The 25 Best Films of 2023

From prodigious first features to masterful auteur-driven films, from Barbie’s candy-pop world to Oppenheimer’s bleak mise-en-scene, 2023 has been an exceptional year for cinema. It’s seen a great mix of indie darlings, mega-blockbusters, and much-loved animated films. Since we are a month into the new year and have finally watched some of the essential films from last year, our team at High on Films decided to get together and come up with our top 25 films based on our favorite cinematic experiences that transcended through time, language, and mediums.

When you make a list of this magnitude, some films are bound to be left out, but that’s not us being picky or selective but a testament to the sheer quality of films we came across in 2023. So here’s the ranked list of our favorite & probably the best films of 2023.

25. The Killer

Fincher’s “Se7en” is still as soul-shaking as ever, but the underlying negativism feels somewhat juvenile given his trajectory as an artist and his most recent film, “The Killer,” intensifies the fin de siècle cynicism yet replaces any sense of naivety with a sharp mundanity. Every monologue and murder is stripped of all passion and reduced to a procedure. Further accompanied by Baxtor’s razorlike editing and Reznor/Ross’ electronic buzzes, the film becomes a fixating stream of occurrences, meandering through brand images and anonymous passports.

In The Killer,” Fassbender’s absurdly meticulous assassin engages in self-fabrication in similar ways to Se7en’s John Doe. At the same time, he attempts to maintain the simple nullity of his work rather than vainly deifying himself like the latter. Through this, the film reinterprets John Doe’s sadistic desire for “strict attention” in a strikingly sardonic way. Fincher not only manages to direct his 21st-century sensibilities towards purely rhythmic filmmaking but also satirizes the juvenilities present in his early work.

24. Bottoms

Emma Seligman followed up her phenomenal debut, “Shiva Baby,” with a hilarious laugh-a-minute throwback to teen comedies of the ‘90s and 2000s. Operating as sort of a gay outsider’s reimagining of a certain David Fincher classic (Fight Club), “Bottoms” follows two girls who start a “self-defense” club at school to hook up with cheerleaders. The film lives up to its irresistible premise with sharp writing, great music, and brilliant direction from Seligman, who continues to cement herself as an up-and-coming powerhouse of a filmmaker.

The humor, often silly and unorthodox, consistently sticks the landing, and the performances across the board are stellar. Every actor commits entirely to the bit, making for some truly loveable characters and unforgettable moments. It is a funny and original instant classic, which happens to be a major standout in an exceptional year for more serious, dramatic films.

23. Passages

Spearheaded by a volcanic Franz Rogowski whose reckless Tomas leaves a storm in his wake, Ira Sachs’s “Passages” circles what it is like being stuck within a loop of a toxic relationship and the conflicted, tumultuous journey it takes to tear oneself out of it.  With no compunction, Tomas keeps cycling back and forth between Martin and Agathe, never placing a footing and being conceited enough to believe everyone will just merrily coast along with his impulses. Sachs acknowledges that Martin and Agathe have an equal compulsion to gauge Tomas’s manipulative habits and thereby distance themselves.

“Passages” is driven by the heat of desire and lust, with little interest for its characters to be viewed from any moral pedestal. Those judgments are suspended until Tomas, who almost revels in his tactlessness, finally collides with the emotional weight of consequence. A wild, messy hurtle through modern-day relationships, “Passages” is sharp, taut, and smoldering. Like Tomas, it is frenzied, but when it takes its considered pauses, the effect is cutting and visceral.

22. 20,000 Species of Bees

Many of us turn to cinema to find nuanced answers to burning contemporary questions – answers constructed with empathy, complexity, and ambiguity. “20,000 Species of Bees,” the spell-bindingly beautiful Basque Berlinale contender, is a perfect example of this type of cinema. The film navigates questions of identity, family, and femininity with generosity and gentleness, all against the backdrop of a summer holiday in the mesmerizing Basque countryside.

Our protagonist is eight years old and reveals slowly throughout the summer that rather than being the boy her family and friends presume her to be, she is, in fact, a girl. The questioning of sexual and gender identity in a small, rural town is no easy task. She rejects her birth name of Aitor and instead chooses the name Lucía. Lucía spends her summer navigating the complexities of swimming costumes, family ties, and what it means to grow up in a world laden with gender binaries. “20,000 Species of Bees” is a must-see.

21. Fallen Leaves

Circling two loners, Ansa and Holappa, Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves” presents a characteristically muted, mischievous romance that fashions hope from the crucible of everyday despair. There’s bleakness all around the two; the war in Ukraine is a constant background presence. Everyone seems almost resigned to the drabness of their lives. However, as always, the Finnish auteur steers clear of peddling misery, choosing instead to scoop out optimism and a stab at second chances. As much as it evokes love in all its sweep-off-your-feet energy, “Fallen Leaves” is tempered with a bracing resolve.

Alma Poysti and Jussi Vatanen exemplify the filmmaker’s warm, droll eccentricity, emerging as the most delightful duo in recent memory. The tentativeness with which their love story slowly blooms, where both gradually learn to trust and lean towards the other, makes it an endearing, utterly sincere two-hander. “Fallen Leaves” is a hard-eyed look at life, eschewing sentimentality, embracing awkwardness, and finding an openness to evolving perceptions.

20. Chithha

“Chithha” is one of the most well-crafted Tamil cinema in recent times that handles its sensitive subject with nuance. The film beautifully explores the bond between a niece and her uncle, whose life is overturned after the kidnapping of his niece by a serial sex offender. “Chithha” is a fascinating blend of low-key drama and thriller. Though the transition from one to another isn’t very organic, Arun Kumar’s solid character writing keeps us thoroughly engaged.

A good director knows how to create a greater impact by implying violence or deviant behavior. In “Chithha,” there are many hard-hitting sequences where nothing is shown explicitly. The film also questions the traditional norms of masculinity and the empty pursuit of vigilante justice. Though it’s not pulled off convincingly, the splendid performances make us forgive the minor issues related to it. Finally, it’s a poignant moment when a character implores the protagonist not to turn the little girl’s ordeal into her whole identity.

19. John Wick: Chapter 4

The fourth installment of the already famous and marvelous “John Wick” series is a neon-drenched wild ride with outstanding action choreography, inventive set-pieces & a new nemesis who can competently take on ‘Baba Yaga.’ Chad Stahelski has crafted an impeccable Gun-fu film with breathtaking visuals & technical prowess. You can’t help but be in awe of various breathtaking sequences, be it the overhead tracking shot that looks straight out of a video game, the car chase sequence through the streets of Paris, or the infamous stair sequence right before the climax.

Keanu Reeves will not be going down in history books for his performances for obvious reasons. However, his physicality & riveting manner in which he executes the action scenes are a sight to behold and put him up there as one of the best action stars in Hollywood. Donnie Yen is the perfect addition to this wild world of John Wick, bringing loads of charisma & gravitas to the action blockbuster. If this is indeed the last film in the series, then Chad Stahelski, Keanu Reeves, and everyone involved truly outdid themselves and went out on top!

18. All of Us Strangers

Andrew Haigh’s masterpiece and one of the year’s finest works, “All of Us Strangers,” arrives as a matured, viscerally haunting study of ideas previously explored in his 2011 film “Weekend.” With a decade of experience, Haigh is able to weave together a series of complicated, contradictory emotions far more carefully, painting a layered and detailed tapestry of subtly heart-wrenching memories. The grief of loss and elation of finding someone new, the pain of loneliness and power of connection, the desire to live in the present, yet the inability to let go of the past – Adam finds himself in the middle of all these juxtaposing ideas.

The film keeps us in a perpetual push-pull state, lingering between bitter joy and reflective melancholy. Aided by stunning cinematography from Jamie D. Ramsay, a thoughtful screenplay from Haigh, and performances of the most sublime quality from the four leads, not a word, movement, or composition is out of place. It’s all in the film’s restraint. Slowly building emotional tension and releasing it unconventionally by having the camera pull away and truly open up the space visually for the first time, as familiar notes of “The Power of Love” begin playing, you’d be hard-pressed not to shed a tear or two for this incredible piece of filmmaking.

17. Barbie

Loaded with both an outrageous and unsparing quality of satire and a gentle telltale quality in terms of humor, “Barbie” redefined the way we see films that sell a product and manufacture a commercial narrative. But the more you look beneath the shimmer and gloss, the more rewarding it eventually becomes. In her third directorial venture, Greta Gerwig stumbles into the headquarters of Mattel, takes note of the statistics and workplace dynamics of the office, and juxtaposes it with the pressing situation of feminist ideology and patriarchal thought processes in the real world.

In the process, she crafts an unusual, beautifully weird film that holds absolutely no restraint in hammering its audience on the head with the accessible nature of putting forward its themes. Thanks to the intelligent cinematic influences she takes from Stanley Kubrick to Jacques Tati, it works substantially. Margot Robbie delivers an unfiltered and effortless performance as the titular character. Since all the effort goes into the carefully studied mannerisms of a character who is the stuff of fantasies, the actual passage of mature realization hits home. Her performance, one of the most compelling this year, easily contributes to the film being one of our favorites.

16. 12th Fail

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s “12th Fail” tells the ideal underdog story with pitch-perfect performances, a solid script, and a rousing direction. Consider this: a director whose last film was slight and mediocre enough for everyone to believe that he has nothing fresh to say, particularly directing a movie that’s based on a familiar template of an underdog success story. What brilliantly works in “12th Fail” is how the storyteller goes back to the basics, dramatizing the true-life story in an utterly entertaining and convincing manner that’s as much humanistic and crowd-pleasing.

The film enormously benefits from the fantastic lead performance from Vikrant Massey, who deftly underscores the courage and resilience of Manoj Sharma’s journey from being a naive village boy to a confident IPS officer. From shaping his characters’ dialect and looks to exploring the man’s wide spectrum of emotions. Medha Shankar is equally stunning as Shraddha, the woman earnest in both her desire to make it to the administration and in her love for Manoj. “12th Fail” is so understanding and compassionate to the underdogs and the marginalized that by the end, we can’t help but be emotionally moved and shed a few happy tears.

15. The Boy and the Heron

Hayao Miyazaki – The grandfather of hand-drawn animation and one of the core founders of Studio Ghibli made his much awaited comeback in 2023. “The Boy and the Heron” was not just a gift from Miyazaki to his countless fans worldwide; it is also one of the best films of 2023.

Based on a 1937 novel called ‘How Do You Live?’, the film seamlessly blends fantasy and magical realism, a Miyazaki trademark. It shows the journey of a young boy named Mahito, whose mother is tragically killed in a fire accident. Unable to come to terms with the grief of losing his mother, he is lured into an alternate magical realm by a heron-like creature who tells him his mother is alive and well.

The film feels like Miyazaki looking back at his own body of work. Loyal Studio Ghibli fans will find references to Miyazaki’s earlier films, such as “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Princess Mononoke,” and “My Neighbor Totoro,’ among others. But you don’t need to know Miyazaki’s work to fall in love with this film. When you strip away its layers, the film strikes an interesting balance between bleakness and hope. The present is bleak, but the future is hopeful.

14. The Iron Claw

“The Iron Claw” is a formally striking piece of cinema as well as a profoundly moving one. Featuring a tracking shot outside the Dallas Sportatorium worthy of a “GoodFellas” or “Boogie Nights,” Sean Durkin’s third directorial effort boasts the kinetic grit and methodical framing of a Gen X classic. “The Zone of Interest” may be 2023’s most surgically assembled achievement in filmmaking, but Matyas Erdely’s poetic photography in “The Iron Claw” constitutes the most organic. Between water-colored vistas of the American southwest and a birdseye shot overlooking a funeral procession, there is so much to savor visually.

For obvious reasons, “The Iron Claw” has drawn comparisons to “Warrior,” “Foxcatcher,” and “The Wrestler.” Still, this meditation on hereditary bad luck deserves as much mention alongside “The Place Beyond the Pines.” What would otherwise simply be a tearjerker is transformed by Durkin and Erdely into something far more haunting and cerebral. Clinically detached yet startlingly intimate, “The Iron Claw” will be equally remembered for its technical rigor and Zac Efron’s Oscar-worthy turn in the movie’s heartbreaking final 20 minutes.

13. Killers of the Flower Moon

Style meets substance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” as the film is visually stunning and filled with creative ideas, even ending on a high note with a tragic radio drama. Yet it is the storyline that sets it apart: 2023 was overburdened with long films, but few managed their pace, as well as “Killers of the Flower Moon.” From the get-go, viewers can feel that it will be a slow-paced narrative that might take all the time necessary to establish its story – no matter how uncomfortable they might feel following dim-witted antagonist Ernest. This makes the movie an essential watch, showcasing the horrors the Osage faced in detail.

Of course, all performances are excellent, but Lily Gladstones’ rawness and her guttural scream are simply unforgettable, making her the movie’s true star. She is the story’s protagonist, although she spends most of the film overshadowed by her persecutors – a smart metaphor of how the Osage’s entire history was cast aside. Of course, more could have been said about their perspective on the events. But still, the film leaves a lasting impact on the viewers.

12. The Holdovers

Just when we thought that they didn’t make warm, heartwarming films like the “Dead Poets Society” and “Good Will Hunting” anymore, Alexander Payne dropped his recent feature “The Holdovers,” which is reminiscent of both these films yet unique in its own way. Starring Paul Giamatti as a cranky high school teacher, the film navigates through themes of friendship, loss, grief, and compassion in a heartwarming Christmas festivities backdrop.

It is an empathetic, oftentimes hilarious film that thrives on interpersonal relationships and three exceptional performances that will be cherished for years to come. Dominic Sessa shines as Angus Tully, a brash, self-loathing high schooler who finds family in his teacher, Paul Hunam, and school cook, Mary Lamb, amidst the most unforeseen situation. The film feels like a giant warm hug that will make you laugh and cry and embrace the beauty of cinema in its most honest form. “The Holdovers” will become a beloved Christmas classic that everyone would love to revisit from time to time.

Also Read: All Alexander Payne Movies, Ranked

11. Poor Things

You cannot fail to cite “Poor Things,” the latest feature film by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, among the works that most shaped the international cinema landscape of 2023. Postmodern and surrealist, “Poor Things” is a demonstration of how it is still possible to create something original and unique in a market where it is feared everything has already been done. The story unfolds as the bizarre Gulliver’s journey of the femme Frankenstein’s monster that is Bella Baxter, a hybrid composed of the brain of an unborn fetus and the body of a young woman.

“Poor Things” explores the inclination toward emancipation as an axiom of the living beings’ status and portrays a main character who opposes socially shared constraints as forms of adherence to collectivity. As a film that slips into the disturbing in its search for liberation, “Poor Things” finds its core strength in a relentless and aestheticized provocation. The film challenges the viewer’s own conception of deformity, questioning the difference between the physical, tangible monstrosity of the body and the subtle but far more treacherous ugliness of the mind.

10. Kaathal – The Core

Jeo Baby’s “Kaathal-The Core” triumphantly adheres to Mamoothy’s brilliant low-key performance. We observe the family of the conservative paternal octogenarian, Devassy, living with his son, Mathew, and his daughter-in-law, Omana. It starts with the omniscient silence of the Malayali landscape, portraying a peaceful, overtly habitual routine. The breakage soon engulfs when Mathew takes up an opportunity to contest the Local Village Body elections. He is troubled by the divorce filed by his wife and the simultaneous struggle of proving himself ‘not gay.’

This spectacular film offers a pertinent critique of the criminalized IPC 377, not only as a reiterated courtroom fury but as a statement for those affected by its transition and past. A working woman pushing the husband towards embracing his true sexual orientation – if this is not a revolution in ‘The Core’ of Indian Cinema, one fails to know what is. “Kaathal” touches on the masculine dilemma, the conditional supervision of manly responsibilities within a marriage, and intergenerational trauma. Above all, it’s a film about shattering social taboos and embracing love.

9. May December

Todd Haynes’ “May December” is an emotionally heart-wrenching piece of cinema that tries to explore the deepest and darkest depths of the three central characters. It works brilliantly as an absurd, dark comedic piece that makes you queasy at times. The film feels reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona,” showcasing a concoction of personalities, duality of character, and personal identity. Also, it does help that both films feature an actress named Elizabeth.

The three central performances are brilliant. But Charles Melton is the pick of the bunch, representing a physical & emotional form of arrested development that’s unique in its portrayal. The score hits all the right spots, adding unnerving tension and anxiety to the mundane moments in a wholly unique way. Todd Haynes’ assured direction puts the audience in a tight spot to observe and understand the moral ambiguities of these characters who might just be lying to you, not just to convince you but also themselves of their reality.

8. About Dry Grasses

Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ‘About Dry Grasses’ is as wordy as most of his works, but it also brings back the kind of dark humor that has been missing in his recent films. Following Samet, a high school teacher in the fourth year of his mandatory teacher’s posting in a remote village in Anatolia, the film takes a meditative look at what truly transforms him when a sexual allegation is hurled his way by one of his favorite pupils in the class.

Spread across the cold, distant, and expansive landscape, the character arc in “About Dry Grasses” can be essentially taken as the birth of a nihilist, maneuvering through moments with typical Ceylan-esque use of long dialogue-laden shots and dives into the socio-political climate that makes a person feel stuck.  However, what truly makes the film remarkable is the remnants of these stories and these characters that do not have a concrete end. Their lives are still shattered, unfocused, and full of despair, and there is no grand meta-moment in the cracks of cinema that can fix that.

7. Perfect Days

“Perfect Days” is a breezy yet humanist work of art filled with so much warmth & compassion. Even though Wim Wenders hasn’t made any bad films, this is clearly one of his better works. “Perfect Days” is a low-stakes narrative about a toilet cleaner from Tokyo who adores music & books and leads a solitary life. Amidst a movie landscape filled with hyper-masculine characters, Koji Yakusho’s Hiryayama feels like a breath of fresh air.

Wenders’s directorial approach expertly uses silences, meandering conversations & deadpan expressions. “Perfect Days” reminds me of “Paterson” the moment its protagonist starts driving his van. Koji Yakusho dons a charming smile for much of the duration that is enough to sweep you off your feet. Besides, the film follows a deeply humane tale about a job that is looked down upon quite often. Wenders finds the perfect balance to portray solidarity with this worker through his thoroughly moving yet accessible drama.

6. The Zone of Interest

After a hiatus of 10 years, Jonathan Glazer returns with the harrowing, unsettling, and unusual holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest.” It accentuates the concept of “the banality of evil” and chooses to venture beyond. Glazer hones in on the idyllic lull of the mundane for Auschwitz camp commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) —  a deliberate distancing and abstraction that underscores the unspeakable horrors that lie just beyond the wall.

There’s a sickening complacency to the Höss’, who sanitize unspeakable evil by resorting to inane stock phrases and remain glib, deliberately oblivious to the rot of their own evil, ever-present within their line of sight. The results are both strange and haunting, culminating in a mosaic of self-serving casual cruelties that mount to nauseating heights.

5. Monster

Hirokazu Koreeda, the masterful storyteller of family dynamics, particularly astounds us when it comes to creating real and believable kid characters. From “Nobody Knows,” “I Wish,” to “Like Father, Like Son,” “Shoplifters, and now “Monsters,” Koreeda’s compassionate and nuanced outlook on childhood makes us feel that there’s nothing manufactured about the on-screen kids’ emotions. “Monster” might mark the rare occasion of Koreeda directing a script he hasn’t written. But the formally intricate aesthetics, gentle editing rhythm, and themes of familial dysfunction and marginalization are unmistakably Koreeda-esque.

The film opens as a simple story of harassment and bullying. A single mother traces her pre-teen boy’s odd behavior as the consequence of his teacher’s caustic nature. But the young teacher suspects the boy of bullying his vulnerable classmate. However, the tale takes a step back and rewards us with alternating perspectives that zeroes in on truths that would elude one’s subjectivity.

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Amidst the glut of movies or content releasing in this modern era, there are very few which could be categorized as pop art. The sequel to 2018’s critically acclaimed “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is somehow even more revolutionary in pushing the animation medium. In a singular substrate of the animated world, different styles of animation and consequent movement exist concurrently, and they intermingle to form not chaos but an unerring symphony of superhero stories that transcends the mere description it has been built on.

It doesn’t forget to extrapolate on the story of Miles Morales, heightening his legitimacy as Spider-Man while also showing what makes him distinct from all his other iterations, taking into account key moments of Spider-Man’s life and managing to focus sharply to ask the pertinent question – Could Spider-Man truly be anyone? And if so, what does that entail?

3. Past Lives

Often, the movies capture deeply genuine human emotions and make us most emotionally vulnerable to achieve what is arguably the peak of cinema. South Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song’s feature debut, “Past Lives,” is highly gratifying in that regard. It is a poignant and heartfelt film that delicately explores the complexities of love, nostalgia, and the passage of time. As the title suggests, the film traces the past lives of Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood sweethearts who part ways after Nora’s family emigrate from South Korea.

Unfolding in three parts, the film reflects on lost love when the protagonists reunite for one fateful week decades later. This beautifully understated and sensitively sketched narrative mediates the choices we make, the roads not taken, and the enduring power of memories. The high point of “Past Lives” lies in its storytelling and exceptional performances. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo deliver emotionally resonant portrayals, capturing the nuances of their characters’ journey through love, separation, and the bittersweet reminiscence of their past. Song’s self-reflexive tale, which boasts of gentle minimalism and humanism, has so much emotional depth that it tugs at your heartstrings.

2. Anatomy of a Fall

There are two falls in Justine Triet‘s film: the first is a tumble from a window, and the other is a publicized fall from grace. Triet’s film begins as a whodunnit before quickly segueing into a courtroom drama that reveals an ugly and particularly damaging portrait of a relationship. Sandra Hüller plays Sandra Voyter, a writer suspected of murdering her husband, fighting to prove her innocence, claiming her husband must have accidentally fallen from the window. As the trial continues, the boundaries between fact and fiction become less distinct. As the law turns its scrutinizing lens on the murky waters of life and intent, two grisly options present themselves to the child: either his mother is a murderer, or his father killed himself.

“Anatomy of a Fall” plays around with the ambiguities of perspective and language, switching between French, German, and English. The courtroom is an arena where complexities and intricacies are flattened, manipulated, or invented to sway a verdict. Life, on the other hand, is unresolvable. In short, “Anatomy of a Fall” is a riveting drama examining life’s impenetrable grey areas.

1. Oppenheimer

It’s always fascinating when a prominent Hollywood filmmaker with auteurist preoccupations chooses a complex subject and turns it into a resonant work of cinema. “Oppenheimer” might be Christopher Nolan’s first foray into the biopic genre. But it contains unmistakable Nolan signatures that transcend the biopic label and become an immersive chronicle of a turbulent period in modern history. Nolan’s film is a meticulously constructed study of the titular theoretical physicist’s uphill battle against the ever-changing political perception alongside his personal and professional challenges.

Oppenheimer’s central theme revolves around the heavy burden the great men must shoulder. Nolan’s technical genius and dramatic showdowns bring something grand and operatic to the narrative. The outstanding musical score and intense sound design play a pivotal role in retaining the epic quality to an otherwise reflective and conversational picture. While Nolan is often accused of emotional coldness, he finds the perfect actor to embody the existential quandaries of his titular character. Cillian Murphy’s graceful, emotive performance splendidly captures Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil and moral complexities.

Related to Best Films of 2023: 10 Thematically Similar Movies to Watch If You Like ‘Oppenheimer’

First posted on our YouTube Channel:

What’s your favourite film of 2023? Tell us in the comments below.