From the sands of Arrakis to a late-night talk show – we've compiled a list of the 10 best films of the first half of 2024.
In 2024, many festival hits reached Russian theaters, Pixar showed it still has something to offer audiences, and Godzilla delivered a double blow to viewers' emotions.
The editorial team of 'After Credits' watched over 50 films released in theaters or online from January to June, and through a general vote selected the 10 best films of the first half of 2024. The winner seems obvious. Or is it? You'll find out by reading the article to the end.
10th place – 'Red Rooms'
A gloomy model Kelly-Anne hangs out on the darknet, conducting her own investigation into the monstrous murder of three schoolgirls who were tortured and dismembered live (in the 'red room'). While Kelly-Anne searches for the truth online, in the offline world the main suspect is being tried—a sad man with an empty gaze.
Pascal Plante's film is . On one hand, it's a meticulous courtroom thriller; on the other, an exploration of the love for true crime and its consequences. Simultaneously, a drama about loneliness (online and offline) and a gripping detective thriller. And Kelly-Anne strives, like the heroes of the best detectives, to find everything at once: herself, the maniac, the truth.
The film 'Red Rooms', a Canadian thriller about the darknet and a big hit in narrow cinephile circles, has been released. About why this movie about maniacs, their fangirls, and online poker justifies
Open materialAccording to director Plante, today all this is found only in the darknet, the secret room of the modern world. There is no state with its censorship, no strangers (they won't penetrate such depths), but paradoxically, there are no 'us' either (everything is anonymous). And, of course, following the precepts of Plante's main teacher, Dario Argento, this secret room is blood-red.
9th place – 'Godzilla Minus One'
One of the most spectacular and pleasantly surprising films of the first half of 2024. While Godzilla and Kong were simultaneously entertaining audiences in the plastic MonsterVerse universe, director of 'Godzilla Minus One' Takashi Yamazaki turned in the opposite, darker direction. Back to where it all began, where there is no place for entertaining pathos. So that we remember, as they say.
A serious, deep look at the consequences of the nuclear bombing of Japan, a humanistic message, rare but incredibly spectacular effects (for which the film's team deservedly won a technical Oscar), references to the classic 1954 film, and unexpectedly, in one very good scene, to Steven Spielberg.
'Godzilla Minus One' is a story about how even in the darkest times, a person still needs another person to, first and foremost, overcome the monster within, and only then deal with the one outside. In short, a powerful work at the intersection of auteur and genre cinema, which will rightfully become a new classic.
8th place – 'Inside Out 2'
We waited 9 years for this, and it was not in vain. The sequel to Pixar's hit once again explores the boundless world inside the head of the girl Riley, showing what changes puberty brings to the emotional landscape.
If you were once captivated by the story of the interaction of 'basic' emotions and their influence on a child's character, then be prepared to fall before the power that makes you realize—each of us was and still is the hero of a story unfolding on screen through vivid images, well-crafted jokes, and weighty conclusions.
The viewer is presented not just with a set of emotions (new and old), but with reflections on principles and personal qualities that shape self-awareness. The cocktail is quite sobering for those in search of themselves, or for those who have forgotten how they went through the thorny path of understanding that 'I' is a multifaceted personality with the right to different emotions.
— an honest and difficult conversation about growing up, which, despite the burden of emotional weight, does not forget about childishness and colorfulness. And don't let the Disney logo in the opening credits scare you: the efforts to demonstrate inclusivity pale in comparison to the coherent plot and central idea.
One of the most anticipated animated films of the year, 'Inside Out 2' from the legendary Pixar studio, has been released worldwide. How interesting is it to follow Riley's expanded range of emotions and
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7th place – 'La Chimera'
Alice Rohrwacher's melodrama, exploring the theme of death and the afterlife, romanticizes this mystical world of the past, which has died but left behind much beauty. The first and most obvious symbol of 'La Chimera' is the 'Hanged Man' tarot card, which inspired the poster (it gives the first impression of the main character). The plot revolves around the mystical and little-represented craft of tomb raiding in Italy. The film's subtle Virgil is cinematographer Hélène Louvart, who focuses on aesthetics, allowing symbols to firmly merge into the structure of the plot and create the necessary semi-surrealistic vision.
Due to the specificity of the craft and the tragedy of the main character, Arthur (brilliantly played by the resounding Josh O'Connor this year), the film turned out to be romantic in every sense, which makes it worthy of entering the top ten. The idealization and sacralization of the past is manifested here not only in numerous references to ancient myths, but also in the painful experiences of the hero, reflecting on the loss of a loved one. The afterlife represents an unattainable, aesthetically beautiful ideal.
On January 1, 2024, along with potential box office hits like 'Serf 2' and 'The Bremen Town Musicians', a small, almost unnoticed film from the program
Open materialAlice Rohrwacher has made one of the year's most tender tragedies with a touching and at the same time sad, intangible love line. 'La Chimera' is a film that enchants the viewer with its exploration of the tranquility and beauty of the afterlife in an ancient light.
6th place – 'The Iron Claw'
This is not only , but also one of the best biopics of the last few years, which has soul rather than a dry listing of events, with excellent cinematography, stylization, and an impeccable cast—probably, for no film in the past awards season was I as upset as for this beautiful, touching, and tragic story.
Sean Durkin's film 'The Iron Claw' is in wide release, an award-contending film about 80s wrestling, in which a father can do anything, except be a father.
Open materialWe are plunged headlong into a rollercoaster of emotional and physical destruction of Fritz von Erich's sons, who subjects them to inhuman trials, disregarding their dreams and desires, treating them not as his children, and not even as people—rather, he sees them as akin to thoroughbred horses or purebred fighting dogs. Not seeing, and seemingly not noticing, either good or bad, except for his own ideals, while the pain of his loved ones does not subside, and funerals follow one after another.
Constricted by patriarchal standards, the von Erich brothers found the greatest strength and rewards not in championships, but in rare moments of unity with each other, both happy and sad, which is why the final scenes cannot help but break the heart.
Lera Denisova
5th place – 'Poor Things'
The most audience-friendly film by Yorgos Lanthimos, which overshadowed Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' in the past awards season. 'Poor Things' still inherits the director's stylistic traditions, however, if absurdism and flamboyance could have repelled viewers from his previous films, in this film everything looks organic. Colorful landscapes and interiors, huge puff sleeves, peculiar dog-geese, combined with the magical, underrated soundtrack by Jerskin Fendrix, create a completely unique world of the Victorian era.
Bella Baxter, assembled from two bodies and revived by electricity like good old Frankenstein, fully reflects this madness in her very existence. However, there is something more in her that some may have failed to see behind the layers of nudity, cruelty, and capriciousness. A truly great role by Emma Stone.
4th place – 'Civil War'
How to talk about war without showing brave soldiers in the heat of battle? Alex Garland puts the answer into a road movie. His main characters are reporters traveling from New York to Washington to interview a president who is about to lose a civil war.
In theaters, you can still see the sunset of Western civilization through the eyes of one of the most fashionable independent directors of our time, Alex Garland. About why 'Civil War' is an interesting
Open materialThe author of 'Annihilation' and 'Ex Machina' does not delve into the causes of the conflict, does not show how it all began, who is right, who is wrong. He looks at everything with a neutral gaze, the gaze of a journalist who is an outside observer, not a participant in events. He lets the viewer draw conclusions themselves. As after reading a quality article in which the reporter takes a principled neutral position and acts as a relay of events, not their critic.
On their journey, the heroes will encounter fanatics; people who are simply trying to survive; and even an entire settlement whose residents pretend that the hostilities do not concern them. But every person they meet invariably bears the imprint of war, as do the heroes themselves. They want to appear impartial skeptics, but with each scene, each plot twist, the viewer sees how deeply the misfortunes of the people captured on camera settle in the memory, and then in the souls of the journalists. Professional deformation affects both young and old.
War changes people, Garland is not the first to say this. But even despite the bloody path traveled, only you decide who you ultimately remain.
3rd place – 'Late Night with the Devil'
David Dastmalchian is an actor whose filmography consists of roles in films by Christopher Nolan , Denis Villeneuve , as well as in projects of the DC and Marvel cinematic universes. It is all the more surprising that 'Late Night with the Devil' is the first film in which he was trusted to play the central character of the story, which, hopefully, broke his personal curse as a purely supporting performer. The directorial debut of the Cairnes brothers can rightfully be called so far .
The late-night show format is not popular in Russia: the only big example was 'Evening Urgant', whose fate is unfortunately unclear now. 'Late Night with the Devil' is rather
Open materialA parody horror film stylized as an American 'late night show' from the 70s can hardly be called a frightening spectacle, but it is impossible to deny its undeniable merits, which include a truly eerie atmosphere and organically embedded homages. This is more of a unique viewer experience, so authentic in its imitation of the spirit of the times that one can inadvertently believe in the reality of the story of a lost Halloween broadcast, straight from the turbulent American seventies.
2nd place – 'Past Lives'
At the very beginning of 2023, when it was shown in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, critics, as often happens, started saying that 'we will see this film at the Oscars', debutante Celine Song would go far, and another A24 project would become an event of almost planetary scale. In the end, that's what happened—the intimate drama about (un)fulfilled love not only reached Oscar nominations but also Russian theaters, and now found itself almost at the very top of our ranking.
On February 29, the melodrama 'Past Lives' is released in Russian theaters, which became the directorial debut of Celine Song and has already received two Oscar nominations in the categories 'Best Film' and
Open materialThe story is very simple: a boy Hae Sung and a girl Na Young grow up in Seoul and experience their first love—mutual and very real. Then Na Young's family unexpectedly moves to America, so the children end up on opposite sides of the ocean, lose each other for many years, and only in adulthood find each other on social media: they get to know each other again and try to understand if they feel anything for each other and if so, what to do about it. A quiet drama about missed happiness, played by three wonderful actors Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro (the latter plays an American Jew—Na Young's young husband) and striking in its precision in every sense. The direction is the embodiment of what we call 'playing in half-tones'; and it's amazing how Celine Song skillfully avoids both clichés and—even more valuable—predictability until the very last frame.
The result is a film that prefers the confusion of doubting characters to conventional drama. A story that seems to deliberately avoid unambiguity and coalesces into a single melancholic experience, where happiness and unhappiness eventually disappear as categories. Instead, each of us simply has our own lives: one real and several past ones.
1st place – 'Dune: Part Two'
The triumphant march continues! Denis Villeneuve's film not only topped our ranking, becoming the best of the half-year, but also opened a new era for science fiction franchises (and it could have missed the mark with the second part). The scale and ambition of 'Dune' are comparable to the legendary 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Wars', and its potential can captivate audiences for years to come.
Around the world (even where it shouldn't), without exaggeration, the most anticipated film of the year is thundering—'Dune: Part Two'. Denis Villeneuve returns viewers to Arrakis and again for almost 3 hours
Open materialWe will long admire the landscapes of Arrakis and Timothée Chalamet. It is impossible not to note the entire brilliant cast, which after the second part garnered even more applause. And the franchise continues to reveal new talents.
Perhaps the secret of 'Dune's success lies in the synergy of all its elements. Mesmerizing sound design, stunning visual effects, luxurious costumes, enchanting soundtracks that we add to our playlists, charismatic characters, deeply developed lore, political and religious intrigues, philosophical reflections—all this merges into a single sand symphony, conducted by one of the best directors of our time. It's no wonder foreign critics have dubbed the film with the concise but all-encompassing word 'masterpiece'. 'Dune' has become a phenomenon, and that cannot be taken away from it.
Which film did you like the most in the first half of 2024?
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