2023 was a very eventful year for film novelties. Auteur films, superheroics, and long-awaited Hollywood blockbusters from Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig competed for the love of viewers. Which films were especially memorable and beloved — film c...
2023 was a good and fruitful year in cinema. Films of various genres, concepts, and plots competed for the audience's attention. Interesting auteur statements were released, such as 'Anatomy of a Fall', 'Beau Is Afraid', 'The Feelings of Anna', 'Holiday in October', 'Copenhagen Does Not Exist', and 'How to Have Sex'. At the same time, there were more mainstream premieres like 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3', 'The Flash', 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves', 'The Marvels', and 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom'. 2023 was also the year of the 'old masters', as Ridley Scott, Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Michael Mann, and William Friedkin (who, sadly, did not live to see the premiere) released their films. But some of the main cinematic events of 2023 were Hayao Miyazaki's new film and 'Barbenheimer', which tore through the summer box office and broke Tom Cruise's heart with his 'Mission: Impossible'.
There were plenty of reasons to laugh, cry, and cringe in the outgoing year. Which films especially touched the soul, gave bright emotions, and inspired interesting thoughts — told us by filmmakers from different fields: from film criticism to film distribution.
Film Bloggers and Channel Authors
Ksenia Balyuk, author of the channel 'What Was That'
'Infinity Pool', directed by Brandon Cronenberg
Nothing is as it seems — hinted from the first minutes, when the mesmerizing shots of an idyllic resort begin to rotate menacingly, and later the masks that are worn for the local holiday do not adorn their owners but disfigure them. In the same way, human vices turn inside out, rotten souls are exposed. Moral decay can no longer be stopped.
In Cronenberg Jr.'s delightfully beautiful social science fiction, corporeality and humanity are inseparable: technologies that transform the outer shell are needed to indicate their impact or, conversely, the lack of influence on human nature. Violence begets violence, and the viewer is invited to see where permissiveness leads. A powerful psychedelic in every sense: both for the eyes and for the mind.
Dmitry Sergienko, author of the channel 'Jarmusch on Vacation'
'The Passenger', directed by Carter Smith
A young guy, Randy, works as a loser at a roadside burger joint. He is an outsider who can be pushed around, have his nose rubbed in the dirty floor, and not get paid for his work. Benson, his quiet colleague, is of a different breed. When the hapless Randy is bullied once again, Benson picks up a shotgun and opens the door to the bloody plot of 'The Passenger'.
We have an indie thriller about the road adventures of two broken individuals whose childhood traumas manifest through aggression and withdrawal.
The unhurried, somewhat exaggerated, and at times quite radical narrative may leave you perplexed, but by the finale the ideas unfold, the images sink into the heart, and the film truly gives reason to reflect on the course of life and the injustices that accompany it.
Through the prism of aggression and cruelty, the director awakens empathy in the viewer and allows them to feel the root causes of such behavior. I clearly felt the authors' message and after watching this destructive thriller, I went and hugged my one-year-old son harder than ever. An excellent auteur thriller that, along with the big hits of the outgoing year, did not slip from memory, leaving strong impressions.
Anastasia Agapova, author of the channel Lazy Editor
'The Holdovers', directed by Alexander Payne
Winter break at Barton Academy is not happiness for everyone. Most students will leave campus to spend time with family; a few, unfortunately, will be unlucky enough to stay without relatives. What could be worse than loneliness? Loneliness at Christmas. However, don't rush to be sad.
'The Holdovers' is the most touching film of the year, a Christmas miracle from a postcard printed in the 70s. It charmed with its warmth and light sadness, reminding us again of faith in people. And it seems there are many of us charmed. How can you not fall in love with the main trio of unhappy loners? A young rebel, a cafeteria manager, and a history of antiquity teacher met — sounds like a joke (only better). By the way, a special compliment for the choice of academic discipline — 2023 without reflections on the Roman Empire is not 2023.
On the internet you can (and should) find Alexander Payne's new film, the New Year comedy 'The Holdovers' – a deep and surprisingly warm movie, for which one of the smartest directors A
Open materialThe hit of this winter has staked its place in the future — the status of a new holiday classic is formalized in almost every text. It's simple: Payne offers no surprises. Plot twists are predictable, opposites attract, the necessary decorations are in place. The Christmas tree, however, is crooked, but the snow globe is still mesmerizing when shaken.
The main characters will also shake themselves up. Happy New Year!
Gleb Leshchenko, author of the channel 'Simply About Cinema'
'Fair Play', directed by Chloe Domont
The events of the film take place in several locations (apartment, office, bar), and there is a lot of dialogue, but the film is incredibly interesting to watch because of the well-written and gradually escalating conflict between the main characters.
First, we are shown their love and strong connection, and then after the woman's promotion at work, their relationship begins to deteriorate, causing both to do incredible things. The conflict develops gradually, and thanks to this, one can observe the process of the breakdown of the relationship and trust between two people.
The film can be called both an erotic thriller and a social drama. Thanks to this mixture of genres, 'Fair Play' turned out to be an interesting, provocative, frank film that briskly and inventively reveals the painful topic of female superiority over men for many.
Natasha Anopa, reviewer for Russo Rosso, film critic and author of the channel Abramacabre!
'The Outwaters', directed by Robbie Joe Banfitch
In the endless multitude of existing and yet-to-be-made horror films about unhappy vacations and failed trips, 'The Outwaters' is perhaps the most chthonic.
The pseudo-documentary idyllic biography of the characters gives way to a mess of events that defy adequate description and interpretation. The eventful vinaigrette and endless camera shaking will divide viewers into two: some will call the film chaotic and spineless, others will recognize it as a triumph of chaos and madness.
The alchemical formula 'as above, so below' is more relevant than ever, because both above and below is hell, the boundaries of which are smeared in all possible dimensions. Only if in Dante's hell it is systematized and souls are sorted, then Robbie Banfitch's hell is a huge cesspool in which everything is crushed, ground, and mixed.
'The Outwaters' partly resembles Shinya Tsukamoto's 'Haze' in its form, but goes much further — the cracked earth is sprinkled with liters of blood, and the multi-frequency extraterrestrial noise tears the eardrums.
Wherever the characters actually ended up — in an endless bad trip, hell, or limbo — everything eventually ceases to matter, because each of them will first lose memory, then body, and finally sanity. What remains? According to Banfitch — hopeless darkness and indifferent non-existence, in which, if you listen, the repeated words of one of the characters sound: 'Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?'
Exarch-compiler of the channel 'Bresson's Hands'
'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves', directed by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
I want to step away from Scorsese and Lanthimos, who this year undoubtedly made grandiose and praiseworthy films destined to remain in history and regularly appear in the tops of professionals and amateurs, and turn to comfortable, like a pajama set, audience cinema.
2023 is more favorable than ever to tabletop role-playing games with the Dungeons & Dragons system at the forefront: the video game Baldur's Gate 3 destroyed competitors and skeptics, returning hardcore to gamers, and the spring fantasy blockbuster by Jonathan Goldstein and John F. Daley — faith in the possibility of an adequate adaptation of even such monstrous material as a role-playing game from the 70s.
In 'Dungeons & Dragons' you will not find a deeply developed plot, a serious dramatic line, or a dominant authorial figure. All this is completely lost in bouts of concentrated childhood happiness when a party of silly, constantly bickering over some trifle characters escapes from a fat dragon. The film by Goldstein and Daley is the most accurate adaptation of a role-playing game, where the main reward is the fun of the participants. And 'Dungeons & Dragons' passes this test with a considerable head start.
Anastasia Sviridova, author of the channel Cinemacritix
'Ferrari', directed by Michael Mann
Michael Mann made his 'Oppenheimer' — a film that, when I start writing and remembering it, brings tears to my eyes again. At the center of the plot is the charismatic and complex man Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), who together with his wife creates legendary racing cars: a cold piece of iron with an engine capable of elevating to the pedestal of glory or killing in a split second. Throughout the film, the already strained relationship between Enzo and his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) heats up to the maximum, and at times Penélope boldly steals scenes and becomes the real 'fuel' of the story. A stunning and brutal film without censorship and fabricated romance of racing, perfectly revealing how reckless humanity is.
Vladimir Loginov, author of the channel 'Cinema Fire'
'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse', directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin Thompson, Kemp Powers
It's not often that creators manage to make a sequel on the level of the original, but this year Sony not only repeated the level of 2018 but surpassed it with their new 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'! It would seem, how will they surprise us if the visuals were already admired five years ago, and we've gotten used to Miles because he started appearing in other Marvel projects?
But it turns out it's simple — they made a cartoon with countless different versions of Spider-Man, each unique, and showed many different worlds with unique styles! I didn't think Sony could still surprise us visually, but they did! For almost two and a half hours, it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen, and you constantly want to pause to examine all the details! The only thing stopping me from saying 'this is the best cartoon I've ever seen' is that the second part is not a complete story, and the plot is still difficult to evaluate because it cuts off mid-sentence.
Ilya Dolenko, author of the channel 'DolenKino'
'Io capitano', directed by Matteo Garrone
Matteo Garrone's piercing, anxious, and surprisingly classical in structure film 'Io capitano' swam firmly into my head and, it seems, is not going to leave it. The Italian director perceives his native country and Europe as a whole not as another location, but as a mythical goal that must be reached through a painful and thorny path.
Garrone, with the help of 16-year-old Senegalese Seydou Sarr, created a stunning human view of the descent into Hades that so many people face in their attempts to move to Europe, dreaming of a better life. In his Odyssey, Seydou is broken but never defeated. The most ordinary boy who just wants to make music proves that he has the heart and resilience to navigate a world filled with monsters.
The film does not parasitize on suffering and nihilism. Throughout the journey, despite all the chaos, we see a glimmer of hope for humanity. Garrone literally transports us into a dream, intricately showing magical realism in the African spirit. Only towards the end of the film does it fully dawn that the director has again made a fairy tale, a story about an African prince without a father, overcoming a series of trials on his path to self-realization and masculinity. An epic, personal film with scenes of harsh inhumanity and dreamy surrealism. Surprising, shocking, and terrifying right up to the final credits.
Film Distribution Companies
Team of the film distribution company A-One
The guys from the A-One team had differing opinions, each had their own memorable film of 2023.
Vasilisa Shpot, 'Infinity Pool' (directed by Brandon Cronenberg)
Amazing Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth in Brandon Cronenberg's new film, little can be better than this. I really liked the plot: a couple on vacation at an elite resort, meeting another couple, everything is fine, accidental murder, and then complete madness. At the same time, it's shot, as always with Cronenberg, stylishly and very beautifully.
Victoria Lymar, 'The Animal Kingdom' (directed by Thomas Cailley)
In this another difficult year, I would like to remind humanity once again that we are all different and it is important to accept each other and learn to live in peace. Thomas Cailley talks about this in many ways in 'The Animal Kingdom', where a wave of mutations sweeps the planet, causing some people to begin turning into animals. But, as often happens, the most terrible creature, unfortunately, turns out to be man.
Ksenia Laevskaya, 'Beau Is Afraid' (directed by Ari Aster)
'Beau Is Afraid' by director Ari Aster is the most expensive project of A24 studio to date and a film that flopped at the box office. But the opportunity to watch it on the big screen is an incredible gift for all film lovers.
If you love absurdity, phantasmagoria, cameos, and Joaquin Phoenix — just trust Ari Aster, he won't let you down. If you are anxious, love paranoia, and don't like self-irony — lock the doors and trust no one.
Vsevolod Torkhov, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (directed by Martin Scorsese)
Calling Martin Scorsese's film the best of the year is akin to a forbidden move, but I can't help it — his new film 'Killers of the Flower Moon' turned out to be so monumental, beautiful, and insightful.
The most remarkable thing is that with age, Scorsese has not turned into an observing dry stick, but still approaches each new story with all his emotional intelligence, compassion, and empathy. And, of course, he envelops them in a unique and elusive form, thanks to which 3 and a half hours seem like a gift to the heart and eyes of any film lover.
Daria Dyakova, 'Past Lives' (directed by Celine Song)
Celine Song's debut film won my heart. The director captured the work of memories and showed how they can turn other people into projections for our confused desires.
'Past Lives' is a story about friendship, love, regret for what might have been. It is a subtle reflection on life here and now, an exquisite commentary on the inextricable connection with the past. The film is made with genuine sincerity. This is due to the narrative sensuality and autobiographical nature of the story — painfully romantic and deeply philosophical. Celine Song conveyed the feeling of fleeting time and touchingly told a story about endless possibilities.
Kristina Smirnova, 'How to Have Sex' (directed by Molly Manning Walker)
A film with a title that everyone and their mother has joked about is in my top of the year not only because we at A-ONE released it in theaters. Molly Manning Walker in her debut managed to honestly and without moralizing show the difficult period of growing up and remind that sometimes desperate fun is an attempt to cope with desperate loneliness.
Team of the film distribution company 'Pro:vzglyad'
'Anatomy of a Fall', directed by Justine Triet
For us, the best film of the year is 'Anatomy of a Fall' by Justine Triet. Two and a half hours that keep you on edge from start to finish. The first honest look at a 21st-century family, where each spouse has their own life and their own ambitions. A film about truth, deftly juggling viewer perception. Finally, the absolutely brilliant Sandra Hüller, from whom it is impossible to look away.
We are proud that we were able to bring it to Russia. We rejoice at every award: from the Palme d'Or in May to four European Film Awards in December. Waiting for the Oscar!
Team of the film distribution company Kino.Art.Pro
'La Chimera', directed by Alice Rohrwacher
The film of 2023 from our team is, of course, the mesmerizing 'La Chimera' by Alice Rohrwacher. The film was first shown at Cannes, where it was met with nine-minute standing ovations. We also fell in love with this sad fairy tale about lost love with a magnificent cast and magical visuals, so we decided to give viewers a gift and release the film on January 1, the first day of 2024.
We are absolutely sure that this story about the wanderings of a sad Briton, played by Josh O'Connor, is one of the most notable auteur films of 2023. What is the magic? Behind the adventure film about treasure hunting lies a sad love story, references to the myths of Ancient Greece and Italian history. Rohrwacher traditionally weaves elements of magical realism into her work, and we follow her, trying to understand what is a dream and what is reality.
In general, we advise everyone to give themselves a New Year's gift and surprise their eyes with a surprisingly beautiful film with a magical plot. 'La Chimera' will not leave anyone indifferent. Special screenings will begin on December 29, so look for it in cinemas!
Team of the film distribution company ArtHouse
The guys from the ArtHouse team had differing opinions, they chose two films that they remembered in 2023.
'The Cage Is Looking for a Bird', directed by Malika Musaeva
On the one hand, I don't want to use the word 'important' in relation to Musaeva's film, as it is clear that this is not a universal word: for some it will be, for others it won't. But I don't want to pick another word either. Malika's film is truly important. Quiet, laconic, but because of this even more emotional and loud. A feature film about a part of a non-fictional world in which we all happened to be born.
'Amanda', directed by Carolina Cavalli
We were lucky to get this film into our catalog and show it to Russian viewers last summer. Carolina Cavalli's witty debut about isolated Italian women — one has difficulty communicating with people and tries to avoid it as much as possible, the other does not leave the house and minimizes communication with a loved one. Cavalli, in a filigree and exceptional way, voices a well-known truth: a person needs a person.
Veronika Turova, PR Director of the production film company METRAFILMS
'Fairytale', directed by Alexander Sokurov
The first thing that comes to mind when asked about the best film of 2023 is 'Fairytale' by Alexander Sokurov. For me, this is the main film of the year in terms of content, in terms of how coolly real footage is used there instead of deepfake or staging. This is a jewel-like, finest, and powerful work. I was lucky to watch this film twice. It's a pity that viewers will not be able to watch it in cinemas, on the big screen, as intended. But it's great that at least there is an opportunity to see such a film on the internet. You can't miss this.
Actors
Maria Shumakova, actress, screenwriter
'Coup de chance', directed by Woody Allen
The best film of the year is not the easiest question this year, because, unfortunately, many film premieres, as it happened, we could not watch, especially in good quality in the cinema.
This year, from the film premieres, I remember Woody Allen's film 'Coup de chance'. Firstly, the director is of advanced age. And we don't know how many more works he will be able to make. Secondly, again, I don't want to sound ageist, but it's brilliant that a person at such an age works so wonderfully with the audience. In my opinion, Woody Allen has created an absolutely unique style, he knows how to tell a simple, anecdotal situation, but at the same time easily, virtuosically, when you are never bored, when scary moments become funny, and funny ones become scary.
Plus, I haven't been to Paris for a very long time, I really miss this city. In 'Coup de chance' there is a lot of France, Paris, and it's very cool to watch French actors who fit very harmoniously into Woody Allen's reality. After all, in recent years we have become accustomed to the fact that his films are abundantly represented by Hollywood actors, stars, but here there are mainly French actors, many of whom we do not know. And yet the film does not lose anything from this.
I'm a big fan. I like the combination of lightness, at the same time profundity, irony again, and probably one of the important arguments that I find in cinema — yes, a film can be very deep, you can think about it for a long time afterwards, reflect, some kind of catharsis happens, something opens up in you, but I believe that initially cinema was created as a kind of attraction, and no matter how deep the film is, I think it is very important that the viewer is not bored, that the director makes the film for the audience. And Woody Allen has that, he makes cinema for the audience, without betraying himself.
Lisa Shakira, actress
'Take and Remember', directed by Baibulat Batullin
This year I didn't manage to see many films, especially in the cinema, because I think home viewing is a bit different. But the film that I noted for myself this year, and it became my amulet and source of incredibly warm, touching emotions, my impulse to communicate with loved ones and family, is Baibulat Batullin's film 'Take and Remember'.
It was a breath of fresh air, it was a reminder of my childhood. It was something so honest, sincere, life-like. Even talking about this film, it fills me up and brings a smile, although I watched this film quite a long time ago. My best film of my 2023 is 'Take and Remember'.
Hopes for 2024
Should we expect something good from 2024? Definitely. We will finally be able to see what Denis Villeneuve has prepared for us in the second part of 'Dune', why Ryan Reynolds is so worried about spoilers for the third 'Deadpool', what the duo of Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga will be like in 'Joker: Folie à Deux', and whether George Miller can make an effective return to the Mad Max universe with 'Furiosa'.
In addition, A24 is already heating up interest in the new film 'Civil War' by Alex Garland. And we are waiting for their other projects in Russian distribution — 'Dream Scenario' and 'Priscilla'. And we can only hope that 2024 will be more successful for Marvel (and for us when watching their films), and that Disney's losing streak will finally end (and they will find a couple of interesting ideas).
So let's hold on with all our might for the remaining week of December and enter the new year with hopes that it will give us even more great cinema experiences and delight us with new film discoveries and meetings with already beloved characters.
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