Top 20 Best Films of 2024

2024 has been yet another mixed year for cinema. While many large-scale films struggled to make an impact, the year was once again defined by some excellent smaller projects, with the documentary genre specifically shining. Out of the 156 films viewed that were eligible for this list, the following 20 shined bright as the best of the year. As always, this is also just a subjective opinion and is not meant to be taken objectively. Disagreeing about art is part of the fun and should be encouraged rather than criticized. Without further ado, here are the Top 20 Films of 2024!

If applicable, click on a poster to see my full review of a film!

Honorable Mentions: Evil Does Not Exist, His Three Daughters, The People's Joker, The Piano Lesson, The Room Next Door, Sing Sing, Sugarcane, Việt and Nam, and We Live in Time

#20-Will & Harper

While Will & Harper takes some time to figure out what it exactly is, something reflected in the content of the film as Farrell and Harper take time to warm back up and figure out their relationship, by the end the film finds an emotional showcase not only of the trans experience, something brought to life by Harper's astounding vulnerability, but also the power of friendship to lift people out of their darkest moments. The film is an emotional rollercoaster that truly feels needed for the current moment.

#19-Girls State

While Girls State at first seems like a possibly unnecessary follow-up to 2020 Boys State which seems to capture many of the same themes and thoughts, the film slowly transforms into an entirely different beast with one of the most compelling and layered voices of any film of 2024 by the time it ends. Looking not just at the state of women in politics but also how society projects this relationship, the film is sure to elicit strong emotions as it presents a quite upsetting yet incredibly worthy perspective.

#18-Sebastian

An underrated gem from the Sundance Film Festival, Mikko Mäkelä's Sebastian is a mature look at what it means to be a queer artist and the power that can be found within sex work. The feature is thoughtful in how it manages these stories, building a narrative that feels worthy and authentic. Ruaridh Mollica is fantastic in the lead role and holds the film together. Easily out of the films of 2024, this is one of the most overlooked that deserves a far bigger celebration than it received.

#17-Love Lies Bleeding

Rose Glass' Love Lies Bleeding is an incredibly strong showcase for the young director who proves an incredible control throughout the film, knowing when to show restraint and when to embrace extremes. The film is perfectly tense and builds to a satisfying grand conclusion, taking full advantage of its powerful core performances from Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien.

#16-Daughters

Following a father-daughter dance program which sees inmates get the chance to attend a formal dance with their daughters, it is easy to see why Daughters wowed audiences at Sundance and continued to pull attention throughout the year. The film explores the prison system and the concept of reform through a personable human lens, offering a new perspective that is both deeply warm and emotional.

#15-Daaaaaalí!

Regularly dropping some of the most unique cinema of each year, Quentin Dupieux finds his masterpiece in Daaaaaalí!. Not only an incredibly funny feature but also one of the smartest in how it draws out its themes and thoughts on fame and purpose, the film is entirely dedicated to exploring the wasting of time in a way that is absolutely worthwhile. Gilles Lellouche gives one of the best comedic performances of the year with Anaïs Demoustier also being noteworthy as a standout.

#14-No Other Land

Easily one of the most important films of the year, No Other Land is a hauntingly brutal capture of the destruction of the West Bank and the displacement of the families who live there, the film is raw and unrelenting in its honest depiction of the horrors happening. This is the documentary genre functioning at perhaps its most crucial and vital purpose. The lack of distribution for the film despite universal praise and awards contention is a damming statement on the state of modern cinema.

#13-Soundtrack to a Coup d'État

One of the most dynamic cinematic experiences of the year, Soundtrack to a Coup d'État is a lyrical documentary that breaks down the context and aftermath of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the film is incredibly engaging with the flashy editing from Rik Chaubet doing wonders to not only hook the audience, but also create an understanding for the larger picture of the events being discussed. There is no other documentary quite like this with the results being absolutely outstanding.

#12-My Favourite Cake

An act of cinematic rebellion, My Favourite Cake, in a vacuum, is a beautiful story about love and female power as a 70-year-old woman fights for her femininity and human connection against an oppressive government, a reality that the real life filmmakers behind the film dared to stand against and face consequences for. The film is uniquely powerful and emotional with every high and low connecting with a bitter jab that sucks the audience in deeper and deeper until the film's surprising finale.

#11-Adrianne & The Castle

While a smaller documentary of the year, Adrianne & The Castle is a uniquely beautiful portrait and meditation on the power of love that is deeply emotional and moving. The film is a tribute to a late wife, a showcase of grief, a warm memory, and so much more all at the same time. The project is undeniably helped by the artistic eye behind the production including a phenomenal score from Richard Reed Perry which is a standout of the year.

#10-Oh, Canada

Oh, Canada continues Paul Schrader's recent hot streak of features with a playful yet deeply complex look at legacy and the importance truth. Analyzing how society interacts with truth almost like it is a religion, Schrader again asks the biggest of questions in a way that sticks on the audience and claws away at their brains long after the runtime ends. The film is made even more poignant with its context within Schrader's career and life, reuniting him cinematically with the late Russell Banks and with Richard Gere 44 years after their first collaboration.

#9-Gladiator II

It is legitimately baffling how Ridley Scott is still producing work as grand, exciting, and meaningful as Gladiator II at nearly 90 years old. With no signs of slowing down, Scott jumps back into the world he thrives in the most as a filmmaker, Ancient Rome, to deliver a politically motivated tale of corruption and leadership that pairs nicely with the bitterness expressed in 2023's under-appreciated Napoleon. While Denzel Washington has rightly earned great praise for his work within the film, the entire production deserves to be applauded as a worthy sequel to one of the greatest films of the 2000's.

#8-The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a compelling drama that sees tense twists and turns reveal an incredibly poignant political message and perspective. The performances are all incredible and the film is incredibly clean in how it balances tone and focus. Both the directing from Mohammad Rasoulof and the editing by Andrew Bird are masterclasses in their respective fields and help create one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of the year.

#7-Hard Truths

While Mike Leigh's Hard Truths might take a moment to truly get going, the extremely watchable turns into one of the most moving cinematic experiences of the year. Anchored by a genuinely perfect performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste, the film slowly reveals itself and the vulnerability buried underneath its often loud and abrasive surface. When finally exposed, a truth incredibly raw and worthy is revealed like a pearl held tightly by an oyster.

#6-The Last Showgirl

Without a doubt, Pamela Anderson gives one of the best performances of the decade in The Last Showgirl. Showing the dying breaths of classic Americana and those from the era who are trampled by progress and change, Gia Coppola finds her masterpiece. From the film's visual texture to its fantastic ensemble, the feature builds an emotionally mature and wise voice that is uniquely moving and tragic.

#5-Queer

The second masterpiece that Luca Guadagnino put out in 2024, Queer takes influence from Jean Cocteau and Rainer Werner Fassbinder to perfectly adapt William Burroughs' original novel and create a memorable portrait of queer desire and loneliness. Both Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey are excellent here as is the visual design that lights the film in artificial prisons of sweat, salty air, and human flesh.

#4-Ghostlight

A Sundance hit that sadly flew under the radar for the rest of the year, Ghostlight is an incredibly rich and emotional feature that takes the Romeo & Juliet narrative and morphs it in a way that has to be seen to be truly understood. Capturing both the isolation of grief and the healing that can come from art and community, the film masterfully walks an emotional tightrope that promises to have audience members in tears by the end of the film's runtime.

#3-Dìdi (弟弟)

Sean Wang's feature directorial debut is an unbelievably rich tale of growing up that has enough depth and authentic perspective that a dozen essays could easily be written about how the feature portrays themes including race, age, gender, technology, the power of a name, relationships, and more. The film is dynamic and incredibly watchable as it naturally navigates the complexity of the adolescent experience in a way that could only be generated from an authentic and truthful voice behind the camera. Joan Chen also deserves recognition for delivering one of the best performances of the year.

#2-I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow, and specifically the cinematic voice of Jane Schoenbrun will save lives. A haunting and daring feature that explicitly engages the trans experience while also blowing up the root emotions to become a piece of media that is absolutely universal, the film is both a traumatizing look at the invisible walls we put up for ourselves from living our authentic truths and a radically accepting and hopeful feature that promises that there is still time to change, there are few films to come out in this history of the medium that cuts quite as deep and as creatively as this.

#1-Challengers

While Luca Guadagino has captured far more emotionally poignant and personal stories than what is presented within Challengers, the film takes the crown of 2024 as a rare example of being a truly perfect film. The screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes unravels like an onion as it sucks the audience in deeper and deeper into a mangled love triangle with every emotional beat and segment of devilish drama landing as powerfully as it can. The three leads all deliver some of the best performances of the year and the film truly delivers a perfect game, earning the title of the Best Film of 2024.