As December’s first full week comes to a close, critics and publications (and John Waters) announce their annual top films of the year list. Next up after Cahiers du cinema and Waters? Sight & Sound has their 50 best films of 2023 ready for cinephiles to read, so let’s take a look at their top ten.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024
And the journal’s #1 film should come as no surprise: Martin Scorsese‘s “Killers Of The Flower Moon” takes Sight & Sound’s top spot for 2023. Scorsese’s latest will likely top many critics’ lists this year, but Sight & Sound especially praised the director’s visuals and spiritual sentiment. “For all the fire-and-brimstone imagery, Scorsese’s peculiarly Catholic sensibility is perhaps most visibly written on these bodies, and Mollie’s in particular,” the publication wrote.
Up next at #2, Jonathan Glazer‘s “The Zone Of Interest.” Glazer’s first film since 2013’s “Under The Skin” screened well at its Cannes premiere, but it doesn’t hit US theaters until next Friday. Still, no surprise that Sight & Sound champions another auteur at its second position. And that’s a trend for many of the journal’s top 10 picks for 2023. Five other directors with signature styles rank in Sight & Sound’s top spots: Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “Poor Things” at #4; Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” at #5; Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” at #6; Ira Sachs‘ “Passages” at #7; and Todd Haynes‘ “May December” at #10.
That leaves three others in the top ten, with Celine Song‘s “Past Lives” taking bronze. Song’s feature debut had a lot of buzz coming out of Sundance in January, and won over audiences easily when it hit theaters, but got a little forgotten about after “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” took center stage this summer. The 2023 Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy Of A Fall” from Justine Trier takes the #8 spot; no surprise to see that one ranked high. And Radu Jude‘s “Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World” lands at #9 on Sight & Sound’s list. Take note, moviegoers: Jude’s film, which premiered at TIFF, has spots on Cahier du cinema’s and John Waters’ lists, too. Expect an official release date for US theaters for that one soon.
Victor Erice‘s “Close Your Eyes,” Andrew Haigh‘s “All Of Us Strangers,” and Todd Field‘s “TÁR” (which didn’t hit UK theaters until earlier this year) land just outside the top 10 for Sight & Sound. But check out BFI’s list here to look at all 50 of their top 2023 movies. Here’s a recap of Sight & Sound’s top 10 below:
Killers Of The Flower Moon, dir. Martin Scorsese
The Zone Of Interest, dir. Jonathan Glazer
Past Lives, dir. Celine Song
Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Oppenheimer, dir. Christopher Nolan
Barbie, dir. Greta Gerwig
Passages, dir. Ira Sachs
Anatomy Of A Fall, dir. Justine Trier
Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World, dir. Radu Jade
May December, dir. Todd Haynes
