My top 10 films of 2024
In the blink of an eye, 2024 is almost over. So we are again here at the end of another year. So what were my favourites of the year?
I have watched more than 200 films this year – 173 new 2024 releases – and I must admit it hasn’t been a peak year for film. I only gave out five stars once but there were plenty of good ones deserving of four stars. My top 10 has moved around a fair bit but the top two have stayed the same.
So without further ado, here’s my top 10. Click on the title to read the full review:
Sing Sing is a beautiful and important film with another extraordinary performance from Colman Domingo, who I voted for Best Actor in various awards. It showcases the rehabilitative nature of the arts and the power of an acting programme at Sing Sing prison in New York. It’s definitely worth seeking out.
9. The Substance
This shocking body horror had everyone talking – and for good reason! It was grotesque and wild and really hammered home its message about female ageing and beauty standards in the most batshit way. The final 20 minutes are just mind-blowingly bonkers. Thank you Coralie Fargeat for your unique vision! Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are perfectly cast, Dennis Quaid is suitably gross (his eating scene is more disgusting than the body horror) and the prosthetics team deserve all the awards. I have watched this twice and I had much more fun with it the second time. Now streaming on MUBI
I laughed so hard and so frequently watching this absolutely hilarious film, which tells the semi-autobiographical story of the real Irish-language rap trio Kneecap. Making a film about a band that’s barely known is unusual and it shouldn’t work as well as it does but it’s a joy from start to finish. Now streaming on Prime Video
This serial killer thriller works because of its non-linear narrative structure, the performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner and the way it subverts gender stereotypes and dynamics. I have seen a lot of criticism surrounding this movie – with some people calling it misogynistic – but I personally didn’t feel that when I watched it. I was gripped from start to finish and continually shocked by the reveals.
This thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian was my most anticipated release out of Sundance and it did not disappoint. The way Rose Glass‘s sophomore feature unfolds is simply brilliant. I really felt for Stewart’s Lou having to constantly clean up bloody messes but relative newcomer O’Brian is the revelation as the steroid-addicted bodybuilder. I have watched this twice and it would have been five stars if it wasn’t for the ending. Now streaming on Prime Video
The third Paddington movie may not have reached the heights of Paddington 2 and it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi being set in Peru instead of London. However, I still absolutely adored it and found myself laughing at this more than any comedy this year. Most of this was because of Olivia Colman, who was a total joy as a nun.
I could have never predicted a thriller about picking a new Pope being so good and so high on my year-end list. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who is in charge of running the election to find the next head of the Catholic Church. It sounds dull on paper but it is riveting, surprisingly funny and rather unpredictable.
This comes under 2023 releases for Americans but it came out in January 2024 in the UK. I was baffled by this choice because it’s a perfect Christmas movie. Paul Giamatti plays a grouchy professor assigned to stay at his private boarding school over the holidays and look after the kids who aren’t going home. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is excellent as the school cook and Dominic Sessa makes a splash in his first-ever screen role.
This coming-of-age comedy-drama was my number one for months until it got knocked off the top spot. I love this film so much and it worked just as well on a re-watch. It stars Maisy Stella as Elliott, who meets her older self (played by Aubrey Plaza) while tripping on mushrooms and is warned to avoid a boy named Chad. This film made me laugh and cry and remember not to take my family for granted. Now streaming on Prime Video
This brings me to my number one of the year – the gorgeous animation The Wild Robot. Lupita Nyong’o voices an assistance robot who is shipwrecked on an island inhabited only by animals. She finds an abandoned goose named Brightbill (Kit Connor) and teaches him how to fly so he can migrate with the others. It is such a beautiful film that I cried multiple times.
Honourable mentions: Wicked, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, The Promised Land, Bread & Roses, No Other Land, Musica, Monster, Alien: Romulus, Joy and Didi. You can read my fully ranked list on Letterboxd here.