2023 in Cinema

Top 10 of the Year

1. OppenheimerChristopher Nolan
2. Poor ThingsYorgos Lanthimos
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseJoaquim Dos, Santos Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
4. Asteroid CityWes Anderson
5. John Wick: Chapter 4Chad Stahelski
6. The Zone of InterestJonathan Glazer
7. The KillerDavid Fincher
8. Killers of the Flower MoonMartin Scorsese
9. Beau is AfraidAri Aster
10. SaltburnEmerald Fennell

Best Film – Oppenheimer

After briefly faltering in 2020 with Tenet, Christopher Nolan delivers another masterpiece in a similar vein to Dunkirk, intensively studying two alternate sides of World War II with magnificent pacing. If Dunkirk constructed a pure exercise in visual storytelling by stripping back dialogue and applying an intensive focus to a pivotal point of history, Oppenheimer conducts a dense character study of substantial psychological weight across multiple decades, interrogating the guilt of a scientist whose intelligence and ambition destroyed the lives of millions. The formal structure is an intricate as ever, intertwining two distinct perspectives that bounce back and forth between the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer’s 1954 security hearing, and Lewis Strauss’ 1959 Senate hearing confirmation, and yet a sense of dramatic urgency persists throughout. Nolan’s usual mastery over establishing shots is present, but for the first time in his career, close-ups are also used with a shallow focus to reveal the haunted terror in Cillian Murphy’s glassy blue eyes. The 2020s have had few true masterpieces so far, but it shouldn’t be a surprise that a Nolan film belongs among them.

Oppenheimer continues Christopher Nolan’s fascinations in significant historical moments, epic narratives, manipulating time through editing – and yet it also feels entirely fresh in his filmography as a character study of immense proportions, making potentially dry subject matter incredibly thrilling to watch onscreen.

Most Underrated – Beau is Afraid

Neither this nor John Wick: Chapter 4 appeared on the TSPDT top 50 films of 2023 list, but at least Chad Stahelski’s film was enthusiastically greeted by the critics and is justly recognised as the best in the series. On the other hand, Beau is Afraid polarised audiences and critics alike with a 63 on Metacritic, and is widely considered a disappointing follow-up to Ari Aster’s tremendous one-two punch of Hereditary and Midsommar. The reason for its divisiveness is clear, given that its lengthy odyssey into one man’s Freudian shame keeps its audience at an inscrutable distance. With some hindsight though, a re-evaluation will be inevitable. Aster’s swerve away from straight horror and into psychological comedy-drama will seem less jarring, and more like an extension of his storytelling interests – isolated protagonists trapped in absurd worlds that follow their own bizarre set of rules.

Beau is Afraid is a Kaufmanesque odyssey into the mind of a delusional, nervous wreck. It is formally adventurous with its flashbacks, surreal tangents, and absurdist world building, marking a major departure from the horror films that Ari Aster had become known for, even as he continues to weave in a perpetual feeling of dread throughout Beau’s Freudian journey.

Most Overrated – Anatomy of a Fall

Justine Triet’s courtroom drama is the #5 film of 2023 according to TSPDT and won the Palme d’Or, but falls outside my top 10. The strength of its screenplay and acting is undeniable, conducting a chilling autopsy of a broken marriage after the husband was discovered dead outside his French chalet. There is not so much to admire here from a formal standpoint though. Anatomy of a Fall joins the list of Palme d’Or winners more praised for their engaging intellectual substance than their cinematic craft.

2023’s winner of the Palme d’Or is an intellectual exercise in narrative ambiguity, and boasts a very solid screenplay that carefully balances suspicions of the accused murderer’s guilt and innocence.

Best Directorial Debut – Reptile

For the record, I’m not counting any of the directors who worked on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, as it is the rare film to crack a year’s top 10 that isn’t particularly director-driven. Meanwhile, Grant Singer displays a great deal of potential in his crime thriller Reptile, following in the footsteps of David Fincher on both a visual and narrative level. He is methodical in his editing, unfolding a lethal conspiracy stretching across the real estate industry and police force with careful, deliberate pacing, and sinking us into an unsettling atmosphere with beautiful golden lighting.

Barbenheimer’s cultural phenomenon draws masses to the theatre for an unlikely pairing of blockbusters, the animation industry soars on a string of creative triumphs, and Yorgos Lanthimos crafts a surreal, absurdist odyssey into the heart of womanhood.
Reptile doesn’t quite touch the top 10 of 2023, but with Fincher-like lighting and compositions such as these I wouldn’t bet against Grant Singer becoming a director to keep an eye on in coming years.

Gem to Spotlight – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More

In a year that saw Wes Anderson come out with the extraordinarily self-aware Asteroid City, it is easy to miss the anthology of short films he released on Netflix, each adapting short stories from Roald Dahl. They all work in magnificent formal harmony together, using a rotating troupe of actors to narrate and play multiple roles as if reading tales from a storybook. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the longest and the best of the four, but The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison are also excellent treatises on outsiders being driven from society, strengthened by the classic Anderson style of pastels and dioramas.

A film, a miniseries, an anthology of shorts – however you consider Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl stories, they make up a superb cinematic pop-up storybook narrated by a troupe of very fine actors. Anderson lays the artifice on even thicker than usual, arranging every shot to a level of symmetrical perfection that keeps us at a Brechtian distance from any impression of reality.

Best Male Performance – Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy gives one of the best performances of the decade in Oppenheimer, earning Christopher Nolan’s close-ups that stare right into his glassy blue eyes stretched wide open with the guilt of knowing what he has done, and what he is about to do. His performance is incredibly studied, adopting the physicist’s deep voice and clipped intonations in his speech, and ageing from an idealistic student into a middle-aged man stalked by regret. Murphy has been acting in Nolan films since Batman Begins in 2005, but mainly in supporting roles, so it is about time he is given a role substantial enough to show off his incredible talent.

After Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. is the Salieri to Oppenheimer’s Mozart, revealing a petty man torn apart by contempt and envy. In an ensemble loaded with big names and completely dominated by Murphy, Downey Jr. remarkably makes a significant impact, becoming the vessel upon which much of the narrative hinges.

Cillian Murphy’s glassy blue eyes and lined face wears a lifetime of regret, making the most of his first lead role in a Nolan film.

Joaquin Phoenix packs on a great deal of weight in Beau is Afraid, but the way he carries it is feeble and lethargic. He is anxiety and self-loathing distilled in human form, desperately desiring the approval of his mother yet constantly falling short. His performances makes for a fascinating contrast to the next best performance of the year too – Michael Fassbender in The Killer. Both characters are caught up in chaotic circumstances far beyond their control, and yet Fassbender hides his concern behind a cool, stoic façade, trying to convince himself that everything is under control. It is a welcome return to more arthouse fare after a four-year hiatus and an extended diversion to mainstream movies.

After an excellent run from 2011 to 2015, Michael Fassbender spent a few years doing lesser quality films and then took a break – so his return to form in The Killer with the stoic voiceover and intensive focus is incredibly welcome.

Much like Murphy, Barry Keoghan is another talent whose time spent in supporting roles has prepared him to lead an entire film. His acting in Saltburn goes beyond those shocking scenes that were passed around on social media. He conceals Oliver Quick’s true nature behind cold enigmatic eyes, and makes for an unfathomably unreliable narrator. Thanks to his impeccable comic timing, buoyant slapstick, and purposefully overwrought line deliveries, Mark Ruffalo also gives one of the best performances of the year as rakish cad Duncan Wedderburn in Poor Things, while Robert de Niro rounds up the list with an incredible return to form playing William Hale in Killers of the Flower Moon.

Like Murphy, Barry Keoghan has been doing solid work in films for years but only in 2023 was given a lead role with plenty to chew on, concealing a disturbed psyche behind cold, enigmatic eyes.

Best Female Performance – Emma Stone in Poor Things

Standing at the top of the women’s category this year is a huge performance from Emma Stone in Poor Things that quite easily ranks among her very best. While she has explored Yorgos Lanthimos’ eccentric black wit before in The Favourite, her evolution from incoherent infancy to young adulthood as Bella Baxter is an entirely different beast, awkwardly spinning in uncoordinated motions and later dealing out eloquent dismissals of high society. The slapstick is a new addition to repertoire as well, embodying a being of pure impulse who pursues whatever momentary sensory pleasures come her way.

Emma Stone has developed an impressive resume over the past decade with directors like Alejandro Iñárritu and Damien Chazelle, but it is her collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos which may end up defining her career, especially with her marvellous physical comedy work as Bella Baxter.

Lily Gladstone has put together a solid resume in her collaborations with Kelly Reichhardt, and so it is very satisfying to see her reach another level as the unfalteringly resilient Mollie Kyle in Killers of the Flower Moon, beating out acting titans Robert de Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio with the best performance of the film. She is softly spoken, resilient, and intellectual, but also trusting to a fault.

Between the two big films that Sandra Hüller was in this year, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, the former features the showier, more talkative role, while the latter poses a trickier challenge in its quiet, subdued nuances. Hedwig Höss will go down as one of the great cinema villains of this decade for everything she represents – vanity, apathy, spoiled privilege, and a soullessness that bears absolutely no guilt over the source of her wealth.

Asteroid City features a number of solid performances in its enormous ensemble, but it is Scarlett Johansson who stands out in the most substantial role of Midge Campbell — or Mercedes Ford depending on which way you look at her character. Lastly, Natalie Portman slides in for her psychologically rich performance in May December, playing a method actor who loses herself in the identity of the manipulative predator she is researching, while revealing the absolute artifice of her own apparent empathy.

Scarlett Johansson gives the best performance within Asteroid City’s loaded ensemble, matching her husky voice and subdued facial expressions to Anderson’s deadpan dialogue.

Best Cinematography – Poor Things

FilmCinematographer
1. Poor ThingsRobbie Ryan
2. Asteroid CityRobert Yeoman
3. John Wick: Chapter 4Dan Laustsen
4. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three MoreRobert Yeoman
6. El CondeEdward Lachman
7. The Zone of InterestŁukasz Żal
8. The KillerErik Messerschmidt
9. OppenheimerHoyte van Hoytema
10. Killers of the Flower MoonRodrigo Prieto
11. SaltburnLinus Sandgren
For the first time in Yorgos Lanthimos’ career, soundstages are used in place of real locations, allowing for a level of visual control and curation in Poor Things that his previous budgets could not afford. Traces of Terry Gilliam’s eccentric surrealism can be found everywhere, adopting avant-garde camera angles that warp insanely constructed set pieces beyond any hint of realism, while tracking shots and zooms navigate these scenes with a steady fluidity.

Best Editing – Oppenheimer

FilmEditor
1. OppenheimerJennifer Lame
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseMichael Andrews
3. John Wick: Chapter 4Nathan Orloff
4. The KillerKirk Baxter
5. The Zone of InterestPaul Watts
5. Killers of the Flower MoonThelma Schoonmaker
6. Beau is AfraidLucian Johnston
7. SaltburnVictoria Boydell
8. El CondeSofía Subercaseaux
Christopher Nolan is one of our great contemporary editors, and his work in Oppenheimer is specifically impressive on multiple levels – the Tree of Life-style cutaways to quantum reactions, the parallel editing across three time periods, and the remarkable momentum that keeps the narrative moving forward for three incredibly brisk hours.

Best Screenplay – Oppenheimer

FilmScreenwriter
1. OppenheimerChristopher Nolan
2. Poor ThingsTony McNamara
3. Beau is AfraidAri Aster
4. Asteroid CityWes Anderson
5. The KillerAndrew Kevin Walker
6. May DecemberSamy Burch
7. Killers of the Flower MoonEric Roth, Martin Scorsese
8. Fallen LeavesAki Kaurismäki
9. SaltburnEmerald Fennell
Christopher Nolan has always been a strong screenwriter, even if he has gotten bogged down in the past by heavy exposition. That is not an issue in Oppenheimer. Despite the sheer density of its dialogue, his writing remains magnificently compelling and economical, covering an enormous span of time that offers insight into Robert J. Oppenheimer’s mind beyond the pivotal Manhattan Project.

Best Original Music Score – Oppenheimer

FilmComposer
1. OppenheimerLudwig Göransson
2. Poor ThingsJerskin Fendrixistor
3. Killers of the Flower MoonRobbie Robertson
4. Beau is AfraidBobby Krlic
5. John Wick: Chapter 4Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
6. SaltburnAnthony Willis
7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseDaniel Pemberton
8. May DecemberMarcelo Zarvos
9. Asteroid CityAlexandre Desplat
10. The KillerTrent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Ludwig Göransson’s score plays a crucial part in maintaining Oppenheimer’s kinetic momentum, barely pausing long enough to allow us any breathing space in our rush towards total annihilation. The track ‘Can You Hear the Music’ used in film’s final scene especially builds to an ominous climax, revisiting the strings motif once used to represent scientific inspiration, before accelerating it into a pounding electronic rhythm signalling an apocalyptic end.

Year Breakdown

Even with the Actors and Directors Guild strikes pushing some big films into the following year, 2023 saw a giant comeback for cinema, with two full masterpieces sitting at the top and one huge cultural event defining the summer season of moviegoing. Barbenheimer emerged as an unlikely pairing of two big blockbusters with the only thing in common being their release date – July 21st. Audiences flocked to theatres and records were broken, seeing Barbie become the highest grossing film of the year and Oppenheimer claiming third place (the less said about The Super Mario Bros. Movie in second the better).

Both films met at the intersection of critical and audience acclaim, affirming the two directors as a pair of unstoppable, dominant forces in the film industry – even if Christopher Nolan’s cinematic achievement far outweighs Greta Gerwig’s. Oppenheimer swept awards season and rightfully walked away with Best Picture at the Oscars, giving Nolan a fantastic comeback after Tenet. A little further down the box office list, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were also notable financial successes, keeping comic book movies afloat next to some pretty major flops.

Barbie sits at the top of 2023’s box office as the fourth-highest grossing movie since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its screenplay lacks the sharpness of Lady Bird, and its form isn’t quite as dazzling as Little Women, but it is still a solid achievement for Greta Gerwig who is basically guaranteed a blank check for her next project.

Speaking of which, the quality of animations this year can’t go ignored either. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a surprisingly avant-garde experiment in visual style from Sony Pictures, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem followed in its creative footsteps, and Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement (again) to direct The Boy and the Heron – all films worthy of the year’s top 10, or at the very least its fringe.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse isn’t just one of the great animations of recent years. Its creative innovations push the medium into places that have never been explored before, morphing the visual style from comic book graphics to watercolours, punk magazine collages, and so on. Colours, shapes, and textures shift with the characters’ journeys, radiating out across the frame, and turning every scene into a visual feast.
The Spider-Verse series may be leading the way, but this new blend of computer and traditional animation has caught on, giving us the grungy sketchbook aesthetic of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – another fine accomplishment in animation.
Miyazaki’s brief venture out of retirement meanwhile delivers an animation that doesn’t follow new trends, but further builds on the worlds of surrealism and fantasy that he has refined throughout his long career, creatively considering the act and value of worldbuilding in The Boy and the Heron.

Along with Nolan and Miyazaki, the old guard of directors came out in full force this year. Scorsese doesn’t show signs of slowing down in his old age, and though he is much younger, neither does Wes Anderson who released two major projects in 2023. Asteroid City is the greater success, but his anthology of Roald Dahl short films marks a strange curiosity in this era of streaming, making the most of Netflix’s flexible business model by experimenting with the very format of cinema itself. It is difficult to classify this as either a movie or a miniseries, but it is undoubtedly a collective work of cinematic art. David Fincher meanwhile not only released a marvellous hitman film, but also indirectly proved his continued influence in films like Boston Strangler and Reptile that emulate his ambient atmospheres, and others like BlackBerry and Oppenheimer that follow in the footsteps of The Social Network.

Compare the above shot from Fincher’s The Killer to this frame from Boston Strangler. Both are 2023 films, but the low-key lighting and methodical crime narratives that Fincher has been innovating for almost thirty years has reached the point of mainstream influence now. With that said, Fincher’s style and storytelling still retain a freshness that keeps The Killer leagues ahead of its competition.

2023 also bore witness to the continued ascension of a younger filmmaking generation, featuring the talents of Ari Aster, Emerald Fennell, and Chad Stahelski who brought the John Wick series to soaring new heights in Chapter 4. With Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos has officially graduated this class and taken his place next to the modern masters of the artform, now laying claim to two masterpieces under his belt and a solid depth to his filmography.

The cinematic grandeur of John Wick: Chapter 4 was heavily underrated by critics this year. It has been fascinating to watch this series evolve from well-executed action movies into an avant-garde examination of mortality, guilt, and atonement through violence, complete with theological symbolism. There are many artistic influences here, but the senseless revenge and temporary circumvention of death in John Boorman’s psychological crime film Point Blank has to be one of the most integral texts.

Over at Cannes Film Festival, an impressive array of films made the debut including Killers of the Flower Moon, The Zone of Interest, Fallen Leaves, May December, and Asteroid City, so Anatomy of a Fall clinching the Palme d’Or this year is a little disappointing. Justine Triet’s screenplay is extremely admirable, and her direction even stands out in parts, but as a visual and formal artist her work does not warrant a great deal of praise.

A mighty year at Cannes Film Festival, with Killers of the Flower Moon marking Scorsese’s 26th feature film. This is his historic western, examining the incredible injustice that was inflicted upon the native people of the Osage Nation for their oil. There are many cinematic highlights here – the slow-motion oil blowout, the sweeping establishing shots, and of course this Days of Heaven-inspired fire scene that razes fields to burnt embers and ash.
The Zone of Interest is Jonathan Glazer’s first film in ten years, his last being Under the Skin. The quality of his work is consistently high, even if he doesn’t work as regularly as so many other auteurs of his generation, but if we keep getting huge successes like these then perhaps it is worth the wait. The sound design, use of backgrounds, and wide shot compositions in The Zone of Interest are all worth marvelling, even as they collectively chill us to the bone.
May December probes the minds of a method actor and a pedophile, two predators who thrive on the tragedy of others, as Todd Haynes brings compelling form to his psychological drama with his butterfly motif and a mirrored duality between the two women.
Wes Anderson’s style of symmetrical sets, rigorous blocking, and pastel colours remains as consistent as ever in Asteroid City, but this film is also part of a new trajectory in his work moving further away from the mainstream, formally layering the narrative’s explorations of grief and healing through the ‘televised play’ section of the film and its real life, behind-the-scenes drama.

Film Archives

FilmDirectorGrade
A Haunting in VeniceKenneth BranaghR
AfireChristian PetzoldR
All of Us StrangersAndrew HaighR
American FictionCord JeffersonR
Anatomy of a FallJustine TrietR
Asteroid CityWes AndersonMS
BarbieGreta GerwigR
Beau is AfraidAri AsterMS
BlackBerryMatt JohnsonR
Boston StranglerMatt RuskinR
BottomsEmma SeligmanR
Dream ScenarioKristoffer BorgliR
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesJonathan Goldstein, John Francis DaleyR
El CondePablo LarraínHR/MS
Evil Dead RiseLee CroninR
Extraction 2Sam HargraveR
Fair PlayChloe DomontR
Fallen LeavesAki KaurismäkiHR
FerrariMichael MannR
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3James GunnR
Infinity PoolBrandon CronenbergR/HR
John Wick: Chapter 4Chad StahelskiMS
Killers of the Flower MoonMartin ScorseseMS
Knock at the CabinM. Night ShyamalanR
MaestroBradley CooperR/HR
May DecemberTodd HaynesHR
Mission: Impossible – Dead ReckoningChristopher McQuarrieR
NapoleonRidley ScottR
NimonaNick Bruno, Troy QuaneR
NyadElizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy ChinR
OppenheimerChristopher NolanMP
Past LivesCeline SongR
Poor ThingsYorgos LanthimosMP
PriscillaSofia CoppolaR/HR
ReptileGrant SingerR
SaltburnEmerald FennellHR/MS
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseJoaquim Dos, Santos Kemp Powers, Justin K. ThompsonMS/MP
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant MayhemJeff Rowe, Kyler SpearsR/HR
The Boy and the HeronHayao MiyazakiR/HR
The CreatorGareth EdwardsR
The HoldoversAlexander PayneR
The Iron ClawSean DurkinR
The KillerDavid FincherMS
The New BoyWarwick ThorntonR
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three MoreWes AndersonHR
The Zone of InterestJonathan GlazerMS
WonkaPaul KingR
For Pablo Larraín, El Conde is a break from his biopic trilogy that previously featured Jackie and Spencer, choosing to go down the route of supernatural historical fiction with a vampiric allegory of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The black-and-white photography is among the year’s best, and Carmen’s flying scene is a transcendent moment of filmmaking lifting from The Tree of Life.

4 thoughts on “2023 in Cinema”

  1. What made you archive Reptile, Bottoms & Wonka? I’m pretty sure Cinema Archives/Drake have seen all 3 and all of them missed. I can’t speak for Reptile & Bottoms personally because I haven’t seen them but Wonka was certainly a disappointing experience. It is very light with very little stakes and the images from it aren’t that great either. But I certainly liked Chalamet’s and Hugh Grant’s performances and thought they were the best things in it.

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