Top 10 Films of 2024
and 10 honorable mentions!
It doesn’t quite feel real to me that we are at the end of 2024. A crazy year it has been, but ultimately a good one. For me personally, I am continuing on as an English teacher while also advancing my career as a film critic. I’ve been quoted in articles, podcasts, and even a film’s social media teaser this year, and Loud and Clear Reviews (where I am a staff writer) became approved by Rotten Tomatoes (check out my RT page here). I have also been approved to cover my first major film festival (South by Southwest) early next year! In an industry where it’s hard to break through, I feel like I’m making some progress and that people are responding to my work, which is cool to see.
There are things happening in the world that can easily cause one to despair, but I take some comfort in knowing that great art is still being made, art that can challenge the status quo, spark change, and yes, entertain.
Looking over my list of favorite films this year, I am quite happy with the outcome. Obviously, these are all films I enjoy and/or appreciate, but I think I’ve also landed on a nice mix of diverse talent, emerging voices, and established auteurs. The top 10 is a conglomeration of films that both are impeccably well-made and spoke to me on some kind of deeper level. I’ll give a brief description of each film and why I found it so moving or exciting.
But first, some honorable mentions:
Honorable Mentions (11-20)
The Apprentice (directed by Ali Abbasi
Twisters (directed by Lee Isaac Chung)
Love Lies Bleeding (directed by Rose Glass)
Inside Out 2 (directed by Kelsey Mann)
A Complete Unknown (directed by James Mangold)
Challengers (directed by Luca Guadagnino)
Megalopolis (directed by Francis Ford Coppola)
The Bikeriders (directed by Jeff Nichols)
Civil War (directed by Alex Garland)
Janet Planet (directed by Annie Baker)
Now for the top 10:
10. The Substance
directed by: Coralie Fargeat
I’m really starting off my list in the most aggressive way possible, aren’t I? The Substance is an intense and ambitious body horror extravaganza from Coralie Fargeat, featuring two fantastic performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Tackling themes like aging, relevancy, and self-acceptance, this film is…pretty gross! But gross in a way that feels new, and in a way that feels like it’s actually saying something about society rather than relying solely on shock factor. The body-horror films of David Cronenberg obviously spring to mind, but I also thought of the likes of Stanley Kubrick while watching, because of the way Fargeat composes her shots, the camera techniques she uses, and the existential questions her film poses.
9. Paradise is Burning
directed by: Mika Gustafson
This small Swedish film holds a special place in my heart. The film is excellent, and would have made my top 10 anyway, but I have a soft spot for it because my quotes praising the film have been used throughout its marketing, including posts on X and Instagram, a major morale boost for a budding film critic. The debut feature from Mika Gustafson, Paradise is Burning follows three sisters who basically have to fend for themselves due to a constantly absent mother. It’s an emotional family drama that, as I mentioned in my initial review, features a touch of surrealism. Gustafson evokes the likes of Andrei Tarkovsky and David Lynch (if you know me, you know those are two of my favorite filmmakers) while keeping the relationship among the sisters at the forefront. It’s a truly beautiful movie that I will not stop recommending.
Check out my full review of Paradise is Burning on Loud and Clear Reviews: here
8. I Saw the TV Glow
directed by: Jane Schoenbrun
Speaking of David Lynch, perhaps no 2024 film evokes his style more than Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow. Blending reality with surreal horror, the film follows two high schoolers who bond over a niche tv show. The two begin to question their own lives as a result. This movie is meant to be watched late in the evening, in the dark, and that’s exactly how I experienced it. And it floored me. Though it is clearly the result of one artist’s singular experience, there is so much control that anyone can find meaning within the film. Themes about identity, connection, and how pop culture influences us are all present here, with no single idea dominating another. The haunting shots, uncomfortable atmosphere, and powerful emotions make I Saw the TV Glow one of the most unique and essential films of the year.
7. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
directed by: Radu Jude
I just wrote about Radu Jude’s incredible Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World for Loud and Clear’s Best Films of 2024 list, so I’ll be quick here. Basically, this film rules. One thing I’ll add that I didn’t mention in the Loud and Clear piece is the subtle use of religious imagery in this film. There’s a scene where Angela (the main character) mentions a specific road where many people have died in traffic accidents. The film then shifts, for an extended period of time, to several shots of crosses on the side of the road, commemorating those who perished. This feels as though Jude wants his audience to understand the value of human life, lives that oftentimes are devalued by people in power in this over-commercialized, busy world. Such creative choices are littered all throughout this film, making it a timely, critical piece of art.
Check out the blurb I wrote for Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World on Loud and Clear’s Best Films of 2024 list: here
6. Dune: Part Two
directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Dune: Part Two was one of my most anticipated movies of this year, and its scale and ambition did not disappoint. A fan of Frank Herbert’s original novel and Dune: Part One (2021), I was excited to see how Denis Villeneuve executed the second half of this dense, powerful story. Not only was he successful in continuing this story, but Villeneuve was also able to infuse his own established style into the blockbuster. The way Villeneuve uses color as a storytelling technique here is something to behold. Add in committed performances and some truly breathtaking scenes, and you get one of the boldest, most idiosyncratic franchise films in recent memory.
5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
directed by: George Miller
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is unquestionably the best action film of the year. It honestly took me several watches to fully come around to George Miller’s previous entry in the saga, Mad Max: Fury Road. Thankfully, I eventually wised up, and recognized Fury Road as one of the premier action movies of the 21st century. So understand the weight of what I’m about to say: Furiosa is even better. Miller ups the ante on basically every level, giving us an emotional center in the character of Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) to ground us in this incredible world. He expands the world-building and gives us some jaw-dropping action sequences to boot. All this feels amplified by the moral questions posed throughout the film. The villain Dementus (a delightfully crazy Chris Hemsworth) gives a speech in the film’s climax that is Oscar-worthy, and gets the audience to truly think about the journey they’ve been on. It’s a smart, calculated action film, one that doesn’t come around that often anymore.
4. Sometimes I Think About Dying
directed by: Rachel Lambert
Rachel Lambert’s debut flirted with my #1 spot for a little while, because I’m not sure any other film hit me on an emotional level as much as Sometimes I Think About Dying. Now, before you worry about my well-being after reading the title, let me explain. The film follows a young woman (Daisy Ridley, in what is maybe my favorite performance of the year) who seems to simply be passively making her way through life. She’s awkward, does not talk much, and seems to be on the outside looking in with her work friends. A new coworker (Dave Merheje) begins to show interest in the woman, named Fran, and begins to poke at the isolationist bubble she’s put around herself. I think this movie resonated with me because it showcases better than maybe any film I’ve seen what loneliness and the struggle to connect with others looks like. The film is shot in an almost bland kind of way, while Ridley’s portrayal is one that is deceptively layered. It’s a film that I watched at the exact right moment in my life, one that, while it accurately shows the hardships that come with human relationship, ultimately proves our need for them.
3. Kinds of Kindness
directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos has been one of the most interesting filmmakers for several years now. His last film Poor Things cracked my top 10 last year, and Kinds of Kindness may be even better. It might even be my favorite of his work (something that is proving to be a somewhat controversial opinion). It feels like a return to form for Lanthimos, telling three distinct, crazy stories that satirically point out the flaws in some of our modern-day ways of going through life. It’s incredibly funny, sporadically violent, and oftentimes cringeworthy, traits that only this filmmaker can pull off together. Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, and others fully commit to the bit (some of them more than once, as some play different characters throughout all three stories), as does composer Jerskin Fendrix, who provides one of the funniest, most effective scores of the year. This strange, sometimes upsetting film will NOT be for everyone, but it’s one that I found to be gripping from start to finish (and it’s close to three hours long, so that’s saying something).
2. Conclave
directed by: Edward Berger
It took two viewings for Conclave to cement itself in my top 2. Honestly, it could eventually take my top spot on this list. For now, I will say that Edward Berger’s follow up to his remake of All Quiet on the Western Front is the most spiritually, theologically interesting film of the year. If you know me, you know movies about God and faith will immediately strike a chord. The ideas presented in this film are so incredibly layered, as a devoted but struggling Cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) attempts to lead the papal conclave in electing a new Pope. The movie wrestles with feelings of doubt, and whether or not God truly is working for His will to be done, and what that means for humanity’s response to major events. Based on a novel by Robert Harris, this film takes us through twists and turns as it tears down each of the main players in one way or another, showing us how petty and irrelevant our quests for power can be. It leaves us with a twist I definitely won’t spoil, but one that takes these questions and ideas to their furthest extent. Combining such deep themes with professional performances and splendid cinematography and production design, Conclave is one of the most complete films of the year for me.
1. Anora
directed by: Sean Baker
If you’ve been following film discourse at all this year, this will probably feel like a predictable, boring pick for my #1. But I cannot ignore Sean Baker’s Anora, a sprawling, humorous, tragic tale about the complexities of finding love in the 21st century. In a world enamored with sex, influence, and power, how do we get back to the roots of humanity? That’s the question I think this film is posing, following “Ani” (Mikey Madison) a stripper who strikes up a relationship with the young son of a Russian oligarch. When that relationship predictably goes awry, Ani traverses the streets of New York in what becomes more a journey of self-discovery than anything. We meet funny characters along the way, one (Yura Borisov) who becomes quite protective of Ani. The film begs its audiences to see the humanity in each character, even the ones who have put walls around themselves emotionally. The ending shot brings the whole film into focus in a heartbreaking way. Along the way, though, Baker evokes some laughs, especially in an extended sequence in a mansion that leaves you in metaphorical stitches (and leaves several characters probably needing literal ones). The film asks us what we want in life and how we should go about achieving it. In that regards, this monumental film is, as my editor at Loud and Clear Serena Seghedoni puts it, “a whole new kind of American Dream.”
Links
Like I did last year, I wanted to include links to some of the writing I’ve done this year. In addition to writing this Substack, I am a staff writer for Loud and Clear Reviews and a contributor to Think Christian. The included reviews are all 2024 releases. I’ve also included a link to my Letterboxd profile.
Loud and Clear Reviews:
Think Christian:
Letterboxd:
Thank You
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