This is a short list of the top films I saw in 2024. I have seen hundreds of hours of films this year, some of them amazing, some of them were so terrible that I debated walking out of the theater (I’m looking at you, Red One.) These were the films that left a lasting impression, and I found myself thinking about them long after the credits began to roll.
10. The Forest Hills
A horror film that makes its audience feel as if they are losing their minds along with the main character. Directed by Scott Goldberg, this low budget indie flick was Shelley Duvall’s final movie, and her performance was excellent. It explores the horror a man faces after an accident in the Berkshires. It’s hard to shake this film after you’ve seen it. Chiko Mendez put out a fantastic performance as the lead character who is haunted by his past.
9. The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer
This film, written and directed by Tolga Karaçelik, didn’t get a lot of attention outside of film festivals, but it was absolutely delightful. It really captures the resentment that can build up in marriages over time. Steve Buscemi plays a serial killer who acts as a couple’s therapist in order to put himself in a position to help the author husband write a book. Buscemi is pitch perfect in this film.
8. Your Monster
Is a modern romantic comedy horror retelling of Beauty and the Beast directed by Caroline Lindy. After a cancer diagnosis and subsequently losing her playwright boyfriend, a young actress meets a monster that has been living in her closet. It’s hilarious and sweet and endlessly entertaining with a great musical number and just the right amount of horror.
7. Twisters
This sequel to Twister, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, is a CGI-filled ride about storm chasers with more tornadoes than you can count–including a hilarious fire tornado. It was a solid blockbuster with laughs in all the right places and a great soundtrack boasting classic and modern country songs.
6. Love Lies Bleeding
This neo-noir queer crime thriller directed by Rose Glass is tense and atmospheric to the end with a delightful love story and unexpected bouts of violence. The stellar performances by Kristen Stewart, Katy M. O’Brian, and Ed Harris, elevate this film into award-winning territory.
5. I Saw the TV Glow
A fresh and innovative surreal supernatural horror fantasy story by Jane Schoenbrun is about a television show that causes viewers to question their identity and reality. This film has a superb soundtrack full of songs that elicit teen angst.
4. Nosferatu
Directed by Robert Eggers, this fresh take on the tale of Count Orlok is a combination of Dracula, Nosferatu, and The Exorcist along with homages to a myriad of other classic films. It had the audience squirming in their seats the entire time with dread. Bill Skarsgård invokes pure terror as the titular creature with his haunting performance in this gothic horror.
3. Conclave
This film, directed by Edward Berger and masterfully scored by Volker Bertelmann is absolutely sublime. It has a twist ending that no one can see coming that will stay with audiences and hopefully facilitate some honest discussions about the state of the Catholic Church. In Conclave, the Pontiff has passed away and the Catholic Cardinals must come together to elect the next Pope, but the meeting is rocked by scandal that threatens the very existence of the Church.
2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
This is an amazing piece of film, and not just because of the circumstances surrounding its creation. It was filmed in secret and smuggled out of Iran after the director, Mohammad Rasoulof, was sentenced to time in prison and fled to Germany. This film features actual footage spliced in of the political protests in Iran in 2022. Some of the footage featured is fairly graphic in nature but it serves to underline the message of the film. In the Seed of the Sacred Fig a family in Tehran is shocked when their patriarch is publicly outed as being a judge. The family must deal with the destabilization that happens within their family while outside the walls of their apartment, society destabilizes. It won the special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
1. War Crimes in Gaza
This is the most singularly shocking piece of film I have seen in years–definitely in 2024. It features footage from the social media accounts that Israeli soldiers posted of themselves committing heinous acts against Palestinians. It also contains interviews with experts and witnesses of the atrocities. Not for the faint of heart, the images will forever be seared in my mind. But the film seems to invite people not to turn away from the horrors depicted, it begs its audience to bear witness to the genocide in Palestine. It was put together by Al Jazeera Investigations and is sure to be used in future trials. This documentary is remarkable not only for its unflinching portrayal of the war crimes in Palestine, but for its demand of its audience to see these people as humans deserving of dignity.
Best Short Film of 2024
Kum-Kum
Kum-Kum is the gripping story of a young woman struggling after the childhood loss of her friend in a traumatic incident in the water. Beautifully shot in the Red Sea, this is a short that tugs at the heartstrings. Directed by Dur Jamjoon, this film beautifully captures the ever-changing nature of grief and how it changes with time.
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