My top 10 films of 2023
It’s the last day of 2023!! It wouldn’t be right to start 2024 without taking a look back at my favourite movies of the year. I didn’t give anything a full five stars this year (am I getting harder to please or has nothing been perfect?) but I enjoyed the following films a lot.
Disclaimer: As ever, these are based on the UK general release calendar. If I saw it at a festival but it’s not out yet, then it’s not on here. Click on the title to read the review.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret
What a wholesome, heartwarming movie. Every girl should watch this when they’re going through puberty. Abby Ryder Fortson is a gem as the titular Margaret and Rachel McAdams is absolutely brilliant as her mum.
It’s astounding that this beautiful film is Celine Song‘s feature debut. I hope she gets at least a screenplay nomination because some of the dialogue has stuck with me (“You dream in a language I don’t understand”). Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro were such a strong team and that final scene hit me in the feels.
Rye Lane
A good romantic comedy is rare these days and Rye Lane is a total delight. It is funny and heartfelt and it depicts a realistic side of London (Peckham to be exact). Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson work brilliantly together and the restaurant scene is hilarious.
I had a good feeling that I would love Theater Camp and I was not disappointed. Theatre nerds putting on a show – the concept alone was right up my street. But the lineup of eccentric characters, the mockumentary style and the hilarious lines (“Tear sticks are doping for actors, do you want to be the Lance Armstrong of theatre?!”) just took it to a new level. I would like to see more of Molly Gordon and Noah Galvin please!
This flew under the radar and didn’t get much publicity over here and that’s a shame because it is such an entertaining film. Priya Kansara is a breakout star; she has such a sassy attitude and fun chemistry with Ritu Arya. It has action, comedy and a sweet sisterly relationship. I got to speak to writer/director Nida Manzoor at the BIFAs and tell her how much I enjoyed her feature debut.
I saw this in 2022 but it didn’t come out in the UK until February so it still counts! It is a staggeringly powerful drama about women refusing to put up with being constantly abused by the men in their colony. There are no flaws in the ensemble, which features Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy and Rooney Mara, among others.
I enjoyed Todd Haynes‘ drama so much that I was sad when it ended – I wanted to spend more time with these fascinating characters and learn more about them. Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are reliable as ever but the revelation is former Riverdale star Charles Melton as Moore’s significantly younger onscreen husband.
Fair Play
I found this heightened exploration of gender dynamics gripping and thrilling. It shows the extreme version of what can happen in a relationship when the woman (Phoebe Dynevor) gets a promotion over a man (Alden Ehrenreich) and becomes the more powerful of the two. If the ending was better, I would have given it five stars.
What a rip-roaring thrill ride this was! Horror reboots don’t always work (hello The Exorcist: Believer) but Lee Cronin delivered such an entertaining horror from start to finish. I enjoyed this so much.
The Sydney Sweeney rise continues! She is terrific in this unique movie, which depicts whistleblower Reality Winner being confronted about leaking classified documents. The script of the whole movie is taken verbatim from the transcript of Reality’s actual encounter with two FBI agents and the central interrogation is so damn good.
I completely forgot to watch Theater Camp.
Great Selection 👍🏽👋🏽