My top 10 movies of 2023

Rob Ryan

2023 was a pretty good year for movies for me at least, so much so that I have decided to skip doing my top 10 worst of 2023 and just jump straight ahead into adding some positivity when reflecting on the movies of last year. As always this is my opinion and these were just the movies I liked the most. Each to their own :)

10) How to Have Sex

A bold and confident debut from British cinematographer Holly Manning Walker, How to Have Sex follows one young girl and her trip to Malia with the clear goal of losing her virginity, an experience that proves to be regretful due to her lack of self respect for her own autonomy and the awful friend group that she associates herself with. The films minimalist presentation makes us feel as we are watching real people based on people we know in real life as opposed to watching a bunch of walking stereotypes and cliches on screen. It's a movie says so much with very little and it provides the perfect case for why we need better sex education now more than ever so any one can avoid sad and disturbing cases as presented in this movie.

9) The Iron Claw

Of all the biopics to come out late last year, I was amazed that the Academy would turn their back on The Iron Claw as it would seem like that this would be the perfect movie for them to prop up, regardless, Between this and The Nest (2020) director Sean Durkin has become one to look out for in my book. It tells the rise and incredibly tragic fall of the Von Erich family as each members of the brothers for one reason or an other crack under pressure from their domineering brute of a father Fritz played brilliantly by Holt McCallany. The movie could have gone the melodramatic route at every turn but Durkin and his brilliant cast and crew find the perfect balance between displaying the sadness and the anguish on display without having to lean to exploitation, It shows the brothers as they where without defining their lives based on their tragedy, by showing them be caring, loving and passionate about the things that make them who they are without making the tragedy their defining trait which only makes that final hour even more heartbreaking.

8) All of Us Strangers

If it weren't for All of Us Strangers, The Iron Claw could have won a trophy for the saddest film of 2023, The movie highlights one man's inability to let go and let people in, all told in an almost fantastical way to the point you are not sure if what you seeing is literal or if this is all happening in one man's mind, the film is technically a ghost story but so far removed of the typical conventions that the genre carries. The movie is daring and almost original in its story telling and Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal have probably the best romantic chemistry of 2023. Even better is Clare Foy and Jamie Bell as Scott's parents, the latter of which nearly broke my heart into pieces before building back up again. This is a movie that is personal and heartbreaking while also being filled with so much love, empathy and nostalgia at the same time and the soundtrack is just chef's kiss!

7) Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese's 3 hour epic in my opinion earns every one of those minutes. It depicts the Osage murders in Oklahoma 100 years a go now and the lengths that the wealthy and powerful went to make sure to inherit the oil money originally meant for the Osage family tribe, It's a true crime drama where all the pieces come together leaving no stone left unturned and the production on top of the film's incredible cast brilliantly and throughly bring a time long since past to life, I was invested from start to finish even if a lot of it is hard to stomach due to the uncomfortable nature of the subject matter.

6) Fallen Leaves

Movies like Fallen Leaves feel like the come once every solar eclipse now. A simple, tight and good story that is accessible, funny but has a subtle somberness edge about it as well. With its minimal dialogue and deadpan humour, it eventually morphs into a tale of learning to break the cycle of addiction and learning to take responsibility despite all the social-political circumstances stacked against you. It's nothing profound but sometimes it doesn't have to be.

5) The Holdovers

The Holdovers feels like being sat down with a really good therapist for a long time, who tells you that you're doing ok, you're going to be ok, and you are ok. It's a film that makes the perfect case of why in your darkest hour, sometimes it's just best to talk to someone. Even in the most unlikely scenario. A warm, subtle, gentle and likeable experience that never reaches the point of melodrama. All of the lead performances are perfect, the retro feel of the movie is captured perfectly and it manages to be very funny while not shying away from depressing material.

4) May December

Todd Haynes's May December is a hard movie to discuss and talk about upfront due to the uncomfortable nature of the subject matter but after much reflection, it is the most fascinating look at exploitation I have ever seen, from a relationship founded on an unbalanced power dynamic to Hollywood adapting said story to film for millions of people to view, judge and speculate from far away. It's a movie that as a result of these elements at play morph into a story of a man slowly coming to terms with the harsh reality that he is living in a personal tragedy. Throwing him into an existential crisis all the while his kids are leaving him behind, his abuser whom he now marries doesn't believe she did anything wrong and the actress set to play her becomes almost as gross and as opportunistic as the abuser due to her getting too comfortable in the role. It's a bright-looking film with dark undertones throughout to the point you will want a shower once the movie reaches its conclusion.

3) The Zone of Interest

A movie that has only become more relevant in light of recent events (cough* that oscasrs speech) The Zone of Interest is probably the most unique and harrowing portrayal of the holocaust ever put on screen in a long time, rather than resorting to melodrama, director Jonathan Glazer shows the life of SS officer and Commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss and his family next to the camp, living their lives as normal all the while the sounds of people screaming, guards wailing, a train arriving in the distance and the smoke of the chimneys flying up in the air take up 90% of the soundscape as the scariest element of the film is not only what's not being shown, but the people accepting this as normal while they have conversations about their lives and their plans for the future as normal people. The film is minimalist in cinematography, often using the same angles, letting scenes play out in real-time with little in the way of music getting in the way of what's presented. A disturbing and unique experience that you will think about long after it's over.

2) Poor Things

Poor Things is Yorgos Lanthimos at his most confident, and least restrained, which is saying something considering his filmography. While Anatomy of a Fall was my favourite movie of last year, this is probably the best-produced movie of this year and maybe this decade, from the cinematography, the music, production design, and costume design all come together to create a world, and experience that feels familiar, universal, funny, heartbreaking while also being unique and alien at the same time, all the while telling a story of a woman rediscovering herself in way's that are relatable, timeless, accessible and existential. Like The Boy and the Herron, it deals with a lot of themes in the span of a long runtime and can risk overstaying its welcome but once you reach the end you will be more than grateful that you stayed.

1) Anatomy of a Fall

Which brings my to my number one! Anatomy of a Fall is a courtroom drama that manages to be a thorough and intricate character study that is emotionally satisfying and exhausting at the same time, It's raw and honest, the performances are fantastic, the dialogue is particular and enjoyable. It's a long movie that never once loses its footing in pacing or atmosphere. The characters feel like real people and it's all told with a level of restraint and confidence that few filmmakers can today. It's a movie that when it was over I had no idea how much breath I was holding in as I was watching it and as I waled out I knew I had seen something very special. Director Justine Triet is certainly one I will make sure to look out for in the future. If you have not seen it yet, please do!