Much has been said over the course of 2024 as to whether or not it has actually been a “good” year for cinema. For many, the answer is the same as ever: any year can be a good year at the movies if you’re looking hard enough. Sure, this particular calendar year hasn’t brought forth the sheer number of unabashed masterpieces as 2023… or any number of pre-pandemic years, but the steady quality of the films that compose High On Films’s Top 30 of the year is emblematic of the eclectic tastes that make moviegoing so riveting and unpredictable every year.
As always, compiling a “best of the year list” proved challenging, and any number of worthy releases have just barely missed the cut. You may notice throughout this list the distressing dearth of animated films, but rest assured that films like “Memoir of a Snail” and “Flow” were oh-so-close to making the final list thanks to their expansive means of pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling. Action films like “Kill” and “Rebel Ridge” showed that you can always be engaging while engaging in the breaking of bones, and auteurist swings like “Megalopolis,” “Chime,” and “Kinds of Kindness” also made us think just as much as they made us shake our heads. (And, as always, the customary yearly Hong Sang-soo films deserve a shout-out if not a direct placement on the list).
Even with all the compelling films that just missed out, here are the Top 30 Films of 2024, as chosen by the High On Films team members Julian Malandruccolo and Liam Gaughan:
30. Daughters
Though its title is “Daughters,” Natalie Rae’s and Angela Patton’s documentary would make a beautiful sister-piece for Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing,” as dual films that explore unorthodox means of coping and rehabilitation in America’s horribly dehumanizing prison system. Centered around a cathartic father-daughter dance meant to provide some semblance of unison between the men locked away and the young girls they don’t get to see growing up, “Daughters” explores the strained family dynamics that arise from these circumstances—from the unfairly prolonged prison sentences to the resentment from the daughters towards failing father figures who can’t help but end up right back in the system just as soon as they’ve been released.
Through it all, “Daughters” exposes a delicacy rarely afforded the opportunity to let itself out within the concrete walls of the penitentiary, but which proves entirely necessary for holding onto one’s spirit in a system built to make you feel less-than-human. Rae and Patton don’t treat the father-daughter dance like the end-all-be-all of rehabilitation, but their film never fails to make the case that a hug on the dancefloor can move mountains when all other contact is mediated by a sheet of glass.
Related to Best Films of 2024 – Daughters (2024) ‘Netflix’ Documentary Review: A Heartrending Documentary Where Even Moments of Joy Evoke a Deep Sense of Despair
29. A Complete Unknown
There was understandably a lot of hesitation revolving around a biopic of Bob Dylan, as the beloved singer-songwriter is renowned for being somewhat ambiguous during his public appearances. Thankfully, James Mangold crafts a compelling portrayal of an artist who was often at odds with himself; Dylan was seemingly the voice of the traditional folk scene but became critical within the implementation of electronic instrumentation in the late 1960s.
Timothee Chalamet turns Dylan into a flawed, yet ambitious young rebel attempting to make a name for himself, and “A Complete Unknown” gives him more than enough space to beautifully recreate some of the most iconic songs ever written. “A Complete Unknown” hinges on the brilliance of Chalamet’s performance, but it also features some key supporting roles for other legendary musicians, including Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie. “A Complete Unknown” only tells one chapter of Dylan’s story, but this focused approach is preferable to a more wide-ranging biopic that wouldn’t have been able to capture the same emotional specificity.
28. Babygirl
If erotic thrillers are truly dead, they are only a relic insofar as the dated genre trappings that treat a woman’s sexual pleasure like the transitional point between a dildo and a switchblade. “Babygirl” is far more grounded in its titillating thrills, as Halina Reijn unearths the frustrations of meeting a form of fantasy that can never quite be achieved with the one you love, without some form of personal debasement. You can always try, but who’s to say that your lover will always respect you just as they once did if you can only get off under some form of humiliation?
Anchored by Nicole Kidman’s fearless performance (nickel for every time that phrase has been written…), “Babygirl” luxuriates in the complexity of its central dynamics thanks to an off-kilter musical score and disorientingly shallow-focus camerawork. With this film, Reijn continues to explore the boundaries of sexual satisfaction in ways that few other filmmakers dare to do, all with a purpose beyond tabloid kitsch.
Also, Read – Babygirl (2024) Movie Review: Nicole Kidman Dominates in a Submissive Role of Tortured Desire
27. I’m Still Here
There was some concern following the release of the underwhelming adaptation of “On the Road” that the great Walter Salles would never make a masterpiece on the level of “Central Station” or “The Motorcycle Diaries” ever again, but “I’m Still Here” solidifies his status as one of the most important directors in Brazilian history. Instead of following the antiquated structure of a standard biopic, Salles creates a compelling portrayal of the Paiva family amidst the far-right military dictatorship of the 1970s and explores the aftermath of the disappearance of its patriarch.
“I’m Still Here” examines the duality of being a citizen and a family member, and shows why finding truth is still vital, even if justice is more challenging to attain. At the center of this magnanimous drama is Fernanda Torres’ towering performance, which may be one of the year’s most vulnerable roles. The events that “I’m Still Here” is unpacking are certainly not always pleasant, but the film is such a powerful love letter to the citizens of Brazil that it is hard to not be moved by the heroism it is celebrating.
26. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” is certainly not the first film that reckons with the patriarchal worship of abusive figures, but Rungano Nyoni’s distinct sense of place makes for a heightened sense of ingrained tragedy within its Zambian setting. In a space so deeply invested in customs of near-evangelical worship to the head of the household—particularly at the expense of the women meant to do the worshipping—Nyoni finds her greatest sense of horror in just how casually this whole situation is approached.
As the newer generations of women come to terms with what the loss of an abusive uncle means for them, the familial duties of funerary worship and in-law infighting keep their sense of agency relegated to the background. At a moment when their voices should be heard most, all these women are afforded are the nondescript chirps of a tiny bird. Like the tunes of its titular fledgling, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” is a warning cry, but Nyoni’s film is understandably skeptical that anyone is even listening.
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25. Dahomey
When Mati Diop won the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival for a documentary that just barely exceeded one hour in length, some cynics took it as a sign that the Berlinale is, by far and away, the worst of the European A-film festivals. How could such a “minor” film walk away with the festival’s biggest prize? Those who actually saw “Dahomey,” however, could attest to its haunting timeliness and spectral atmosphere; sometimes, less is more.
Wasting not a single one of its 68 minutes, “Dahomey” examines the seemingly endless road to decolonization, here examined through the repatriation of Dahomeyan artifacts from French museums back to what is now modern-day Benin. As the debates are had and the spirits of those ancestors lie dormant beneath the clay, Diop exhumes the nameless figures with a quiet urgency that never betrays the soul-sucking bureaucracy at the heart of an inhuman process of cultural reclamation. “Dahomey” may be short, but entire generations of suppression are felt within the confines of its brisk runtime.
24. Hit Man
Richard Linklater is so adept at switching between genres that it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he had a terrific noir caper in him. However, “Hit Man” proves to be far more than just a star vehicle, as Linklater uses a bizarre “Texas Monthly” story as a means to interrogate the general perception of espionage that has been built by popular culture. Although Glen Powell showed hints of his star power in Linklater’s underrated baseball comedy “Everybody Wants Some!!,” “Hit Man” feels like the announcement of a generational talent. Powell is so relentlessly charismatic that it’s impossible to look away from him, even when the film doubles down on exposing the deceitful nature of his character.
“Hit Man” is filled with inventive ways of shooting the types of typical moments that appear in a thriller, including a confrontation revolving around cell phone notes that takes full advantage of the technology. Despite being confined to a limited theatrical release ahead of its debut on Netflix, “Hit Man” is one of Linklater’s best.
Also, Read – Hit Man (2024) ‘Netflix’ Movie Review: A Riveting, Richly Layered Crime Comedy with Glen Powell’s Commanding Screen Presence
23. Civil War
Alex Garland has been the master of crafting speculative science fiction stories, but “Civil War” gives him the chance to examine a not-so-shocking future in which America is split into warring factions. The specifics of how this conflict emerged are superfluous; while there are allusions to xenophobic and authoritarian views that paved the way for these divisions, “Civil War” is more interested in showing the perspective of the journalists who reckon with the responsibility of preceding an “objective” view of the conflict. “Civil War” is uncompromisingly bleak, with moments of sickening violence that are nauseating in their mundanity.
In the same way that “Apocalypse Now” was about so much more than just the Vietnam War, “Civil War” examines debates about civility and appeasement that stretch beyond the political conflicts that shaped the America of today. It’s easy to see why Garland feels so cynical, but the film is so richly packed with exceptional performances that it never feels tactless. Although Kirsten Dunst reaches a level of restraint that signifies her true evolution, a scene featuring Jesse Plemons may be the most tense sequence of the year.
22. The Apprentice
The notion of a biopic about Donald Trump seemed ridiculous, as any potential viewers are likely to have made up their minds about the past and future President of the United States before ever sitting down to watch the film. However, “The Apprentice” offers a compelling origin story of how an unwitting, yet ambitious child of privilege used a defiance of authority to build one of the most influential business empires in American history. Sebastian Stan doesn’t attempt to do an impression of Trump but manages to show how he slowly developed his signature idiosyncrasies.
Equally effective is Jeremy Strong’s breathtakingly accurate depiction of Roy Cohn, the powerful lawyer who shaped Trump into an attack dog, only to be left out to dry. “The Apprentice” is as much about the environment that raised Trump as it is about the man itself, as the film examines how the capitalistic, competitive era of Regan-era policies allowed the ultimate swindler to fashion himself as the voice of reason. It’s not likely to change minds, but “The Apprentice” is nothing if not truthful.
Related to Best Films of 2024 – The Apprentice (2024) Movie Review: Trumpian Ticks Humanized in a Straightforward Portrait That Could’ve Been a Portal Into the Americana Nightmare
21. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
It’s rare enough for an honest-to-god, bone-breaking bloodfest out of Hong Kong to find itself among the rankings of quote-unquote “serious” dramatic fare, but Soi Cheang’s “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” takes its unapologetically ballistic attitude to bring us some of the most visceral fight scenes since the days when the West first began speaking the language of flying fists.
Matching its midnight madness-style verve with a tale of forged brotherhood that makes any such effort worth more than a passing glance, the film never allows you to forget just what it takes to keep your eyes glued to the screen; a punch to the face is one thing, but a punch to the face of someone you actually grow to care about is another matter entirely. “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” wears its sense of fraternity on its sleeve, as Cheang weaves his way through a generational narrative that works just as much as a torch-passing ceremony as it does a firm introduction to the new faces that will take the streets by storm.
20. The Girl with the Needle
Channeling the stark monochrome visuals of Ingmar Bergman’s most iconic work, Magnus von Horn explores the depths of postwar social integration with almost as much substantive horror as the Swedish master. Held together by two performances equally terrified and terrifying (from Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm), “The Girl with the Needle” exposes the horrors of guilt and misplaced responsibility that eat away at our souls, particularly in a social environment that leaves room for little else but a reflection upon one’s own perceived inadequacy.
Shadows almost appear to speak over the course of “The Girl with the Needle,” as the secrets that lie behind each corner (many of them based on true events) whisper with an echo of bone-chilling shame that reverberates all through the deepest corners of post-WWI Europe. With his film, von Horn reaches into your soul and pulls out something you never knew was there, particularly because you may never have wanted to know such depths could be reached at all.
19. Juror #2
There’s really no more eloquent way to say it: Clint Eastwood is just too damn old to be going as hard as he did with “Juror #2.” For all the talk of “they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore,” that clouded the discussion over the 94-year-old filmmaker’s latest (and last?) film—particularly in the midst of David Zaslav’s puzzling abject refusal to get the film seen—there is something refreshing in a film so committed to an old-school steadiness that it mirrors that same quality in the man who is making it.
“Juror #2” assembles just about everything you need for a solid ‘90s thriller—an enthusiastic cast, a steadfast screenplay, and a director who knows how to make it all gel together—and produces a well-oiled machine that delivers on its promise of consistent entertainment alongside a genuine desire to unpack moral ambiguity and the flaws of a longstanding justice system. Eastwood continues to prove, even as he reaches a century on this planet, that a mind still living in the 20th century isn’t necessarily a mind with nothing left to offer.
18. Sing Sing
“Sing Sing” is a film so unique in its construction that it is almost impossible to discuss without mentioning the behind-the-scenes process. Based on the true story of the theater program in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the film stars many of the actual former inmates who graduated from the project. This grants the film a greater sense of intimacy than it would have ever attained otherwise, as this is a story that would have never felt as powerful if it had been populated by well-known stars. The only established actor who plays a key role is the great Colman Domingo, who gives the single best performance of his career as an incarcerated man who finds himself frustrated by the unchanging status quo of life behind bars.
“Sing Sing” is at times quite scathing in how it shows the broken nature of America’s justice system and is keen to call out the potential that so many inmates have for redemption. However, the soulful celebration that the film creates by allowing these men to tell their stories makes it feel completely sincere.
Also, Read – Sing Sing (2024) Movie Review: A Touching Prison Drama That Hits the Core of What Performance is All About
17. Hard Truths
Mike Leigh has never been a filmmaker who is interested in appeasing his audience, as he has often been drawn to complex characters who are unambiguously flawed. Leigh hasn’t created many characters that are as uncompromising “difficult” as Patsy, a tired, endlessly frustrated mother played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in what may be the single greatest performance of her career. Even if the film doesn’t specifically call out Brexit or COVID-19, it feels like a response to the generally negative ways in which society has turned in the last few years.
As the title may suggest, “Hard Truths” addresses realities about familial relationships that are hard to swallow, but it also reaches such truthful moments of empathy that it is hard to ever discredit it as being cynical. Leigh has long been celebrated for his ability to craft captivating depictions of the past, but “Hard Truths” demonstrates his equally keen insight into the complexities of the modern world.
16. A Different Man
“A Different Man” is a delightfully dark comedy about the difference between perception and reality, and how it is often easier to empathize with someone than it is to actually live in their shoes. The film is poetic in the way it calls out the hypocritical truisms that are made about performance, acceptance, and self-care, but the narrative is so genuinely unpredictable that it never feels as if the film is wagging its finger at the audience.
Sebastian Stan has consistently proven to be one of the more versatile alumni of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he gives one of the most singular performances of his career as a charming narcissist who (quite literally) does not feel comfortable in his own skin. Although Stan’s work is entirely absorbing, the film is completely stolen by the breakout star Adam Pearson, whose disarming charisma allows the narrative to reach even more complicated places. There’s a lot about “A Different Man” that requires its viewers to think and process what they witnessed, but it is also one of the funniest and most engaging films of the year.
Related to Best Films of 2024 – A Different Man (2024) Movie Review: Sebastian Stan Simmers In A World Where Insecurity Is Bone-Deep
15. Queer
Just five months after the premiere of what may be his most accessible film ever, Luca Guadagnino cracked his knuckles and chucked up a massive middle finger to anyone hoping he’d be applying his madcap directorial eye towards palatable material for the foreseeable future. With “Queer,” the director reteamed with writer Justin Kuritzkes to tackle perhaps the most alienating material of his career: the deepest recesses of the mind of William S. Burroughs.
The end result is, expectedly, one of Guadagnino’s most difficult films to swallow (no pun intended…), but also one of his most human. Through Daniel Craig’s heart-wrenching performance, Guadagnino orchestrates a trip into the lonely abyss that is the love life of a man so tortured by his inability to connect and find greater purpose that all forms of touch seem transactional. In a time and place where comfort in unison seems more direly needed than ever, “Queer” makes the case that such needs are only felt when they can never truly be met.
14. All We Imagine as Light
Few filmmakers have shown the aptitude to make a generational masterpiece quite like Payal Kapadia. Though she hasn’t quite reached that threshold just yet, her latest, “All We Imagine as Light,” has fittingly become the critical darling of 2024 through the loving, patient touch of a director who lives and breathes the same air as her subjects. Splitting the difference between Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Wong Kar-wai, Kapadia finds a pocket all her own in her exploration of the unique sensory experience of living in modern Mumbai; a place to forget and be forgotten, but also one to love and be loved.
With such a tender grasp of womanhood in a modern metropolis, “All We Imagine as Light” becomes a prism through which Kapadia is able to focus our understanding of the many intersecting cultural spheres that make up India’s most populous city, all without ever veering from the eyes of the three women whose bond keeps the film rooted. A light imagined is a light realized, especially when guiding the path within one’s wayward inner spirit.
Also, Read – All We Imagine As Light (2024) ‘Cannes’ Movie Review: Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha are an Unforgettable Duo in Payal Kapadia’s Shimmering, Seductive, Masterful Ode to Mumbai
13. Ghostlight
One of the best films of the year is also one of the easiest to miss, as “Ghostlight” is a very small family drama about a grieving father recovering from the suicide of his son by taking part in a small-scale production of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” Any concerns that the premise is itself too saccharine to offer any substantial insight about loss are quickly dispelled, as “Ghostlight” shows the unusual ways in which broken people find themselves incapable of reacclimating themselves back into normal society.
While the discussion of whether art can be separated from the artist is almost always brought up in a negative context, “Ghostlight” shows that fully investing in a fictional world may assist in alleviating the stresses of life. It’s a tear-jerker, but “Ghostlight” isn’t an entirely superficial celebration of the performing arts; it’s a life-affirming story about the difficult path of moving on, and why it is a necessary one to lead. Keith Kupferer isn’t an actor who has ever received significant attention for his previous work, but his soul-shaking work in “Ghostlight” should certainly raise his profile.
12. No Other Land
If “No Other Land” isn’t quite the single best film of 2024, it is unquestionably the most important. Though there could never be a “good” moment for the release of a documentary detailing the depths of depravity through which human beings are capable of putting each other, “No Other Land” is particularly timely in how its primary message is one of a form of oppression that has gone on for nearly a century. Depicting the horrors of displacement endured by the Palestinian population in a mountainous area of Gaza, “No Other Land” becomes a microcosm for the unconscionable treatment of Palestinians by an apartheid regime to this day.
Filmed from a period beginning four years before the escalated attacks on Palestine, the film is a necessary rallying cry by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and his Israeli supporters Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal to see the humanity that can no longer be overlooked for the sake of comfort and convenience. Even without its unfortunate timeliness, “No Other Land” stands as a testament to a capacity for empathy and solidarity in parts of the world for which such offerings are truly the bare minimum we can spare for our fellow person.
11. The Substance
Likely to be the most surprising feature to enter regular Oscar talk for the incoming award season, “The Substance” has become a widespread sensation since its Cannes premiere precisely because of how ostensibly displeasing it should be. One of the most on-the-nose commentaries on gender disparity in American media of late, Coralie Fargeat’s strengths lie entirely in a style of filmmaking whose own obviousness complements that of her material.
Certainly one of the better-paced 140-minute films to come out this year, “The Substance” combines arthouse sleekness with trashy forcefulness to experiment with just how far Fargeat can visualize her equally scintillating and disgusting thoughts. A balanced two-hander between Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley (a balance which must always be respected…), the film invites us to throw away only as many of our standards of good taste as we can spare, while still getting us to sympathize with the industrial and personal maltreatment that motivates it to begin with.
Related to the Best Films of 2024 – The Substance (2024) Movie Review: Old-age Refuses Oblivion in Coralie Fargeat’s Demented Body-Horror
10. Bird
Andrea Arnold remains one of the most reliable filmmakers working in the time-honored realm of kitchen sink realism. “Bird” is a different story, though, for while her latest film maintains some of the textured grit and grime that always defines the director’s sense of place, there remains a hint of magical realism sprinkled throughout. From its ethereal score to the demeanor of Franz Rogowski as its titular wanderer, “Bird” is certainly a film not entirely in line with works like “Fish Tank” and “American Honey.”
At the same time, such a change is undoubtedly welcome for Arnold, whose style always lends itself to a subjective view of the listlessness of her subjects; if one such subject, played with great verve by newcomer Nykiya Adams, finds her escape in less tangible ways than your typical Mike Leigh protagonist, there’s no reason to doubt the validity of that choice. In most respects, “Bird” becomes yet another notch in Arnold’s belt when it comes to sympathetic views of English youth in limbo—a form of limbo made all the more cruel when you can look to the sky and see your new friend’s namesake flying away to freedom.
9. The Brutalist
“The Brutalist” is a true American epic, the likes of which haven’t been seen since “The Deer Hunter” or “The Godfather.” Brady Corbet’s absorbing exploration of a Polish architect’s quest to discover the American dream feels completely grandiose, yet entirely specific to a post-World War II generation that was still wrestling with the genocide that had been committed. Although the sweeping cinematography, terrific score, and epic running time would suggest that “The Brutalist” is all about maximalism, it morphs into a very internalized story of an artist reckoning with the pressures of capitalism, authoritarianism, and xenophobia.
Adrien Brody delivers what may be the performance of his career, as the slow breakdown of spirit that he shows throughout “The Brutalist” is quite transfixing; it is the natural progression of the performance in “The Pianist” that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor over two decades prior. Corbet may be a relatively young director, but “The Brutalist” is the type of film that defines a generation, and will certainly be remembered for its outstanding clarity of vision.
Read More: The Brutalist (2024) ‘Venice’ Movie Review: Brady Corbet and the Odyssey of a Visionary Foreigner
8. A Real Pain
“A Real Pain” is truly a film that stands to take its viewers off guard with how complicated it actually is. Theoretically, a road trip film about two cousins has the makings to be a pleasant, albeit familiar rendition of a narrative that has been done countless times since “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.” However, Jesse Eisenberg is able to weave in a riveting examination of mental health, generational trauma, and familial tension that comes alive whenever he gets to share the screen with Kieran Culkin. Culkin may have found a newfound popularity thanks to his award-winning performance on the HBO drama “Succession,” and he succeeds again in “A Real Pain” by playing another messy, complicated character who relies on his disarming wit to mask his inner demons.
“A Real Pain” is so routinely pleasant that the more grave realizations land with a significant impact, as Eisenberg threads the needle between comedy and drama beautifully. Although he has often been compared to either Noah Baumbach or Woody Allen, Eisenberg proves with “A Real Pain” that he is a singular storyteller with an entirely original sensibility.
7. Oh, Canada
Paul Schrader has been obsessed with deconstructing the psychology of troubled anti-heroes ever since his screenplays for “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” were heralded as masterworks, but “Oh, Canada” feels like the single most personal entry in his canon thus far. Schrader has been drawn to vigilante stories within the last decade thanks to “First Reformed,” “The Card Counter,” and “Master Gardener,” but “Oh, Canada” offers a more sensitive examination of a legendary artist looking back at their real legacy.
It’s not hard to see the parallels with Schrader’s own life, especially considering that he shaped much of the anti-authoritarian sentiments in the aftermath of the Vietnam War that personified the “New Hollywood” era. However, it is surprising that Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi are able to work together to create a startlingly empathetic character caught between two transitional points in his life. Schrader deals with too many moral dilemmas to ever characterize his work as being sentimental, but “Oh, Canada” is a thoughtful, uplifting thesis statement that suggests that he has truly evolved in his later years.
Similar to the Best Films of 2024 – Oh, Canada (2024) Movie Review: Paul Schrader’s Quiet Drama Is A Late Career Masterwork
6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
To say that George Miller has pretty much perfected the “Mad Max” formula by now would be like saying water is wet… or sand is dry. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” puts Miller’s adeptness with the post-apocalyptic world he created to the ultimate test, shedding this new entry of the man who started it all in favor of the fresh face who stole the show in “Fury Road,” only to recast that face with an even fresher one. Anya Taylor-Joy, however, proves more than capable of distilling the fury that fuels Furiosa towards her vengeance, illuminated across an odyssey of blood and rust.
More narratively involved than “Fury Road,” “Furiosa” is thus arguably more engaging as a piece of mythmaking in the modern era, as Miller expands his universe in some ways and condenses it in others to deliver a sandstorm of technical bravura and sharp instincts for characterization. Even if you want to consider “Furiosa” to be a step down from its predecessor, the layers it adds to Charlize Theron’s standout character therein, without Theron being even present at all, is more than worth another trip through Valhalla.
5. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
By all accounts a miraculous production whose entire existence will always live in the shadow of the local fallout leading to its premiere, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is inextricably tied to the Iranian government’s mistreatment of its citizens (so much so that life would imitate art in the regime’s sentencing of the film’s director to prison time and a flogging). Nonetheless, Mohammad Rasoulof’s starkly urgent film carries with that urgency a juggling act of tonal shifts and mounting familial tension that proves, if somewhat didactically, that the voices are usually coming from inside the house (in this case, quite literally).
Doing his best (and largely succeeding) to find slivers of humanity even in those characters who most risk becoming mouthpieces for one side against the other, Rasoulof deftly explores what it means to want to do right by one’s family, even if that means turning one’s back against the oppressed. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”, however, is not content to let such defeatist eventualities take hold, as Rasoulof’s drive for meaningful change etches its way into the sturdy roots of the tree strangled by that unassuming seed.
4. Anora
Sean Baker has a seemingly unparalleled ability to put a spotlight on struggling people at the bottom of the economic pyramid and allow them to appear in stories that span multiple genres. If “The Florida Project” was Baker’s fairy tale and “Tangerine” was his wild holiday comedy, then “Anora” is an epic love story that evokes comparisons to “Rebecca” and “Casablanca.” Mikey Madison gives a star-making performance as the titular sex worker who finds herself in the company of Russian henchmen and shows complete fearlessness in crafting an erratic, and at times inscrutable character.
Although Baker shows a keen willingness to hit the standard story beats of an Old Hollywood classic, “Anora” is filled with such propulsive energy that it feels entirely unpredictable. It takes a truly special film to hit the emotional exhilaration that “Anora” does in its middle chapter, and then deliver such a devastating final act that leaves so much room for interpretation. Although the film is filled with wonderfully poetic highlights, the final scene is among the most effective cinematic moments of the 21st century.
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3. I Saw The TV Glow
While Jane Schoenbrun’s first feature, “We’re All Going To The World’s Fair,” was certainly a standout debut by an artist with a lot of potential, “I Saw The TV Glow” is a perfectly calculated analysis of the intersection between media and identity. In an industry that has become overly reliant on nostalgia as a tool, “I Saw The TV Glow” shows how emulating the images seen on the screen can assist young people in discovering their sexuality, and escaping the perils of their reality.
The subtext of “I Saw The TV Glow” goes deeper than a simple metaphor, as the correlation between the characters’ personal lives and the nightmarish television show they grow addicted to raises questions that are worth discussing well after the film concludes. The term “Lynchian” has become overused to the point that it now feels irrelevant, but “I Saw The TV Glow” crafts a similarly cosmic mix of surrealism, horror, and affinity for the suburban gothic aesthetic that it hard not to think about “Mulholland Drive” or “Twin Peaks.”
2. Dune: Part Two
The second half of Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert’s heavily influential science fiction classic is every bit as epic as its predecessor, but even more cynical in its thematic approach. Herbert had always envisioned the rise of Paul Atreides to be a warning about granting power to a charismatic “savior,” and “Dune: Part Two” builds a Shakespearean epic on the back of this concept.
Culminating in an epic action sequence that may rank as the strongest that the big screen has seen since Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Dune: Part Two” is operating at a scale that puts every other blockbuster this year to shame. While its aesthetics are just as fantastical as one would expect from a Villeneuve project, “Dune: Part Two” is also able to reach more emotional truths than its predecessor due to the fractured romance between Timothee Chalamet’s Paul and the Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya). This is an all-time great sequel on the level of “The Empire Strikes Back” or “The Godfather: Part II.”
1. Challengers
While Luca Guadagnino didn’t technically direct “Challengers” and “Queer” in the same year—the former’s 2024 release date the result of a SAG-AFTRA strike-induced push-back—that any director could find themselves making these two films within the same career is a testament to the man’s rigorous versatility (and that of his screenwriter Justin Kiritzkes). Taking a decidedly less somber view of horniness than its Craig-led counterpart, “Challengers” employs the most sensual (and, while onscreen, relatively chaste) throuple this side of the 1990s to find the most thrilling intersection between libidinal passion and a sport that would otherwise be more of a chore to endure than your average Ryan Reynolds film.
Dripping with charisma and style in every facet of its making—from the casting to the camerawork, from the music to the blocking—“Challengers” stands as the best film of 2024, not because it’s the most politically driven or the most austerely assembled. Rather, in a year of such uncertainty, in the wake of so much pushback against artistic experimentation in the face of corporate consumption, a film like “Challengers” stands as the most indispensable film of the year—a film whose irrefutable craft and engagement stands as a testament to what cinema, even in the mainstream, can achieve when placed in the most caring (and horniest) hands.
