While this year was a mixed bag, impactful stories of refugees and immigrants, and animated offerings were highlights.
Some of the best films of 2024 ran the gamut from smart indies to fun studio megahits. While I didn’t think this was a standout year for film, there is still much to savor.
Two big-budget movies that were thrilling theatrical rides: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – George Miller’s wild, post-apocalyptic origin story for the character, and Dune: Part Two – the continuation of Herbert’s dense, crazy tale and, yes, that epic sandworm.
Horror films that stood out for me were Late Night With the Devil, The First Omen, A Quiet Place: Day One, but in general, the genre lacked a bit of its originality from previous years. Will Nosferatu live up to its hype? I’m hoping so because I’m a big fan of Robert Eggers' stunning work. Animated films were strong, Robot Dreams and The Wild Robot in particular, with great concepts and innovative ways of using animation and sound in storytelling.
Gripes of 2024
Limited access: Many films are inaccessible due to very short theatrical releases and then go directly onto streaming channels. I wonder, on average, how many streaming channels do people subscribe to?.
End-of-year-release glut: (Repeat gripe from 2023) the bulk of the films are crammed into release 10 days before the end of the year. It’s frustrating reading best-of lists because many of the critics' choices aren’t available yet, or have moved to a streamer that I don’t have.
Long run times: Is it necessary that every film exceed two hours? Most movies that I watched this year – in theaters or streaming – exceeded the two-hour mark. That includes comedies and animated films! I knew what I was signing up for with The Brutalist (at least it has an intermission built in). More is not always better. Most times, it’s just more.
My Top Picks
For this year’s list, I went with the films that lingered in my mind and that I discussed and dissected long after the end credits rolled. With still so many releases left to see, my list may be amended. Otherwise, I'm good with this collection of the year’s slate.
My 2024 top 10 films, alpha’d:
The Brutalist | Brady Corbet, Director + Co-Writer
The opening shot of Corbet’s epic shows architect László Tóth (a superb performance from Adrian Brody), a Hungarian Holocaust survivor emigrating to the US after WWII, coming up from below deck and seeing an inverted view of the Statue of Liberty. It’s a powerful shot, and sets the tone for what’s to come. With determinism and resolve, qualities typical of the immigrant experience, Tóth hopes for a new life. It’s not long before he realizes that the American Dream may not be as rosy as it looks from afar. The story parallels the Brutalist architecture at its center. The film is beautifully acted and directed, and visually stunning (especially in 70mm).
Civil War | Alex Garland, Director + Writer
Set in the near future, the country has divided into two violent factions, Texas and California are joined as the Western Forces. Garland’s (huge fan of his work) latest is kind of a social horror – where the breakdown of the social order provides permission for anyone who wishes to act on their worst and most savage impulses. A group of four, journalists and photojournalists, dispassionately document the chaos en route from New York to DC, where they plan to interview the president who is under siege. Garland doesn’t explain how the country got to this point. My take: the film’s purpose is to provoke, and to ask what happens next, after the slaughter? Terrific performances by all, led by Kirsten Dunst as a seasoned war photographer, with a chilling cameo from Jesse Plemons.
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World | Radu Jude, Director + Writer
What a wild ride of a film! This dark, dark comedy/satire focuses on production assistant (PA) Angela, whose job is to pre-interview candidates (and generally run all errands) for safety films commissioned by a large company. She’s overworked, spends 18 hours a day in her car driving around Bucharest, where she takes breaks to record TikToks of her alter ego – a raunchy, toxic male personality. Intercut with the PA’s story are original scenes from a 1981 Communist-era film, Angela Moves On, about an overworked taxi driver. Both “Angela” themes begin to converge into one narrative. Jude presents Romania’s past and present, where East meets West, where capitalism butts an authoritarian regime, and where nothing much has changed for workers but the day and year. It all seems random, but wait for the ending.
Green Border | Agnieszka Holland, Director + Co-Writer
This claustrophobic epic centers on a group of refugees in limbo, hovering alternately on both sides of the border between Belarus and Poland. These desperate people, believing they had done everything right for safe passage into the EU, become geopolitical ping-pong balls. The film shows many perspectives: from the refugees and the activists who try to help them – despite their limitations, to the border guards and the citizens living near the border. Starkly shot in black and white with a WWII documentary feel, it’s harsh and cruel. Holland and her co-writers conducted meticulous research in writing the script which is compassionate as it attempts to document the crises of the real people involved. Upshot: Critically acclaimed, while condemned by the Polish government and many segments of the nation. Hit a nerve, perhaps?
Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara | Marco Bellocchio, Director + Writer
The beauty of Catholic ritual contrasted with one of the many unseemly episodes in the church’s history sets the film’s foundation. Based on a true, mid-19th century case, young Edgardo was taken from his Jewish home – under Papal orders – because he had been baptized by a Christian nanny. Church law forbade Christians to be raised by non-Christians, so the child was forcibly removed and taken to Rome. What follows is institutional abuse and blatant anti-semitism. Bellocchio’s cinematography resembles a Caravaggio painting with its dramatic use of light and dark in showing a child’s slow indoctrination. It’s a beautiful ugly film – a fascinating look into the inner workings of the Catholic church, and an institution willing to destroy a family because it can.
La Chimera | Alice Rohrwacher, Director + Writer
Quirky, mystical dramcom from Italian filmmaker Rohrwacher about Arthur, a British archaeologist (a wonderful Josh O’Connor), recently released from prison for raiding tombs and selling artifacts. He heads back to Italy to reconnect with a past lover and finds that she’s gone missing. This propels him back to his old buddies and former lifestyle. Rohrwacher's touch here is subtle, dreamy, and her storytelling at times feels haphazard. But she’s pulling the strings – trusting the viewer to connect the dots through telling closeups and beautiful uses of light. For her characters, Italy’s past is intertwined with its present – and it’s difficult to separate them.
Pictures of Ghosts | Kleber Mendonça Filho, Director + Writer
A memory piece – filmmaker Mendonça Filho gifts us with a poignant journey through his past that begins and ends in Recife, his hometown in Brazil. The documentary combines personal footage of his family and youth (in a spectacular apartment!) juxtaposed with current shots of the city. The filmmaker (also of the excellent Bacurau) gives us a wistful love letter to a city that helped shape his artistic vision through the fabulous, grand movie theaters that no longer exist. Sadly, much of his Recife is gone, but the film leaves a lasting blueprint to a once thriving arts and cultural center that may one day rise again. Mendonça Filho says of the film, “I just had the simple desire to explore a place that inspires me.” Wonderful!
Robot Dreams | Pablo Berger, Director + Writer
Through beautiful animation and a terrific storyline, this dialogue-free film by Berger is both heartwarming and a bit heartbreaking. Berger explores themes of longing, connection, loss and resurgence. The lonely Dog lives in New York City of the 1980s (captured brilliantly both in its accuracy and fantastical quality) and is desperately seeking companionship. He buys Robot and the two become inseparable. Can robots dream, feel, experience loss? In this world, occupied by anthropomorphized animals, much is possible. Kudos to the sound designers who create fully rounded characters using minimal sounds and a strong soundtrack – with more than a little nod to the Peanuts cartoons of the 1960s. Earth, Wind & Fire’s September figures prominently, and it will never sound the same.
Strange Darling | JT Mollner, Director + Writer
Go into this serial killer thriller with as little information as possible. Non spoilers – the film is divided into six chapters, which roll out in a scrambled manner. This terrific construction allows the viewer to rethink what they just witnessed, which can turn on a dime. The score is haunting, and actor Giovanni Ribisi takes on the role of cinematographer, bathing the film in a saturated, dream-like quality. Nuf said.
The Substance | Coralie Fargeat, Director + Writer
If you’ve seen Fargeat’s Revenge, you have an inkling of her style. But this body-horror offering makes that look tame. Demi Moore (in a give-it-all performance) plays a celebrity fired from a TV exercise show (cause: over the hill) and seeks the fountain of youth. After a car accident, a nurse turns her onto a covert service that allows her to create a younger version of herself (an equally committed Margaret Qualley), but with strict rules that must be followed by both of them. Well, you can see how this is going to go. It’s insane, oh so bloody, funny. And sad. Chasing your past never produces the desired results, and Hollywood and beyond will likely never change their fascination with youth. Add it to the cannon of horror classics!
ADDENDUM: Don't miss Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat. a gritty documentary about Congo's leader, Patrice Lumumba, American jazz artists, and global leaders in the turbulence of the mid century era. A top 10 film.
More-than-Honorable Mentions
Alam, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Io Capitano, Kinds of Kindness, Late Night with The Devil, The Promised Land, A Real Pain, Richland, Small Things Like These, The Wild Robot, Totem.
Still-to-See List
All We Imagine As Light, Anora, The Beast, Dahomey, Here, Eno, Evil Does Not Exist, Flow, Good One, Hard Truths, His Three Daughters, I Saw the TV Glow, Megalopolis, The Nickel Boys, No Other Land, Nosferatu and many more.
Check out last year's list here. Or browse past years for ideas. You might find some gems that you missed.
Bonus: Most Batshit Crazy Movie of the Year
Darla in Space. The abstract: “an unexpected buddy comedy that beautifully hones its absurdity into something that is fun, hopeful and highly entertaining.” Sounds interesting, right? Here’s the plot:
“In this sci-fi comedy, Darla runs a business called Kitty Kasket, LLC which makes custom caskets for cats. Darla is stunned to learn that she owes $349,00.22 in taxes, due in one month! Darla soon meets a sentient orgasm-granting kombucha scoby named Mother. Mother instantly agrees to help out Darla with her debt. All Mother asks in return is for Darla to help her get to space.”
I have nothing to add.
The 2025 Oscars: Newbie Host
The 97th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, 2 march 2025, more than a week earlier than last year (trying to avoid competition with March Madness, maybe?). First-timer Conan O'Brien hosts, and the broadcast begins at 7pm again. I'm thinking that ABC (which recently paid $15mil to settle a defamation lawsuit) is playing it safe as O'Brien tends to avoid political jokes.
What's on your top ten movie list for 2024? What are you looking forward to seeing?
Design + animation: © 2024 Janet Giampietro, popcorn graphic and movie theater, both Unsplash | Posters are copyright of each studio, production company or streaming service.
Comments