The year 2023 has been a year of great films. After a few turbulent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cinema largely recovered normality. In the end, due to the strikes of actors and scriptwriters in the second half of the year, some painful delays occurred again. But that has not prevented the release of films that have become historic, either due to their quality or their unimpeachable commercial success.
In 2023, some of the greatest masters of today and also of always have released films. Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Hayao Miyazaki, Victor Erice, Isabel Coixet, JA Bayona, David Fincher… They have been joined by names not so well known to the general public but who have also left their mark. As it is, these have been the best 12 films of the year. It is worth mentioning that those that are outside the top 3 of the following list do not follow any specific order since all of them deserve the same attention.
1. Oppenheimer, by Christopher Nolan
The summer of 2023 was divided between the pink fever and the power of the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan signed one of his best works with Oppenheimer, biopic about the father of the terrible weapon of mass destruction. Box office records, extraordinarily good reviews, numerous moral debates, a cast in a state of grace with a Robert Downey Jr. colossal… And, above all, the feeling of being a film that will be remembered for a long time.
Nolan has managed to surpass itself with one of its most rounded films. Under the mesmerizing gaze of Cillian Murphy, first unravels the fate of the modern world like Prometheus. And then he throws himself into the mud with an intense third act about the consequences of actions and the lack of ethics and morals of human beings, always eager to wash their hands and atone for their guilt. He is already making waves during awards season, where she is positioning herself as one of the main favorites. For all these reasons, and given its excellent quality added to its extraordinary commercial history, it is the most important film of 2023.
2. Past Lives, by Celine Song
The best climax of the year 2023 bears the signature of Celine Song and it is a static plane that stabs like a dagger. In Past Lives, the filmmaker exposes a story of reunion, love and destiny. The film talks about how decisions and circumstances are what determine life. A debut feature spectacular in its humanism that became very strong due to good reviews and, especially, thanks to word of mouth from the public. So much so that it is nominated in most awards and competitions.
Nora and Hae Sung’s story resonates incredibly familiar in the heart of anyone anywhere in the world. The film is an open letter to all those loves that fell by the wayside, to those stories that never were. To all the “what ifs” who were shipwrecked in a world that never stops. Sober in its forms, it overflows with feeling in its bittersweet depth. A beautiful film.
3. Spider-Man: Crossing the Multiverse, by Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers
It was very difficult to reach the bar Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. But in Sony Animations They are up for challenges and have produced a second installment, once again, exceptional. Miles Morales is right now the superhero in the best shape in all of cinema. His story is both ambitious and relatable. Because that’s the magic of this arachnid. Absolutely impossible things happen to him, multiverse through. But his problems are those of a normal boy his age who wants to take the reins of his life, forge his own destiny and not disappoint his parents (or himself).
All of this is told with unique art embodied in its insane animation style. The mix between 2D and 3D that they implemented in the first film goes one step further. Each character has its own design and distinctive seal. Especially beautiful are the Spider-Gwen and Spider-Punk ones. At the moment, sony has surpassed a giant like disney on its own ground and, thanks to Spider-Man, it places itself at the forefront of the format. The wait for the third part is already getting long.
The Boy and the Heron, by Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki He was returning from his umpteenth retirement to sign one last film that, once again, aims not to be his definitive farewell. Ten years had passed since his previous feature film. With The boy and the heron, the master of Japanese animation recovers his unmatched magic and style. A story that talks about many things. First of all, about the loss. But also about memory, about the transition to maturity, about the importance of living and taking advantage of the moment. It is impossible not to feel overwhelmed by her. And everything is done under that iconic visual and narrative prism of the filmmaker, which composes a new and hypnotic fantasy world in which to get lost, escape and find yourself.
The Moon Killers, by Martin Scorsese
He is 81 years old and has more experience and tricks than anyone when it comes to directing. Martin Scorsese retry in The Moon Killers the same topic that has always obsessed him. How human beings are capable of the worst, the dirtiest and most lowly, to dominate others. Violence as a mechanism of power. Through the story of the Osage genocide in the 1920s, the New Yorker deconstructs the American dream. He joins to his two actors fetish of his, Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert De Niroalthough whoever leaves a performance to remember is Lily Gladstone. A monumental work, cared for in detail, that does not need excessive artifice to leave much substance.
Anatomy of a Fall, by Justine Triet
This analysis of collective prejudices is based on the defects and dark places of its characters. So the director, Justine Trietspends a good amount of time making it clear that Sandra (Sandra Huller) is a woman full of them. Also, that she could have killed her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and hide it under an impassive appearance. The film is based on the interpretations of the actions of others. From Sandra, who smokes, drinks and has a disordered sex life. Of Samuel, idealized as an impeccable victim. The film plays with the idea of guilt with a brilliant plot and several of the best tension scenes of the year.
Barbie by Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig turned the favorite doll of several generations into a symbol of feminism and collective struggles for self-realization. That, in the midst of choreographic dances, a sharp script, full of jokes about the female and male role, as well as a visual section of astonishing detail. The result is a memorable comedy with a deeper background than might be assumed at first glance. Also, an exemplarily told joke about machismo and the imbalance of power in the contemporary world. Not in vain is it the highest-grossing film of the year.
Poor Things, by Yorgos Lanthimos
This version of Frankenstein, converted into a symbol of personal freedom and the search for purpose, is a rarity of origin. An experiment mixes a woman’s body with her brain — perhaps identity? —of a fetus. The result is a delirious combination of a girl/woman who seeks to find her place in the time in which she lived and free herself from any moral limits. The script of Tony McNamara— adaptation of the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray — is as weird as its premise. Which leads him to show a London converted into a colorful and distorted landscape. Then, a Victorian world with a profusion of twisted architecture. The film, an aesthetic and plot prodigy, manages to avoid losing the meaning of its premise or making it too melodramatic.
The Holdovers by Alexander Payne
Paul (Paul Giamatti), is the most infuriating and sour teacher at an elegant boarding school for boys in New England, during the 1970s. Also, the one responsible for taking care of those who, for some reason, must stay at the institution for Christmas. When one of them is left behind in the middle of a snowfall on Christmas Eve, both will begin a slow evolution towards redemption. Alexander Paynetransforms a coming-of-age story into the most endearing film of the year. Especially when exploring loneliness and the search for purpose. All this with a solid staging and a visual section that could seem anachronistic, if it weren’t a postcard of nostalgia.
Monster by Hirokazu Koreeda
Director, Hirokazu Koreeda, tells a story that closes and opens with a tragedy. Also, it is told through three different perspectives. All of them come together in an ideal scenario to delve deeper into the ways in which the truth manifests itself, but much more can be analyzed. The script of Yuji Sakamototells how Minato (Soya Kurokawa), a teenage fifth-year student, appears to be being harassed by a teacher. His mother Saori (Sakura Ando ), asks Hori for explanations (Eita Nagayama ), the child’s teacher. But what begins as an apparent school drama soon becomes an almost Kafkaesque plot in its multiple layers and reflections.
The Snow Society, by JA Bayona
José Antonio Bayonatook the infamous account of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes mountain range in 1972 and turned it into a survival story. That, moving away from the sensational and scandalous tone of other films and documentaries, to focus on the men who fought for their lives among the mountains. The movie The Snow Society, does not avoid morbid themes — and shows them — but places its center on the power of the will. Which turns the plot into a portrait of human strength before a simple disaster genre.
Close your eyes, by Víctor Erice
It took 30 years for Victor Ericerelease a new feature film. His last movie The quince sun, arrived in 1992. Since then, except for some minor works in collaboration with other artists, the filmmaker had shown few signs of life. But the wait worth it. Close the eyesnominated for 11 Goya awards and named the second best film of 2023 worldwide by the prestigious Cahiers du Cinema, is an ode to the best that cinema can be. A proposal that reflects on friendship, on memory, on the passage of time. And, ultimately, about the transformative power of cinema. It has one of the most beautiful endings that have been screened all year.