It’s hard not to view 2024 as a disappointment when it comes to film, mainly because 2023 was such a strong year that yielded some of the best films of the decade thus far. While I can’t argue that this year was a step down compared to last year, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a bad year for film. In fact, there have been quite a few films that I greatly enjoyed, ranging from big-budget spectacles, heartfelt dramas, intimate character studies, and off-the-wall horror and comedy films. I saw 125 new releases this year at the time of writing this, and even though I would classify the bulk of them as “good, not great” at best, there were still several that left quite an impression on me. 2024 might not have been the strongest year for film, but I was still left with a solid pool of films to choose from while putting together my top 10 list for the year. As always, there are many different permutations of this list that I would be happy with, as I recommend all of the films that I have listed below. But after a lot of thought, reflection, and some rewatches, I have finally come up with my official Top 10 films of 2024.
Before we get into the Top 10, here are some Honorable Mentions that almost made the cut:
All We Imagine As Light- This one has certainly grown on me since my initial viewing, which seems appropriate given that the film itself is a slow burn. Very reminiscent of Chungking Express in the best way, and a deeply tender exploration of human connections.
Hard Truths- Mike Leigh returns with yet another social drama, this time about a woman who is constantly angry at the world around her. Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives arguably my favorite performance of the year here, capturing a specific pain and frustration that cuts deep. This one hit me quite hard, especially in how it portrays how one person’s negativity can affect the people in their life.
Problemista- Perhaps one of the more joyous experiences I had at the movies this year. Julio Torres’s off-beat sense of humor shines beautifully here, but it is the unexpected sweetness the film offers that really stuck with me. Add in Tilda Swinton’s whirlwind performance as a boss from Hell, and you’ve got one of the best comedies of the year.
Longlegs- One of the year’s more polarizing films, possibly due to the ad campaign that touted it as one of the scariest films ever made. I wouldn’t say that it is “scary” in the sense that it left me frightened, but it is rather unsettling nonetheless. It functions as more of a procedural thriller than a horror film, with an interesting glam-rock influence that really struck me. A fascinating look at the nature of evil and how it manifests, filtered through director Osgood Perkins’s distinct lens.
Memoir of a Snail- My personal favorite animated film of the year. Adam Elliot once again delivers a bittersweet stop-motion film that is funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately quite endearing. The film follows an unusual young girl from childhood to adulthood, and showcases Elliot’s trademark conversational dialogue and animation style. Featuring a beautiful voice performance from Sarah Snook, this film burrowed its way into my heart and is quite lovely.
Babygirl- An insightful examination of power dynamics and the ability to communicate our inner desires. While there is a steamy quality to the film, it is much more rooted in reality than one might expect. Nicole Kidman gives a career-best performance, and is so in the pocket every step of the way.
The Bikeriders- Armed with a great ensemble, Jeff Nichols delivers a meditative biker drama that zeros in on masculinity and chasing the lives we want for ourselves. Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy all turn in some of their best performances to date, and Nichols’s more naturalistic direction puts us firmly in the raucous world of its central characters.
Hundreds of Beavers- A low-budget mash-up of Looney Tunes and classic silent films, this film was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I don’t think I laughed harder at anything this year than this film, as it was right up my alley. Delightfully silly, endlessly entertaining, and strangely charming, this is a refreshingly original film and a fun work of independent filmmaking.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga- The prequel to the acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road might not be as action-packed as some might have hoped, and opts to flesh out the character of Furiosa and the world she lives in. Some might be turned off by this, but I like that George Miller decided to go this route. Not to mention the film still has some phenomenal chase sequences and a pair of excellent performances from Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.
A Real Pain- Another excellent comedy from this year, albeit one tinged with sadness. It captures such a specific pain and explores the grieving process in such a poignant way. Jesse Eisenberg excels as writer, director, and actor, and Kieran Culkin gives a powerhouse performance that blew me away.
10. A Different Man
Feeling like a cousin to the works of Charlie Kaufman, A Different Man deftly blends dark humor and psychological thrills to explore the unraveling of a man. When Edward (Sebastian Stan) undergoes a medical procedure to change his appearance, everything seems great. However, this choice begins to slowly ruin his life and he begins to spiral. Stan is phenomenal in this film, and the emotional journey he goes on is quite compelling. I was also impressed by Adam Pearson, who gives one of my favorite supporting performances of the year. Aaron Schimberg’s direction and script truly shines, as he crafts a world that feels the tiniest bit disconcerting at all times, and employs a unique sense of humor that complements the film’s tension. One of the year’s strangest films, but also one of its most intriguing.
9. Dune: Part Two
With Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve delivers on the promises set up in 2021’s Dune and gives us one of the best blockbusters of the decade thus far. I would argue that Part Two is even better than its predecessor, as we get far more depth from its characters, as well as some incredible setpieces. As a fan of Frank Herbert’s classic novel, I was overjoyed to see Villeneuve stick the landing with this film, as it adapts the world he created so brilliantly and gives it the cinematic treatment it deserves. Featuring excellent visual effects, a great Hans Zimmer Score, and a solid ensemble, this film is stunning from start to finish, and builds so beautifully off of the first Dune film.
8. Nosferatu
While on the topic of visually impressive films, Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu features some of the finest craft I saw all year. Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography uses shadows to harken back to the film’s expressionist roots, as well as create a brooding, unsettling atmosphere that permeates the entire film. It helps that Eggers is such a stickler for accuracy when it comes to period specific detail, as it gives the film a distinct, authentic look. He balances realism with supernatural elements so well, making the film feel more grounded and a little more frightening as a result. The film is further boosted by Bill Skarsgård’s chameleonic portrayal of Count Orlok, and the sheer physicality of Lily-Rose Depp’s performance. Nosferatu is a loving homage to the classic Murnau version of the tale, but Eggers truly makes it his own, giving us one of the best horror films of the year.
7. The Substance
Coralie Fargeat’s satirical body horror flick The Substance might be as subtle as a sledgehammer, but it is so entertaining that it didn’t bother me that much. From the beginning, it is upfront about what kind of film it is going to be, and it maintains this for its entire runtime. Heavily stylized, surprisingly funny, and frankly, quite disgusting, the film skewers body expectations and stardom in gory, sensationalized fashion. Demi Moore gives an incredible performance that reminds viewers just how talented she truly is. She goes big in some moments, but some of her quieter moments hit me pretty hard. A scene in which she is getting ready for a date is especially potent, as she conveys so much without ever saying a word. Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid are also great, with Qualley embodying the bright-eyed optimism of a young starlet so well, and Quaid nailing the role of a sleazy producer. Featuring one of the most audacious final acts of the year, The Substance is a wild ride from start to finish.
6. Challengers
Combining scintillating romance with elements of sports drama, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers details a love triangle set in the world of tennis. With three knockout performances from Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, the film is electrifying and rather scintillating, as the chemistry between the trio is off the charts. It helps that the tennis sequences are stellar as well, with Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography giving the impression that we are right there on the court with the players. Some shots almost look like a tennis ball is coming right at us, while one of the film’s more memorable sequences actually puts us in the POV of the ball. The true hero of the film is Justin Kuritzkes, whose script has sharp dialogue, a well-executed non-linear structure, and strong characterization. It’s no surprise that he, Guadagnino, and Mukdeeprom also collaborated on this year’s Queer, adapted from the William S. Burroughs novella of the same name, as they clearly all work incredibly well together. One can only hope that they continue to do so, although it will be tough to top what they accomplish with Challengers.
5. I Saw the TV Glow
Using fandom and escapism as an allegory for being trans, Jane Schoenbrun’s sophomore feature, I Saw the TV Glow is a deeply personal film about discovering one’s true identity. The film uses magical realism to create an uneasy environment, establishing a feeling of dread that underlies much of the film. There is a slight glimmer of hope that appears at times, but the film is mostly cloaked in existential horror. Taking influence from shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Adventures of Pete & Pete, the film has a nostalgic feel that makes some of its more disturbing aspects a little easier to swallow, and gives it an interesting layer in the process. Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine are absolutely incredible here, and both are among my favorite performances of the year. I Saw the TV Glow is hypnotic, tense, and has a haunting quality that has stuck with me most of the year.
4. Sing Sing
One of the most touching films of the year, Sing Sing is a deeply human account of the transformative power of the arts. Based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, or RTA, the film follows a group of incarcerated men as they perform and create an original dramatic work. Much of the cast is made up of actual RTA alumni, who play fictional versions of themselves. Each of these men gives a great performance, but it’s Clarence Maclin who is the true standout. Maclin has an intimidating quality that slowly dissipates over the course of the film, allowing his true nature to shine through. Through him, we see the full process of someone entering the RTA program and how it impacts their lives, and the fact that the film is based in part on his own experiences makes his performance all the more powerful. Colman Domingo gives a breathtaking performance as well, and captures the pure humanity of his character, Divine G. The film makes you feel a wide variety of emotions, from joy, to sadness, to anger, and everything in between. Sing Sing connected with me on such a deep level, and is such a beautifully human film.
3. Anora
Sean Baker’s oeuvre is largely concerned with shining a light on people from marginalized groups, and his latest feature, Anora is no different. Centering on Ani, a young sex worker who sparks an unexpected relationship with Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch, the film offers up a modern Cinderella story, albeit one that demystifies any fantasy that comes with it. This is a twofold operation, as the audience is getting an intimate view of what life is like for real-life sex workers, and shows how our protagonist clings to a life that allows her to shut out her reality. It is a bittersweet film, one that shifts in tone from feeling like a fairy-tale, to coming across rather stressful, to arriving at one of the most heartbreaking endings of the year. Baker’s direction is fantastic, but much of the film’s success is due to Mikey Madison’s spectacular performance. She is so natural in the role, and is so compelling to watch. As Ani, she goes on an emotional journey, one that is strongly felt every step of the way. The film also features a breakthrough performance from Yura Borisov, who is absolutely magnetic every time he shows up. Anora is a stunning masterwork from Sean Baker, and cut a little deeper than I was expecting.
2. Nickel Boys
One of the most innovative films of the year, Nickel Boys uses a first-person shooting perspective to put the audience directly in the POV of its two main characters. Faithfully adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film follows two young Black boys named Elwood and Turner who are sent to Nickel Academy, an abusive reform school. It is a heavy watch, as it directly confronts the racism and mistreatment that Elwood and Turner experience, but we also see some of the fleeting moments of joy and beauty that occur in their lives as well. Director RaMell Ross uses his experience in documentary filmmaking to intimately and naturalistically put us in the heads of our two protagonists, and to show the truth of their experiences at Nickel Academy. The film has added weight considering that schools like Nickel Academy actually existed, and that much of what we see in the film is based on real events. Nickel Boys is powerful in every sense of the word, and is easily one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I’ve ever seen.
1. The Brutalist
No film managed to amaze me on every conceivable level like The Brutalist did. Clocking in at a hefty 215 minutes, this film is a true epic filled with rich themes, incredible performances, and some truly amazing filmmaking on a grand scale. Filmed in VistaVision, the film boasts some stunning cinematography, with great compositions, striking imagery, and an interesting color palette. It helps connect the film to its mid-20th century setting, and beautifully captures the enormity of everything we are seeing. The film’s score is also tremendous, using brass, piano and string arrangements perfectly throughout. Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce all give the best performances of their respective careers, and the film’s supporting cast is excellent as well. This whole film is a major achievement, one that is largely shouldered by Brady Corbet, whose direction holds everything together. He puts so much detail into everything, which does mean there’s a lot to process within the film, but that’s part of what I love so much about the film. It’s the type of film that I could write a whole book about, as Corbet gives the viewer a lot to chew on, and some of it could be interpreted in various ways. It is a multi-faceted film that I have not been able to stop thinking about since I watched it, and I’m sure it will stay on my mind for some time now. The Brutalist is an astounding cinematic masterpiece, and hands down my pick for the best film of 2024.
There you have it! 2024 definitely had a lot of great films to offer, and I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store. What were some of your favorite films from this past year? Let me know in the comments, or find me on Facebook, X, or Instagram!
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