20 Best Movie Performances of 2024

2024 was an unusually great year for cinema, as the industry still managed to distribute a high number of excellent films in the wake of the SAG-AFTRA strike that delayed many domestic productions. Although there were many franchises and previously established properties that topped the box office, 2024 was also a year in which many movie stars came to fruition. Some actors, such as Glen Powell, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Sebastian Stan, had multiple hit projects on their hands, suggesting a bright future for the next generation of the industry as it faces an uncertain era.

Although the year saw the return of many legendary directors working on significant “passion projects,” it also allowed many faded stars the opportunity to launch major comebacks; between Michael Keaton’s return in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Toni Collette’s stealthy comeback in “Juror No. 2,” Richard Gere’s revelatory performance in “Oh, Canada,” and the multiple roles that Willem Dafoe had, the year was not entirely dependant on a new class of stars. As a result, the best performances of the year consist of multiple generations, each of which is working towards a brighter future for the industry as a whole. Here are the twenty best movie performances of 2024.

20. Katy O’Brian, “Love Lies Bleeding”

“Love Lies Bleeding” is one of the year’s most undefinable films. It’s a body horror story matched with a road trip thriller and contains an equal amount of burgeoning sexual fulfillment with sharp black comedy. Although it is Kristen Stewart as the mousey gym manager Lou that offers a gateway into Rose Glass’ shocking story of blood, sweat, and steroids, the performance by Katy O’Brian as the alluring bodybuilder Jackie is undeniably the film’s scene stealer.

The chemistry between the two is instantaneous, but there’s something so upfront and unfurnished about O’Brian’s portrayal that elicits even more attention. Jackie at times feels like a majestic character who is larger-than-life, yet is also entirely upfront about her anxieties and self-determined goals. Despite the violence that she proves herself capable of, O’Brian makes Jackie feel like a fantastical character placed in the midst of a scuzzy crime drama. “Love Lies Bleeding” makes some deliberately unusual choices in its final third, as it both questions the morality of its characters and the reality of its story. O’Brian is versatile enough as a performer that none of these shocking moments feel anything other than completely sincere, and necessary for this absurdist take on the “Bonnie and Clyde” narrative.

19. Josh Hartnett, “Trap”

Despite what some of M. Night Shyamalan’s biggest revisionist crusaders might have you believe, “Trap” isn’t a masterpiece. In fact, to even call the film anything more than an enjoyable but exhaustive mess would be generous. But while assertions of the film’s “camp” status are more than a fair bit charitable, any argument in favor of that position rests squarely behind Josh Hartnett’s crooked smile. After a decent supporting turn in last year’s “Oppenheimer” to harken back to the days in which he was a relatively ubiquitous presence in Hollywood, Shyamalan has offered Hartnett a chance to once more take center-stage to remind us just how much good looks can kill.

Shyamalan hasn’t cultivated the most reverential reputation for drawing performances out of his actors, but the style of acting in his films is undeniably a distinct piece of his own auteurist puzzle. Hartnett in “Trap” makes the best case for the director’s particular form of wooden puppeteering, diving deeper into the robotic mannerisms of the writer-director’s characters to fully excavate the hollow shell of a cunningly reprehensible but endlessly watchable serial killer as this film’s protagonist. With a single shift in his falsified joy–a twitch of the eyebrow, or a tilt of the head—Hartnett effortlessly illustrates the painstaking effort of Cooper Abbott’s facade as a loving father, who loves to torture his captives just a little bit more.

18. Soheila Golestani, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

A monumental piece of politically charged filmmaking if ever such a thing existed, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has earned much-deserved accolades for its exiled writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof, but just as crucial to the success of his political statement on the current climate of his native Iran is the urgency of his actors’ performances. To single out just one member of this tight ensemble would be a slight disservice to the volatile familial tension they drum up together, but Soheila Golestani as Najmeh brings an especially necessary layer of complexity to the dynamic.

Playing a mother caught between the duty-bound loyalty to her husband and the care she has for her daughters unwilling to stand idly by as a generation of Iranian women remains suppressed, Golestani charters an uncomfortable evolution marked by equal parts ignorance and conscientiousness, never once letting the frustration this character’s opinions may cause blind us to the flawed humanity guiding those thoughts. Though no character in Rasoulof’s film ever dominates the runtime to a noticeable degree above the rest, Golestani—who, notably, was unable to leave Iran at the time of the film’s Cannes premiere—imbues “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” with a foundational entry point for an audience thrust into the four walls of an apartment fuelled by resentment just waiting to spill over.

17. Timothee Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”

Bob Dylan is one of the most fascinating icons in American culture because of how inherently enigmatic he is. Although Dylan has reinvented himself countless times as he takes on new inspirations and crafts different subgenres, his refusal to never be completely open about his internal feelings has made it challenging to define what his exact intentions are. It’s to the credit of Timothee Chalamet that “A Complete Unknown” does not seek to be wiser than Dylan; although James Mangold’s highly entertaining biopic crafts an interesting portrayal of how Dylan’s music transitioned from traditional folk to electronic rock at the tail end of the 1960s, Chalamet is able to craft a version of Dylan that is still at a distance from his fans.

There are moments in “A Complete Unknown” that nearly feel like a concert, as Chalamet performs full renditions of many classic songs, emphasizing the fact that he did his own singing and playing in preparation for the role. Chalamet is comfortable showing a well-rounded portrayal; at times, Dylan’s inability to give up his personal ambitions results in a caustic breakdown of his personal relationships. Chalamet’s portrayal is so closely tied to Dylan’s essence that one’s opinion of his performance largely hinges on their perception of Dylan himself.

16. Kani Kusruti, “All We Imagine as Light”

Another ensemble piece distinctly marked by its sense of place, “All We Imagine as Light” makes its central locale—this time Mumbai—just as crucial a character as any one of its three leading ladies. For what it’s worth, Kani Kusruti nevertheless brings a real, world-worn sadness to the role of a wife unceremoniously left behind by a husband working abroad for over a year without communication.

As director Payal Kapadia observes Kusruti leaning against a subway pole or trudging listlessly through the rainy night, the actor brings a muted sense of heartbreak to a role that would fall completely apart were it designed to call attention to itself. Fortunately, both Kapadia and Kusruti understand that broken actions speak louder than words, and for that reason, an image of the actor hugging a crock pot is made all the sadder by the specific manner in which Kusruti slumps over it on the floor, wrapping her arms around it like a long-lost child. If “All We Imagine as Light” often feels like the dream of a city outside of time, Kusruti brings a somnambulant sorrow to a figure who isn’t sure if she even wants to awaken.

15. Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”

“I’m Still Here” is both one of the most blatantly political films of 2024, but also one of the most emotionally affecting. Although Fernanda Torres does star as the anti-authoritarian activist Eunice Pavia, whose congressman husband was silenced in a disturbing government conspiracy, the film is as much about the pressures of maternity as it is about the transformation of Brazil’s infrastructure in the wake of a military dictatorship. “I’m Still Here” is less of a traditional biopic and more of a sweeping family epic about the repercussions of trauma.

Torres is placed in a position where she must simultaneously deal with her crushing feelings of grief and serve as a force of inspiration for both her family and nation. Although it is evident that “I’m Still Here” has a tremendous amount of respect for Pavia, Torres does not lionize a historical icon to the point that the film is secondary to its message. This is often an intimate, cautious examination of how faith in the system can often fail, and what it looks like to face the uncertain truths that are inherent to a revolution. As the title would suggest, Torres brilliantly commands the role of a defiant woman who demands to be seen.

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14. Lily Colias, “Good One”

In what is by far the year’s most impressive breakout performance, Lily Colias gives a quiet, deeply affecting performance as a teenage girl at odds with her father during an unsettling camping trip in the charming coming-of-age story “Good One.” Growing up often feels like the most challenging thing in the world, and Colias’ character Sam is at the odd crossroads in which she suffers the burdens of two generations. While Sam is still treated as a child who is incapable of independent thought, she is thought of as a more mature, responsible person whose faults are entirely her own.

Colias’ performance is quite reactive, as “Good One” lingers in the moments of awkward silence, unusual interaction, and pensive meditation that aren’t often seen in these types of coming-of-age stories. Colias embodies the awkward anxieties that come with having to put faith in others; at what point do the fun and games stop, and when does she need to step up and be the adult in the room? “Good One” takes an unusual twist in its final turn, adding a deeper context to this story of self-actualization that takes the story to darker places. Without a performance as deeply felt as the one that Colias gives, this transition would not have been nearly as effective.

13. Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”

Colman Domingo is one of the only professional actors in “Sing Sing,” a film that primarily relies on the realism invoked by the real-life prisoners of its titular institution through the casting of those (relatively) non-professional performers. And while Greg Kwedar’s story loses most of its focus whenever it attempts to bridge the heartrending realities of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program with the more rote narrative arc of Domingo’s Divine G, those shortcomings have nothing to do with the actor’s performance. On the contrary, it’s Domingo’s disarming vulnerability that allows the film to rise above those faults whenever it can and reintegrate his character into a reality beyond the prison stage.

Blending seamlessly with the former inmates that comprise his castmates, Domingo never allows his status as a more recognized name to overshadow the dynamic at play with these less experienced performers, but rather gives them the tools through his own collaborative spirit to forge a propulsive give-and-take that gets right to the heart of what performing is all about. At its heart, “Sing Sing” is about reckoning with oneself and society’s perceptions thereof, and Domingo effortlessly explores those corners of his own performative capability with boundless delicacy.

12. Vic Carmen Sonne, “The Girl with the Needle”

“The Girl with the Needle” has quietly become one of 2024’s most acclaimed international titles, and a large part of that success rests squarely on the shoulders of its two lead performances. While Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm bring a discomforting tangibility to Magnus von Horn’s retelling of post-WWI Denmark, the gradually horrifying ramifications of this pair have gone even more under-praised than the film they are in. Sonne in particular shows off incredible amounts of exhausted horror with just a single glare into the camera, as the film’s black-and-white photography becomes a reflection of the darkness hidden behind her increasingly lifeless eyes.

Sonne is given no easy role—not only in the emotional burden tasked upon the character she plays, but also in the need to distinguish this performance from other, similar depictions of postwar destitution and emotional decrepitude. Rising to the challenge, Sonne brings immeasurable heft to the silent weight pressing against her spine at all times, letting the dehumanization of her circumstance slowly eat away at whatever life remains in her posture. With this dispirited energy, the actor ensures that “The Girl with the Needle” never loses sight of the wayward dread that awaits all who are thrown into the abyss of a destitute city in a destitute world.

11. Glen Powell, “Hit Man”

It was evident after “Everybody Wants Some” that Richard Linklater had identified a generational talent in Glen Powell, whose sly performance as a charismatic college baseball player had the same undeniable star power that Matthew McConaughey had exuded in “Dazed and Confused” decades prior. Powell seems equally interested in Linklater’s project to catalog the absurdities of the human experience, as he co-wrote this unusual story of a geeky college professor who secretly pulls off undercover sting operations by disguising himself as a professional assassin. Although “Hit Man” begins with one foot in reality, it’s evident by the end that the “true story” that it claims to be based on only served as the loosest of inspirations.

Powell is brilliant in a role that is about performance; he transforms into a dozen different characters, showing an inherent ability to mask his anxieties by becoming an entirely different person. Although “Hit Man” shows the taxing nature of concocting this persona, it also allows Powell to be in his element as an undeniable force of charisma. The delicately, playfully romantic scenes he shares with co-star Adria Arjona pop with the spark of an Old Hollywood dynamic, the likes of which have not been seen since Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

10. Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”

To say that Nicole Kidman has given another dominating performance in “Babygirl” would be like saying Michael Jordan has scored another slam dunk; my sports references are admittedly rather limited, but the point is it’s a statement about as obvious as pointing out that the sun has risen this morning. Halina Reijn’s film, in the grand scheme of things, composes merely another notch in the Australian thespian’s belt, but when that belt tightens around your neck, man, does the effect become nothing short of transfixing in its asphyxiation.

To say that Kidman has given another dominating performance in “Babygirl” would also require an asterisk in that this performance asks the star to take on a particularly submissive demeanor, one which asks for quite a bit of bravery in her willingness to explore sexual boundaries and social faux-pas that might come across as humiliating in less assured hands. Kidman, ever the daring professional, finds meaning in the search for pleasure, and in so doing, retains the spirit of Reijn’s thorny material to find power in powerlessness and lust in disgust. Few performers can convincingly portray a dissatisfied sexual partnership with Antonio Banderas, so take that for whatever it might be worth…

9. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, “Hard Truths”

Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s career-defining performance came early on in her career when she first collaborated with Mike Leigh on the emotionally affecting family drama “Secret & Lies,” which catapulted her to the list of Britain’s most promising stars. Nearly three decades later, Jean-Baptiste returned to work with Leigh on a much harsher, crueler story about the pent-up feelings of loss, anger, and dissatisfaction that have burned beneath the surface of an underestimated woman.

No one would deny that the character of Patsy has suffered a lot due to the realities of the last several decades. The film doesn’t need to specifically call out economic depression, political instability, or racial bias to emphasize that she has seen the ugly side of the human experience. Nonetheless, there is a level of rage that Jean-Baptiste encapsulates that is deeply disturbing. Although Leigh is a smart enough filmmaker to occasionally play this for laughs, it’s hard to walk away from “Hard Truths” with anything but pity for Patsy. Anger is as much a mindset as it is a reaction, and “Hard Truths” is interested in placating the audience with a story of breaking the cycle. Jean-Baptiste’s performance is the bravest of her career, as she is willing to look at the titular “Hard Truths” that most other films would like to avoid talking about.

8. Daniel Craig, “Queer”

When Daniel Craig appeared as the eccentric detective with a Southern drawl in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out,” the utter joy at seeing the longtime James Bond in a state of total goofy bliss was indescribable. “Queer” is, obviously, not nearly in the same tonal ballpark as Benoit Blanc, but in Luca Guadagnino’s latest passion project, the same fire can be seen lighting up the action star’s eyes, stemming from the burning desire to dive into a role truly textured in its tragedy.

“Queer” finds Craig stripping himself of any amount of charisma that made him such a compelling Bond (and Blanc) to begin with, but nonetheless makes his William S. Burroughs stand-in entirely compelling and watchable in his total lack of charm. Every inflection of his voice feeds bits and pieces of a man numbed by years of unfulfilling carnal conquests, as lines like “I want to talk to you…without speaking” read as equal parts heartbreaking and pathetic. Through it all, one is never sure how much of William Lee’s disposition is one of self-defeated pity and how much of it is genuine disillusionment towards his own disintegrating sense of charm; it’s a mystery that only works because Craig is operating on levels of pathos that can only be found at the bottom of a bottle.

Check Out: 20 Important Queer Movies Of The 20th Century

7. Justice Smith, “I Saw The TV Glow”

“I Saw The TV Glow” may end up being the most influential film of 2024, as it is so confident in its own aesthetic that it forgoes any overt attempts to sand down its harsh edges. This is a story about how nostalgic media can help shape one’s identity, but how a reliance on a static cultural mindset can only add to the burden of repression and denial. At the center of this queer coming-of-age horror tale is a revelatory performance by Justice Smith, whose encapsulation of social anxiety, self-hatred, and prolonged contemplation are representative of a generational struggle.

Smith is able to craft a performance that is both weightless and heartbreaking. While his lack of emotional maturity is precisely the point that “I Saw The TV Glow” is making, the film gives him a generous amount of time to flirt with the fulfillment that comes with self-actualization. The moody, atmospheric style of “I Saw The TV Glow” may be a barrier for some to emotionally connect with, but Smith’s performance is so full of emotion that it is hard to not recognize what the film is hinting at. No moment encapsulates the film’s impassioned cry for representation better than Smith’s blood-curdling cries for help, which fall upon deaf ears.

6. Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”

“The Brutalist” already has the making of an all-time classic, and it would only have taken a relentlessly committed performance at its center to ensure that Brady Corbet’s lofty ambitions were justified. Although “The Brutalist” has an overarching exploration of the taxing reality of the American dream, every truism that the film generates is filtered through the story of the architect László Tóth, who emerges from the horrors of the Holocaust to seek refuge in the land of opportunity.

Brody perfectly captures the essence of a haunted man whose worst anxieties are often proven correct. Despite surviving a disputation in which his people were slaughtered en masse amidst the Holocaust, László finds that the American ecosystem will crush and exploit him in the same way, but only after he has been deprived of his artistic integrity. The weight of both being a creative genius and a guilt-ridden family man is perfectly balanced by Brody, who somehow managed to exude a wise sense of knowing with a childlike fear of abuse. Brody’s career took off with his groundbreaking performance as a Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist,” and now, with “The Brutalist,” he comes full circle, delivering another poignant narrative that explores creativity, resilience, and pain.

5. Demi Moore, “The Substance”

An unfortunate reality of Hollywood is that the industry is simply not interested in giving adequate roles to women who’ve aged out of a desirable age range, making it difficult for an actress like Demi Moore to ever launch a serious comeback. Brilliantly, this is precisely what “The Substance” is about. In this twisty body horror satire, Moore stars as an Academy Award-winning actress stuck in a grueling gig making workout videos; it’s after finding a way to literally transport herself into a more youthful body (brilliantly personified by Margaret Qualley) that she finds a way to shape the next chapter of her career.

The role is written to Moore’s own life in the same way that Michael Keaton’s career fit the narrative of “Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” a decade prior; it’s easy to understand why Moore would relate to the story of a former heartthrob who has been rejected and forgotten. “The Substance” is a satirical film that contains many knowing gags at the expense of today’s celebrity ecosystem, but Moore never takes the character as a joke. Despite the grotesque, disturbingly visceral horror that emerges in the film’s final moments, Moore ensures that there is something undeniably tragic about her character.

4. Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”

Jesse Plemons has given not one, but four of the best performances of 2024; the wildest part is, three of those performances were in the same film. Barring his one-scene masterclass in the otherwise unremarkable “Civil War,” Plemons united with Yorgos Lanthimos for a pairing that seemed destined from the beginning and one that, in “Kinds of Kindness,” almost seems to be making up for lost time as a result. Culminating in a much-deserved Best Actor win at Cannes, Plemons’s trio of performances in the triptych feature is perfectly calibrated to the Greek filmmaker’s most alienating project in years, finding the precise wavelength required to make even the most frightened of casual Lanthimos fans giggle just before they gag.

Throughout “Kinds of Kindness,” Lanthimos employs his small troupe of performers to varying degrees of importance in each of the film’s segments. Plemons, meanwhile, takes the spotlight in the first two-thirds of the film, portraying wildly different but equally distraught men at the mercy of a greater power of abuse and attraction. Each of these roles (plus the third), however, comes across with its own individualized sense of energy against the performers around him, ensuring that Plemons retains your attention while always feeding into the greater picture of interpersonal calamity at the core of Lanthimos’s skewed vision.

3. Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”

Kieran Culkin’s talents as a leading man have been evident ever since his breakthrough performance in 2002’s “Igby Goes Down,” but his popularity exploded thanks to his Emmy award-winning role on the HBO drama series “Succession.” Although “Succession” identified a whip-smart, snarky attitude within Culkin that made him relentlessly compelling, “A Real Pain” brings out a much softer, more vulnerable side to his personality. Starring opposite Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed the film), Culkin plays a middle-aged man who has still retained his childish sense of optimism, even if that makes it challenging for him to emotionally mature.

Culkin is a force of energy in “A Real Pain,” adding quips and insights at the most opportune of places. However, the film also peels back this endearing persona to reveal how taxing it is. In his quieter moments, Culkin shows that the emotional nakedness he puts on display makes it particularly challenging for him to cope with the existential dread he feels about the future. Details about Benji’s past are hinted at throughout “A Real Pain,” but Culkin is able to imply an entire history to the character that doesn’t need to be explicitly stated. It’s the most lovingly irritating, joyously sincere performance that he has ever given, which is no small statement.

2. Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice” / “A Different Man”

That’s right, you’re getting a twofer with this one! Sebastian Stan has undoubtedly had a far greater year than anyone still stuck in the MCU should be having, making waves in not one, but two prominent indie films that have broken out of the festival circuit and have come to define what a passionate performer can still achieve in today’s increasingly restrictive filmmaking climate. In Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man,” Stan finds humanity in a man who hates himself too much; in Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” he finds just as much humanity in a man who definitely should have hated himself some more.

Though each performance is undoubtedly calibrated to its own tonal register, both “A Different Man” and “The Apprentice” illustrate Stan’s willingness to explore the farthest reaches of false confidence and self-loathing, be it through the veil of a mask or the support of hair plugs. In a sense, both films are about losing your humanity (albeit to far different degrees), but both of these roles offered Stan the opportunity to weaponize his classically handsome appearance and stretch his likeability in ways that truly test the audience, and yet somehow remain entirely enticing for far more than the films’ combined four hours.

1. Mikey Madison, “Anora”

Sean Baker has made a name for himself as a film director who seeks out no-name talent, so to see him placing Mikey Madison—an up-and-comer who nonetheless became a familiar face in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “Scream”—front-and-center for “Anora” seemed somewhat antithetical to the entire Baker ethos. Ultimately, though, Baker’s primary skill is sniffing out talent, regardless of its origins, and letting it flow out with an unparalleled naturalism, and Madison all but disappears into this titular role with a fearsome hunger for recognition.

That recognition transcends Madison’s own desire to be recognized for her work—the performer by no means seems desperate for attention—and becomes a reflection of Ani’s own desire to be recognized as a legitimate part of the class in which she has found herself assimilating. The much-discussed interiority (or lack thereof) of the character, therefore, is felt in every moment that Madison spits fire in the faces of all in her path, in an effort to assert her place as a human being whose struggles deserve to be recognized. “Anora” keeps the fire in Ani’s belly lit for over two hours, but by the time it comes to dim, Madison brings all that tired fighting to a standstill and finally sits with the reality of her situation; the resulting moments of pain release and disenchantment are enough to bring even the most hardened viewers to stunned silence.

Honorable mentions:

2024 has seen no shortage of compelling movie performances, from all walks of life, and more than a few were thus unable to make the final cut. Some of these performances were more physical in nature, like Lily-Rose Depp’s daring turn in “Nosferatu” or Aaron Pierre’s subversive military machismo dominating “Rebel Ridge.” Other performances were more interior in nature, like Nicholas Hoult’s sturdy turn in “Juror #2” or Natasha Lyonne in “His Three Daughters.” Leading performances were just as commanding as ever; for proof, look to Zendaya’s assured work in “Challengers” or George MacKay’s nutty turns in either “The End” or “The Beast.”

At the same time, supporting performers often threatened to usurp the spotlight from their leading cohorts. Such was the case with Chris Hemsworth in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” or Margaret Qualley in “The Substance”; Joan Chen brought soul to “Dìdi,” while Clarence Maclin was the beating heart of “Sing Sing”; and, naturally, Denzel Washington came to prove, as usual, that a little sprinkle of ‘Zel is enough to make even the most mediocre of films even mildly watchable, turning in a seismic supporting performance in “Gladiator II” that eclipses anything in that film or its predecessor.

The list is curated by Julian Malandruccolo & Liam Gaughan

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