear that even with smaller fare, Reichardt is one of modern cinema’s masters.  2. Asteroid City - dir. Wes AndersonNever short of style, Wes Anderson brought his singular pastiche to screens more than once in 2023. For as good as The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and accompanying Roald Dahl adaptations are, nothing can quite compare to his work this year: Asteroid City. Anderson’s film follows the plot of a play called Asteroid City, as performed by a theater troupe all within the context of a television program documenting the making of the play. The nesting doll structure sounds confusing but it all make sense in the storytelling logic at play. Each layer of Asteroid City supposes something a little bit different and deeper. All the stories come together in the end to recognize how much of ourselves we put into our art and how just the act of telling a tale about grief can help to alleviate some of that pain. The characters of the play suffer thorough the trauma of an —admittedly adorable — alien invasion but the real pain comes from the actors and their insecurity in telling a story and potentially getting it wrong. Jason Schwartzman in particular shines. Anderson has translated the hyper-stylization of Grand Budapest Hotel into a meditation on finding meaning from the artificial and it is his best film since Moonrise Kingdom.  1. Barbie - dir. Greta GerwigWhat Gerwig pulls off in Barbie is stunningly clever on so many different levels. Of course there’s the dual satirization of patriarchy and Mattel that took center stage That is so well done and woven throughout, not just presenting a feminist counter, but using the absurdity of it all — horses as men extenders, brewski beers, fireside acoustic covers of Push by Matchbox Twenty — to ridicule the very concept of patriarchy. Gosling gives a wildly committed performance as Ken, completely clowning the incel mentality, but even there Gerwig offers empathy. Nobody is responsible for Ken’s behavior, save for himself, but his feelings are shown respect by the script in a way that women’s often aren’t in real life. Despite how incredible all of the satirization is, what moved me the most is the plight of Barbie herself. It is the Barbie movie after all. Gerwig starts the movie positioning Barbie as the monolith from 2001, a clever homage but that is far from the end of the comparison. As the plot carries, Barbie might better be represented by HAL, just not, y’know, evil. A creation of humankind coming to experience sentience and grappling with the influence she holds. As she searches for meaning after her life altering journey she becomes Dave, her human transformation mirrors Dave’s transformation into a star child. Margot Robbie juggles these shifting roles to perfection. One particularly great moment finds her on a bench, crying as she first experiences bittersweet memories and just observes the joys and tribulations of everyday life. She wants to be a part of the people who create things, not be the thing that is created. Doubt Greta Gerwig at your own risk, but of course Barbie is a masterclass in empathy and cinematic language. All anyone hoped for from this movie, after all its marketing, was a fun neon pink romp. That was a given, but that we also got a touching story about the incongruities of being human and why living is still worth the pain after all is what elevates Barbie to the best film of the year. Honorable Mentions2023 really was one of the best years for new movies in a long time. Limiting myself to ten movies excludes so many that moved me deeply. Here are my next ten in alphabetical order, even if that still leaves out too many:
American Fiction, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Killers of the Flower Moon, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Polite Society, Spider-Man Across the Spiderverse, Theater Camp, You Hurt My Feelings
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