2024 was a decidedly mixed year for movies. There were a lot of good films, don’t get me wrong, but very few ones that were truly masterful. However, it was a diverse and fun year, with each month having meaningful releases that kept me engaged and going to the theater each and every week, and the best movies of the year were pretty darn special.
Before we get to the list, there are the usual disclaimers. Several widely acclaimed films haven’t received wide releases, so I didn’t get to see awards favorites like Sing Sing, The Brutalist, or Nickel Boys yet. Hopefully, I’ll be able to rectify it soon. Also, there were plenty of other great movies this year that didn’t quite make my top 10 list, such as the pulse-pumping Challengers, the stressful Civil War, Clint Eastwood’s thoughtful Juror No. 2, the delightfully trashy prestige drama Conclave, the action-packed Furiosa, and the documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, which left me in tears.
10. Love Lies Bleeding
A24’s best erotic thriller this year was the fantastic Love Lies Bleeding. Rose Glass’ follow-up to Saint Maud featured a breakout performance by Katy O’Brian and blended body horror and pulp to great impact. Everybody’s performance was on point, including Kristen Stewart in the lead, Dave Franco being deliciously trashy, and Ed Harris giving one of the best supporting performances of the roles with his terrible hair. This was a great time at the movies, entertaining from beginning to end, and I loved the fantastical ending.
9. A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg is proving himself to be just as fantastic a writer and director as he is a talented actor. It’s always a joy to see him on screen, but his second directorial effort, A Real Pain, was phenomenal. The Holocaust tour group movie grapples with a lot of heavy subject matter but will leave you laughing as much as you spend it thinking. While Kieran Culkin has rightfully earned much praise for his performance (even if he’s clearly a lead and not a supporting actor), just as much should be given to Eisenberg, who serves the film as the straight man in a less sexy yet just as pivotal role. Both men are stellar in what they do and deliver one of the most honest and best movies of the year.
8. Ghostlight
When I went to see Ghostlight, I thought it was a horror movie from the title. So imagine my surprise when I left the theater in tears after watching a wonderful father-daughter drama about the joy of the arts, the embarrassment we hold, how grief can tear us apart, and how complicated our relationships can be with the ones we love. The film is carried by great performances by the real-life father-daughter duo of Keith and Katherine Kupferer and Dolly de Leon, who gives a phenomenal supporting performance. It’s one of the most delightful surprises of the year.
7. Touch
Another fantastic surprise this year was Baltasar Kormákur’s Touch, which was a beautiful love story spanning 50+ years that took place in London and Japan. In a split narrative that alternates between past and present, both Palmi Kormákur and Egill Ólafsson do a great job as the main character Kristófer, as do Kōki and Yoko Narahashi as the love interest Miko. It’s a moving story of lost love and one that more people should definitely check out.
6. Anora
I wound up being the only person in my theater to make it to the end of Anora, as two elderly women walked out on the film during separate sex scenes (I’m not sure what they were expecting from a movie about a prostitute), but one thing is for certain: Mikey Madison is a star. She gives an electric performance, delivers her intense scenes with an attitude that’s to die for, and channels a whirlwind of emotion into the film’s final act. Sean Baker’s latest movie is also one of the funniest movies of the year, as all of the bickering henchmen (with the standout being played by Yura Borisov) had me constantly laughing in its second half.
5. The Wild Robot
Sometimes, DreamWorks Animation just knocks it out of the park, and that was certainly the case with The Wild Robot. Pairing an incredible art style with top-notch animation, the film left me in tears throughout. Who knew I’d care so much about the bond between a robot and a baby goose? Director Chris Sanders proved he just doesn’t miss by crafting another classic, one that features incredible voice performances by Lupito Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. I loved every second of this charming and heartfelt ride.
4. Dune: Part Two
In terms of sheer spectacle, nothing compared to Dune: Part Two this year. Regularly stunning, the second entry in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation was full of incredible moments and great action. My favorite scene also cemented Timothée Chalamet’s status as a leading man who can do it all as he delivered an incredible monologue with ferocity that I wasn’t quite sure he had in him. Plus, you get Austin Butler being a little freak throughout. What more could you want? It’s a sci-fi classic and the year’s best blockbuster.
3. Kneecap
I definitely didn’t have an Irish rap group biopic being one of my favorite movies of 2024 on my bingo card. Yet, Kneecap was one of the year’s biggest surprises and nonstop delights. The music is phenomenal, the exploration of the importance of language is sublime, and Michael Fassbender even pops up. I was shocked when the movie’s ending montage revealed that the actual musicians played themselves in the film as they have incredible presence and aren’t out of their depths at all. It is a stellar, wildly fun, and energetic movie that is hard not to be charmed by.
2. Dìdi
Dìdi is an incredibly personal film by director Sean Wang that also feels universal. While those of Sean’s generation will have the film resonate the most, as I got so much nostalgia from seeing AOL Instant Messenger and shock sites on screen, this coming-of-age movie is wonderfully sincere and impactful to all. Joan Chen and Izaac Wang showcase a powerful mother-son relationship in the film and while it can be frustrating to see the main character make so many immature mistakes, it’s all worth it to see his growth by the end. A wonderful depiction of the good and bad of childhood.
1. The Substance
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance oozes style. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley knock it out of the park with their performances, while the final act is incredible body horror that reminded me of the ending of the video game Inside. With phenomenal music, Dennis Quaid eating shrimp in the most disgusting way possible, and so many moments that will live on forever in my brain, there was no movie that had me constantly engaged and wowed by where it went. The Substance simply rules and is the best movie of 2024.
