There’s a trigger warning note at the beginning of “Blink Twice†that seems a bit excessive.
Once the film unfolds, however, you understand why it’s there.
“Blink Twice†is a highly upsetting film – particularly when you realize it’s something that could happen.
Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her roommate Jess (Alia Shawkat) serve as waiters at a gala hosted by a tech giant, Slater King (Channing Tatum), who is coming back from some unidentified “problem.â€
The event is lavish and, sure enough, the two servers figure out how to mingle with the rich and mighty after they’ve passed a tray of appetizers. When Frida falls, the person who’s there to help her is none other than Slater. He expresses considerable interest and invites the two to his private island for a getaway.
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There, everything is provided. The guests don’t have to worry about food, clothing or fun and can basically relax. Drink and drugs are plentiful and then one of the guests goes missing.
That’s essential to the story and the start of “Blink Twice’s†problems. While this easily could be a commentary on the culture that led to #MeToo, there’s enough here that others could find unsettling.
In Jordan Peele’s hands, the concept could work. Zoe Kravitz, however, isn't quite sure where she wants to point the finger. As director, she exhibits great visual style but gets into murkier territory with the story. It wants to head everywhere.
Immediately, “Epstein’s Island†comes to mind when you see the hosts and their guests. Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment and Simon Rex are among the men entertaining the women. They’re a mixed bag (particularly when stirred with Kyle MacLachlan as a therapist and Geena Davis as Slater’s sister). Dinners have a creepy, “try this†tone and soon guests are passing out.
When Frida decides to cool it on the drugs, she gets a clearer head and realizes all is not what it seems.
She finds an ally in a contestant from a “Survivorâ€-like show and begins her escape. Unfortunately, Kravitz doesn’t view that as a way to right the wrongs but as one to turn the tables. That’s where “Blink Twice†loses its power.
Ackie and Tatum are fine in their roles; Slater is overdone and Rex has potential. But this is one of those “what if?†dramas that makes you want to exit, not learn more.
When Kravitz gets to her big “a-ha†ending, “Blink Twice†becomes a means to an end, not an end to a problem.
The best movies of 2024
#25. Ghostlight
- Directors: Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes
A story about the healing power of art, "Ghostlight" follows a grieving construction worker who processes the death of his teenage son through a community theater production of "Romeo and Juliet." Messy, pure, and earnest, the film features an actual family of actors (partners Keith Kupferer and Tara Mallen and their daughter Katherine Mallen Kupferer), making everything feel incredibly real.
#24. Janet Planet
- Director: Annie Baker
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Run time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Set in the early '90s, this drama follows a hippie mother (Julianne Nicholson) and her preteen daughter (Zoe Ziegler) over the course of one slow summer as they spend nearly all of their time together and confront changes in their relationship. The movie is the feature directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker, who also wrote the screenplay.
#23. Crossing
- Director: Levan Akin
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Run time: 1 hour 46 minutes
Following a promise she made to her dying sister, a retired teacher heads to Istanbul in search of her transgender niece. Her path soon crosses with a young man on a quest of his own, and the story of "Crossing" unfolds from there. The setting and cinematography are half the draw here, which, combined with the quiet emotional through line of the film, make "Crossing" one of the year's most worthy watches.
#22. Evil Does Not Exist
- Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Run time: 1 hour 46 minutes
The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 80th Venice Film Festival, "Evil Does Not Exist" is a Japanese film about the residents of a small village who are pushing back against the development of the forest they live near. Described as by NPR, "Evil Does Not Exist" is far from predictable with an ending that leaves audiences with plenty to think about.
#21. Terrestrial Verses
- Directors: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 1 hour 17 minutes
In this Iranian film, directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami follow nine individuals as they face off against different iterations of power in the Middle Eastern country. At times comedic and difficult, the stories examine the way certain codes of behavior (whether dictated by culture or religion) can often be used as a channel for more deeply held prejudices.
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#20. Between the Temples
- Director: Nathan Silver
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Run time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Jason Schwartzman stars in this comedy-drama about a widowed cantor whose grade school music teacher seeks his wisdom in prepping for her adult bat mitzvah. Aptly described by The New York Times as a "," "Between the Temples" offers a unique look at how our toughest moments are often dotted with comedy. The movie's helps to create a viewing experience "as volatile and hilarious as it is sweet and profound," per The Associated Press.
#19. Sing Sing
- Director: Greg Kwedar
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
A prison drama unlike any you've seen before, "Sing Sing" is about a man who has been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit but finds purpose in a theater group composed of fellow incarcerated men. Colman Domingo plays the lead role, and much of who participated in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, a decision that gives the project an authenticity it may not have had otherwise.
#18. His Three Daughters
- Director: Azazel Jacobs
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Exploring themes of sisterhood, loss, and grief, "His Three Daughters" follows three estranged sisters as they reunite to prepare for their father's death in his tiny New York City apartment. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne, the Netflix original is being touted as and has even garnered Oscar buzz for Lyonne in the Best Supporting Actress category.
#17. Chicken for Linda!
- Directors: Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Run time: 1 hour 13 minutes
In this animated film, a mother sets out to make amends with her daughter by cooking her favorite meal, despite her lack of culinary knowledge and a strike that's essentially shut down their city. The French project is playful and emotional, exploring themes like grief and memory in ways that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
#16. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
- Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes
"Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" sets out to show that "Superman" star Christopher Reeve was just as much a hero in real life as he was on-screen. The intimate documentary covers the whole of the actor's life, from his early days in Hollywood in the 1970s through his meteoric rise as the man of steel. From there, the film explores the 1995 horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed, his second act as a disability rights advocate, and his death at 52 in 2004.
Moving and emotional, the film contains never-before-seen footage from the Reeve family's personal home movie collection as well as lengthy interviews with his three children and Hollywood A-listers like Whoopi Goldberg and Susan Sarandon.
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#15. Daughters
- Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes
"Daughters" made its debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won awards from audiences and festival insiders alike. This emotional documentary follows four girls preparing for a father-daughter dance with their incarcerated dads. It jumps back and forth between the girls' lives and their fathers' as they go through an intense 10-week parenting course in preparation for the event. The movie provides a fresh look at the way the American prison system affects all of those it touches.
#14. The Wild Robot
- Director: Chris Sanders
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 8.5
- Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
An adaptation of the book series of the same title, "The Wild Robot" is a family-friendly animated movie about a robot named Roz who must figure out how to survive after being shipwrecked on a remote island. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara, among others, the film has a timely message for audiences about chosen families and what defines a family in the first place. Critics have praised how deftly "The Wild Robot" , noting that, unlike other kids' movies that force some nudge-nudge-wink-wink jokes for adults, the .
#13. Close Your Eyes
- Director: VÃctor Erice
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 49 minutes
"Close Your Eyes" is a pessimistic meditation on memory, identity, and cinema from 84-year-old Spanish director Victor Erice. Told across two timelines, it follows the disappearance of an actor in the middle of a film shoot in the '90s and the present-day reinvestigation of the mystery. Clocking in at almost three hours, its leisurely pace won't be for everyone, but those willing to go along for the ride will be rewarded with a touching, thought-provoking ending.
#12. I Saw the TV Glow
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Metascore: 86
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Dubbed by NPR, "I Saw the TV Glow" centers on two teenagers who bond over a supernatural TV series only to have their lives go off the rails years after the show's cancellation. Produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary's company Fruit Tree, the movie stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is far more unsettling than may have led viewers to believe.
#11. Good One
- Director: India Donaldson
- Metascore: 87
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes
"Good One" follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias), her father, and her father's longtime friend as they embark on a weekend hike in the Catskill Mountains. The journey, which may sound picturesque on the surface, proves to be anything but when the men let past issues bubble to the surface and put Sam in a position that's well beyond her years. Critics rave about almost every aspect of "Good One," from to the , and director India Donaldson's absolute refusal to hold audiences' hands through its .
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#10. Pictures of Ghosts
- Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archival footage, for the way it inspires a ", and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home." Meanwhile, IndieWire hailed the documentary's celebratory spirit, noting that Filho gives it "."
#9. About Dry Grasses
- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 3 hours 17 minutes
This Turkish-language drama centers on a teacher who finds his future threatened after a female student alleges inappropriate contact. As is the case with many of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's projects, the movie is slow and sparse, with a strong . The New Yorker called it "," stressing that it "brims with a bitingly melancholy Chekhovian spirit," something that's sure to appeal to certain moviegoers.
#8. Green Border
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Run time: 2 hours 32 minutes
as "the best and most important film to be released in the U.S. so far this year," "Green Border" examines the ongoing European refugee crisis. Set on the border of Belarus and Poland, the movie is gorgeously shot in black and white and manages to perfectly walk the line between real and melodramatic. It's a must-watch for any politically minded viewer.
#7. La Chimera
- Director: Alice Rohrwacher
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Set in the '80s, "La Chimera" centers on a lovelorn archaeologist who unwittingly finds himself as the head of a ragtag gang of grave robbers, stealing artifacts and passing them on to a mysterious buyer. The Guardian called it "," noting that its tone—and the way it teems with life—is one of the best things about it. Meanwhile, Slant loved the way it and its effect on all of our lives.
#6. Sugarcane
- Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes
National Geographic documentary "Sugarcane" looks at the abuse and death that transpired in a Canadian Indian residential school system, following survivors and investigators as they learn what went on behind closed doors in one of the more troubling parts of the country's history. While the movie is a difficult watch, it's also a powerful one, relying not on talking-head or gritty reenactment approaches, but rather inviting audiences to sit alongside those most affected by the program. A must-see, "Sugarcane" won the Directing Award for documentaries at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
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#5. Tótem
- Director: Lila Avilés
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The National Board of Review named "Tótem" one of the , which is as winning of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project is about a 7-year-old girl celebrating her father's birthday and struggling to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie "" and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés' "generous, open-ended" style.
#4. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
- Director: Neo Sora
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Called "" by The New York Times, "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus" is the pianist's final performance. There are no interviews or introductions in the film, it's simply 103 minutes of the Japanese artist sitting at his piano playing some of his greatest hits. While it may not sound like the most exciting film the year has had to offer, the space it offers for contemplation is unlike anything else the big screen has given us.
#3. Here
- Director: Bas Devos
- Metascore: 92
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Dubbed "" by The New York Times, Bas Devos' "Here" follows the lives of a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese academic who studies moss. Their lives, which have almost no reason to intersect, inevitably do in the most unusual of places. The quiet film is beautifully photographed and captures a sense of connection where "nothing much and everything happens—or could," according to the Times.
#2. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Director: Thien An Pham
- Metascore: 94
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 2 hours 59 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" centers on a young Vietnamese man navigating the unexpected loss of a family member and grappling with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the movie won director Thien An Pham the Camera d'Or, the award given to the best debut feature. Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project's (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has earned praise from critics internationally.
#1. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
- Director: Radu Jude
- Metascore: 95
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 2 hours 43 minutes
In this black comedy, a production assistant is tasked with shooting a workplace safety video, only to find their plans upended when an interviewee makes a surprising statement. Completely unique in its form (it's a mix of new footage; edited excerpts of another 1981 film, "Angela merge mai departe"; and the main character's TikTok videos), Variety called the movie a ", an all-fronts-at-once attack on the zeitgeist, and a mischievous, often hilarious work of art about the artifice of work."
Data reporting by Luke Hicks and Rob Powell. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin and Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
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#25. Evil Does Not Exist
- Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Run time: 1 hour 46 minutes
The winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 80th Venice Film Festival, "Evil Does Not Exist" is a Japanese film about the residents of a small village who are pushing back against the development of the forest they live near. Described as by NPR, "Evil Does Not Exist" is far from predictable with an ending that leaves audiences with plenty to think about.
#24. Terrestrial Voices
- Directors: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 1 hour 17 minutes
In this Iranian film, directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami follow nine individuals as they face off against different iterations of power in the Middle Eastern country. At times comedic and difficult, the stories examine the way certain codes of behavior (whether dictated by culture or religion) can often be used as a channel for more deeply held prejudices.
#23. Between the Temples
- Director: Nathan Silver
- Metascore: 83
- IMDb user rating: 6.3
- Run time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Jason Schwartzman stars in this comedy-drama about a widowed cantor whose grade school music teacher seeks his wisdom in prepping for her adult bat mitzvah. Aptly described by The New York Times as a "," "Between the Temples" offers a unique look at how our toughest moments are often dotted with comedy. The movie's helps to create a viewing experience "as volatile and hilarious as it is sweet and profound," per The Associated Press.
#22. His Three Daughters
- Director: Azazel Jacobs
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Exploring themes of sisterhood, loss, and grief, "His Three Daughters" follows three estranged sisters as they reunite to prepare for their father's death in his tiny New York City apartment. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne, the Netflix original is being touted as and has even garnered Oscar buzz for Lyonne in the Best Supporting Actress category.
#21. Sing Sing
- Director: Greg Kwedar
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
"Sing Sing" is a prison drama unlike any you've seen before. It centers on a man who has been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit but finds purpose in a theater group composed of fellow incarcerated men. Colman Domingo plays the lead role, and much of who participated in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, a decision that gives the project an authenticity it may not have had otherwise.
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#20. Youth (Hard Times)
- Director: Wang Bing
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Run time: 3 hours 47 minutes
"Youth (Hard Times)" is the second installment in a documentary trilogy about a group of young textile workers in China. Shot between 2015 and 2019, the film sees tensions increasing between its subjects and the profit-driven managers who run the factories. The project perfectly encapsulates what it's like to struggle to survive on too little despite one's own country experiencing unprecedented economic expansion. Critics, like those at , praise the way "Youth (Hard Times)" explores the downfalls of capitalism, namely the way that the all-consuming grind can force its workers to "[lose] one's sense of the world outside, and the very experiences that make one human."
#19. Chicken for Linda!
- Directors: Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Run time: 1 hour 13 minutes
In this animated film, a mother sets out to make amends with her daughter by cooking her favorite meal, despite her lack of culinary knowledge and a strike that's essentially shut down their city. The French project is playful and emotional, exploring themes like grief and memory in ways that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
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#18. Dahomey
- Director: Mati Diop
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 8 minutes
"Dahomey" is a documentary feature that follows the return of 26 artifacts that French troops once stole from the Kingdom of Dahomey (in the present-day republic of Benin), following a massive campaign for their reparation. Rather than taking a strong stance on reparations in general—in terms of whether or not they're enough to right the wrongs of the past—the movie elects to, as put it, "observe [the process] lovingly, encouraging dialogue on and off screen." That approach is crystallized through the , written and voiced by Haitian author Makenzy Orcel.
#17. Daughters
- Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes
"Daughters" made its debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won awards from audiences and festival insiders alike. This emotional documentary follows four girls preparing for a father-daughter dance with their incarcerated dads. It jumps back and forth between the girls' lives and their fathers' as they go through an intense 10-week parenting course in preparation for the event. The movie provides a fresh look at the way the American prison system affects all of those it touches.
#16. A Real Pain
- Director: Jesse Eisenberg
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain" follows two cousins (Eisenberg and "Succession" standout Kieran Culkin) who embark on a journey through Poland following the death of their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. called Culkin's highly emotional performance one of the best of the year, praising its raw and organic feel. Meanwhile, Eisenberg's script won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where the project premiered in January 2024.
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#15. The Wild Robot
- Director: Chris Sanders
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
An adaptation of the book series of the same title, "The Wild Robot" is a family-friendly animated movie about a robot named Roz who must figure out how to survive after being shipwrecked on a remote island. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara, among others, the film has a timely message for audiences about chosen families and what defines a family in the first place. Critics have praised how deftly "The Wild Robot" , noting that, unlike other kids' movies that force some nudge-nudge-wink-wink jokes for adults, the .
#14. Close Your Eyes
- Director: VÃctor Erice
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 49 minutes
"Close Your Eyes" is a pessimistic meditation on memory, identity, and cinema from 84-year-old Spanish director Victor Erice. Told across two timelines, it follows the disappearance of an actor in the middle of a film shoot in the '90s and the present-day reinvestigation of the mystery. Clocking in at almost three hours, its leisurely pace won't be for everyone, but those willing to go along for the ride will be rewarded with a touching, thought-provoking ending.
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#13. I Saw the TV Glow
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Metascore: 86
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Dubbed by NPR, "I Saw the TV Glow" centers on two teenagers who bond over a supernatural TV series only to have their lives go off the rails years after the show's cancellation. Produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary's company Fruit Tree, the movie stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is far more unsettling than may have led viewers to believe.
#12. Good One
- Director: India Donaldson
- Metascore: 87
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes
"Good One" follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias), her father, and her father's longtime friend as they embark on a weekend hike in the Catskill Mountains. The journey, which may sound picturesque on the surface, proves to be anything but when the men let past issues bubble to the surface and put Sam in a position that's well beyond her years. Critics rave about almost every aspect of "Good One," from to the , and director India Donaldson's absolute refusal to hold audiences' hands through its .
#11. Pictures of Ghosts
- Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archival footage, for the way it inspires a ", and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home." Meanwhile, IndieWire hailed the documentary's celebratory spirit, noting that Filho gives it "."
You may also like:
#10. About Dry Grasses
- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 3 hours 17 minutes
This Turkish-language drama centers on a teacher who finds his future threatened after a female student alleges inappropriate contact. As is the case with many of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's projects, the movie is slow and sparse, with a strong . The New Yorker called it "," stressing that it "brims with a bitingly melancholy Chekhovian spirit," something that's sure to appeal to certain moviegoers.
#9. Green Border
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Run time: 2 hours 32 minutes
as "the to be released in the U.S. so far" in 2024, "Green Border" examines the ongoing European refugee crisis. Set on the border of Belarus and Poland, the movie is gorgeously shot in black and white and manages to perfectly walk the line between real and melodramatic. It's a must-watch for any politically minded viewer.
#8. Sugarcane
- Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes
National Geographic documentary "Sugarcane" looks at the abuse and death that transpired in a Canadian Indian residential school system, following survivors and investigators as they learn what went on behind closed doors in one of the more troubling parts of the country's history. While the movie is a difficult watch, it's also a powerful one, relying not on talking-head or gritty reenactment approaches, but rather inviting audiences to sit alongside those most affected by the program. A must-see, "Sugarcane" won the Directing Award for documentaries at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
#7. La Chimera
- Director: Alice Rohrwacher
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Set in the '80s, "La Chimera" centers on a lovelorn archaeologist who unwittingly finds himself as the head of a ragtag gang of grave robbers, stealing artifacts and passing them on to a mysterious buyer. The Guardian called it "," noting that its tone—and the way it teems with life—is one of the best things about it. Meanwhile, Slant loved the way it and its effect on all of our lives.
#6. Anora
- Director: Sean Baker
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 2 hours 19 minutes
The romantic dramedy "Anora" follows the ill-fated marriage of a Brooklyn-born stripper and the immature son of a Russian oligarch. Described by multiple outlets as a the film won the top prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the coveted Palme d'Or. Relative newcomer Mikey Madison's , as is Yura Borisov's supporting turn as Igor. Outlets like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and others currently list "Anora" as a frontrunner to possibly win Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars.
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#5. Tótem
- Director: Lila Avilés
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The National Board of Review named "Tótem" one of the , which is as winning of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project is about a 7-year-old girl celebrating her father's birthday and struggling to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie "" and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés' "generous, open-ended" style.
#4. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
- Director: Neo Sora
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Called "" by The New York Times, "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus" is the pianist's final performance. There are no interviews or introductions in the film, it's simply 103 minutes of the Japanese artist sitting at his piano playing some of his greatest hits. While it may not sound like the most exciting film the year has had to offer, the space it offers for contemplation is unlike anything else the big screen has given us.
#3. Here
- Director: Bas Devos
- Metascore: 92
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Dubbed "" by The New York Times, Bas Devos' "Here" follows the lives of a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese academic who studies moss. Their lives, which have almost no reason to intersect, inevitably do in the most unusual of places. The quiet film is beautifully photographed and captures a sense of connection where "nothing much and everything happens—or could," according to the Times.
#2. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Director: Thien An Pham
- Metascore: 94
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 2 hours 59 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" centers on a young Vietnamese man navigating the unexpected loss of a family member and grappling with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the movie won director Thien An Pham the Camera d'Or, the award given to the best debut feature. Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project's (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has earned praise from critics internationally.
#1. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
- Director: Radu Jude
- Metascore: 95
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 2 hours 43 minutes
In this black comedy, a production assistant is tasked with shooting a workplace safety video, only to find their plans upended when an interviewee makes a surprising statement. Completely unique in its form (it's a mix of new footage; edited excerpts of another 1981 film, "Angela merge mai departe"; and the main character's TikTok videos), Variety called the movie a ", an all-fronts-at-once attack on the zeitgeist, and a mischievous, often hilarious work of art about the artifice of work."
Data reporting by Luke Hicks, Rob Powell, and Wade Zhou. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin and Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
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#25. His Three Daughters
- Director: Azazel Jacobs
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Exploring themes of sisterhood, loss, and grief, "His Three Daughters" follows three estranged sisters as they reunite to prepare for their father's death in his tiny New York City apartment. Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne, the Netflix original is being touted as and has even garnered Oscar buzz for Lyonne in the Best Supporting Actress category.
#24. Sing Sing
- Director: Greg Kwedar
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
"Sing Sing" is a prison drama unlike any you've seen before. It centers on a man who has been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit but finds purpose in a theater group composed of fellow incarcerated men. Colman Domingo plays the lead role, while much of who participated in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program—a decision that gives the project an authenticity it may not have had otherwise.
#23. Youth (Hard Times)
- Director: Wang Bing
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Run time: 3 hours 47 minutes
"Youth (Hard Times)" is the second installment in a documentary trilogy about a group of young textile workers in China. Shot between 2015 and 2019, the film sees tensions increasing between its subjects and the profit-driven managers who run the factories. The project perfectly encapsulates what it's like to struggle to survive on too little despite one's own country experiencing unprecedented economic expansion. Critics, like those at , praise the way "Youth (Hard Times)" explores the downfalls of capitalism, namely the way that the all-consuming grind can force its workers to "[lose] one's sense of the world outside, and the very experiences that make one human."
#22. Chicken for Linda!
- Directors: Sébastien Laudenbach, Chiara Malta
- Metascore: 84
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Run time: 1 hour 13 minutes
In this animated film, a mother sets out to make amends with her daughter by cooking her favorite meal, despite her lack of culinary knowledge and a strike that has essentially shut down their city. The French project is playful and emotional, exploring themes like grief and memory in ways that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
#21. Daughters
- Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes
"Daughters" made its debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won awards from audiences and festival insiders alike. This emotional documentary follows four girls preparing for a father-daughter dance with their incarcerated dads. It jumps back and forth between the girls' lives and their fathers' as they go through an intense 10-week parenting course in preparation for the event. The movie provides a fresh look at the way the American prison system affects all of those it touches.
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#20. The Wild Robot
- Director: Chris Sanders
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
An adaptation of the book series of the same title, "The Wild Robot" is a family-friendly animated movie about a robot named Roz who must figure out how to survive after being shipwrecked on a remote island. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara, the film has a timely message for audiences about chosen families and what defines a family in the first place. Critics have praised how deftly "The Wild Robot" , noting that, unlike other kids' movies that force some nudge-nudge-wink-wink jokes for adults, the .
#19. Close Your Eyes
- Director: VÃctor Erice
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 49 minutes
"Close Your Eyes" is a pessimistic meditation on memory, identity, and cinema from 84-year-old Spanish director Victor Erice. Told across two timelines, it follows the disappearance of an actor in the middle of a film shoot in the '90s and the present-day reinvestigation of the mystery. Clocking in at almost three hours, its leisurely pace won't be for everyone, but those willing to go along for the ride will be rewarded with a touching, thought-provoking ending.
#18. Dahomey
- Director: Mati Diop
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 8 minutes
"Dahomey" is a documentary feature that follows the return of 26 artifacts that French troops once stole from the Kingdom of Dahomey (in the present-day republic of Benin), following a massive campaign for their reparation. Rather than taking a strong stance on reparations in general—in terms of whether or not they're enough to right the wrongs of the past—the movie elects to, as put it, "observe [the process] lovingly, encouraging dialogue on and off screen." That approach is crystallized through the , written and voiced by Haitian author Makenzy Orcel.
#17. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Run time: 2 hours 48 minutes
Equal parts family drama and political thriller, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" follows an Iranian investigator and his wife and daughters as they grapple with his political promotion, societal upheaval, and the general paranoia that accompanies both. The fictional story of the film is interspersed with real footage of the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for allegedly not properly wearing her hijab—footage that the government went to great lengths to suppress.
Relatedly, the entire film was shot in secret without any official permission in order to provide a more realistic depiction of what life in the patriarchal country is like. Many have praised the bold decision, but it's also one that has made director Mohammad Rasoulof an exile.
#16. A Real Pain
- Director: Jesse Eisenberg
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain" follows two cousins (Eisenberg and "Succession" standout Kieran Culkin) who embark on a journey through Poland following the death of their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. called Culkin's highly emotional performance one of the best of the year, praising its raw and organic feel. Meanwhile, Eisenberg's script won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where the project premiered in January 2024.
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#15. I Saw the TV Glow
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Metascore: 86
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Dubbed by NPR, "I Saw the TV Glow" centers on two teenagers who bond over a supernatural TV series only to have their lives go off the rails years after the show's cancellation. Produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary's company Fruit Tree, the movie stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is far more unsettling than may have led viewers to believe.
#14. Good One
- Director: India Donaldson
- Metascore: 87
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes
"Good One" follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias), her father, and her father's longtime friend as they embark on a weekend hike in the Catskill Mountains. The journey, which may sound picturesque on the surface, proves to be anything but when the men let past issues bubble to the surface and put Sam in a position that's well beyond her years. Critics rave about almost every aspect of "Good One," from to the , and director India Donaldson's absolute refusal to hold audiences' hands through its .
#13. Pictures of Ghosts
- Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archival footage, for the way it inspires a ", and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home." Meanwhile, IndieWire hailed the documentary's celebratory spirit, noting that Filho gives it "."
#12. About Dry Grasses
- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 3 hours 17 minutes
This Turkish-language drama centers on a teacher who finds his future threatened after a female student alleges inappropriate contact. As is the case with many of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's projects, the movie is slow and sparse, with a strong . The New Yorker called it "," stressing that it "brims with a bitingly melancholy Chekhovian spirit," something that's sure to appeal to certain moviegoers.
#11. Green Border
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Run time: 2 hours 32 minutes
as "the to be released in the U.S. so far" in 2024, "Green Border" examines the ongoing European refugee crisis. Set on the border of Belarus and Poland, the movie is gorgeously shot in black and white and manages to perfectly walk the line between real and melodramatic. It's a must-watch for any politically minded viewer.
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#10. Sugarcane
- Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 7.8
- Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes
National Geographic documentary "Sugarcane" looks at the abuse and death that transpired in a Canadian Indian residential school system, following survivors and investigators as they learn what went on behind closed doors in one of the more troubling parts of the country's history. While the movie is a difficult watch, it's also a powerful one, relying not on talking-head or gritty reenactment approaches, but rather inviting audiences to sit alongside those most affected by the program. A must-see, "Sugarcane" won the Directing Award for documentaries at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
#9. La Chimera
- Director: Alice Rohrwacher
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Set in the '80s, "La Chimera" centers on a lovelorn archaeologist who unwittingly finds himself as the head of a ragtag gang of grave robbers, stealing artifacts and passing them on to a mysterious buyer. The Guardian called it "," noting that its tone—and the way it teems with life—is one of the best things about it. Meanwhile, Slant loved the way it and its effect on all of our lives.
#8. Anora
- Director: Sean Baker
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 2 hours 19 minutes
The romantic dramedy "Anora" follows the ill-fated marriage of a Brooklyn-born stripper and the immature son of a Russian oligarch. Described by multiple outlets as a the film won the top prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the coveted Palme d'Or. Relative newcomer Mikey Madison's , as is Yura Borisov's supporting turn as Igor. Outlets like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and others currently list "Anora" as a frontrunner to possibly win Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars.
#7. Tótem
- Director: Lila Avilés
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The National Board of Review named "Tótem" one of the , which is as great of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project is about a 7-year-old girl celebrating her father's birthday and struggling to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie "" and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés' "generous, open-ended" style.
#6. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
- Director: Neo Sora
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Called "" by The New York Times, "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus" is the titular pianist's final performance. There are no interviews or introductions in the film, it's simply 103 minutes of the Japanese artist sitting at his piano playing some of his greatest hits. While it may not sound like the most exciting film the year has had to offer, the space it offers for contemplation is unlike anything else the big screen has given us.
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#5. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
- Director: Johan Grimonprez
- Metascore: 92
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This multilayered documentary explores the events that led up to the Feb. 15, 1961 demonstration at the United Nations following the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A compilation of news footage, audio memoirs, essays, and the jazz music of greats like Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, the film explores how African self-determination was undermined by the world's powers at a time when racial segregation was still a massive issue on the homefront.
"Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" is certainly not a light watch, but it's absolutely a worthwhile one. As Wendy Ide of The Guardian put it, the film is "" and "a breathtaking, ideas-packed journey."
#4. Here
- Director: Bas Devos
- Metascore: 92
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Dubbed "" by The New York Times, Bas Devos' "Here" follows the lives of a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese academic who studies moss. Their lives, which have almost no reason to intersect, inevitably do in the most unusual of places. The quiet film is beautifully photographed and captures a sense of connection where "nothing much and everything happens—or could," according to the Times.
#3. All We Imagine as Light
- Director: Payal Kapadia
- Metascore: 94
- IMDB user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 1 hour 58 minutes
"All We Imagine as Light" follows three women (two nurses and one hospital cook) in Mumbai, India, as they search for belonging and connection. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called it "." She added that it's the kind of international movie that features "characters who look and sound like real people," but it's also so quiet that it could "get lost amid the year-end glut of Oscar-grubbing titles."
"All We Imagine as Light" was the first Indian film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years, and it took home the Grand Prix. The film is also up for , including for director Payal Kapadia, whose Best Director nomination is a first for an Indian filmmaker.
#2. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Director: Thien An Pham
- Metascore: 94
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 2 hours 59 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" centers on a young Vietnamese man navigating the unexpected loss of a family member and grappling with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the movie won director Thien An Pham the Camera d'Or, the award given to the best debut feature. Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project's (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has earned praise from critics internationally.
#1. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
- Director: Radu Jude
- Metascore: 95
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 2 hours 43 minutes
In this black comedy, a production assistant is tasked with shooting a workplace safety video, only to find their plans upended when an interviewee makes a surprising statement. Completely unique in its form (it's a mix of new footage; edited excerpts of another 1981 film, "Angela merge mai departe"; and the main character's TikTok videos), Variety called the movie a ", an all-fronts-at-once attack on the zeitgeist, and a mischievous, often hilarious work of art about the artifice of work."
Data reporting by Luke Hicks, Rob Powell, and Wade Zhou. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin and Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
You may also like:
#25. Daughters
- Directors: Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes
"Daughters" made its debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, where it won awards from audiences and festival insiders alike. This emotional documentary follows four girls preparing for a father-daughter dance with their incarcerated dads. It jumps back and forth between the girls' lives and their fathers' as they go through an intense 10-week parenting course in preparation for the event. The movie provides a fresh look at the way the American prison system affects all of those it touches.
#24. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Director: Mohammad Rasoulof
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Run time: 2 hours 48 minutes
Equal parts family drama and political thriller, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" follows an Iranian investigator and his wife and daughters as they grapple with his political promotion, societal upheaval, and the general paranoia that accompanies both. The fictional story of the film is interspersed with real footage of the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested for allegedly not properly wearing her hijab, footage that the government went to great lengths to suppress.
Relatedly, the entire film (which was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Non-English Language Motion Picture category) was shot in secret without any official permission in order to provide a more realistic depiction of what life in the patriarchal country is like. Many have praised the bold decision, but it's also one that has made director Mohammad Rasoulof an exile.
#23. The Wild Robot
- Director: Chris Sanders
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
An adaptation of the book series of the same title, "The Wild Robot" is a family-friendly animated movie about a robot named Roz who must figure out how to survive after being shipwrecked on a remote island. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O'Hara, the film has a timely message for audiences about chosen families and what defines a family in the first place.
Critics have praised how deftly "The Wild Robot" , noting that, unlike other kids' movies that force some nudge-nudge-wink-wink jokes for adults, the . Many predict the film is all but guaranteed to be nominated in the at the Oscars.
#22. Close Your Eyes
- Director: VÃctor Erice
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 2 hours 49 minutes
"Close Your Eyes" is a pessimistic meditation on memory, identity, and cinema from 84-year-old Spanish director Victor Erice. Told across two timelines, it follows the disappearance of an actor in the middle of a film shoot in the '90s and the present-day reinvestigation of the mystery. Clocking in at almost three hours, its leisurely pace won't be for everyone, but those willing to go along for the ride will be rewarded with a touching, thought-provoking ending.
#21. Dahomey
- Director: Mati Diop
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 8 minutes
"Dahomey" is a documentary feature that follows the return of 26 artifacts that French troops once stole from the Kingdom of Dahomey (in the present-day republic of Benin), following a massive campaign for their reparation. Rather than taking a strong stance on reparations in general—in terms of whether or not they're enough to right the wrongs of the past—the movie elects to, as put it, "observe [the process] lovingly, encouraging dialogue on and off screen." That approach is crystallized through the , written and voiced by Haitian author Makenzy Orcel.
You may also like:
#20. A Real Pain
- Director: Jesse Eisenberg
- Metascore: 85
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain" follows two cousins (Eisenberg and "Succession" standout Kieran Culkin) who embark on a journey through Poland following the death of their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. called Culkin's highly emotional performance one of the best of the year, praising its raw and organic feel.
The performance earned Culkin the Best Supporting Actor prize at the Golden Globes in January 2025. Meanwhile, Eisenberg's script won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where the project premiered in January 2024. "A Real Pain" was also named one of the top 10 films of the year at the American Film Institute Awards in December 2024.
#19. I Saw the TV Glow
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Metascore: 86
- IMDb user rating: 5.8
- Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Dubbed by NPR, "I Saw the TV Glow" centers on two teenagers who bond over a supernatural TV series only to have their lives go off the rails years after the show's cancellation. Produced by Emma Stone and Dave McCary's company Fruit Tree, the movie stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine and is far more unsettling than may have led viewers to believe. The film was nominated for three Gotham Awards in 2024 and is nominated for five Independent Spirit Awards, including for Best Feature.
#18. Flow
- Director: Gints Zilbalodis
- Metascore: 86
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 1 hour 25 minutes
At the January 2025 ceremony, "Flow" took home the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, essentially cementing its position as an Oscar nominee. The indie film is unlike the Disney and Pixar movies that the Academy tends to honor with the Best Animated Feature award; the dialogue-free film was made entirely using the open-source 3D modeling software Blender and is a coproduction between Latvia, Belgium, and France.
The movie, which follows a group of animals who band together to survive a devastating flood, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section in May 2024. "Flow" has since gone on to earn critical acclaim for avoiding the saccharine sweetness that plagues many animated releases. One reviewer for said the film "shimmers with the essence of life and the spirit of selfless cooperation."
#17. Good One
- Director: India Donaldson
- Metascore: 87
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes
"Good One" follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias), her father, and her father's longtime friend as they embark on a weekend hike in the Catskill Mountains. The journey, which may sound picturesque on the surface, proves to be anything but when the men let past issues bubble to the surface and put Sam in a position that's well beyond her years. Critics rave about almost every aspect of "Good One," from to the , and director India Donaldson's absolute refusal to hold audiences' hands through its .
#16. Hard Truths
- Director: Mike Leigh
- Metascore: 87
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Run time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Nearly three decades after "Secret & Lies" cemented its place in cinematic history in 1996, director Mike Leigh and actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste have reunited for "Hard Truths." The film offers a hard-hitting but compassionate look at the realities of life in our modern-day world. It centers on Pansy (Jean-Baptiste), who's clinically depressed, as she navigates her various personal relationships, including the one with her happy-go-lucky sister Chantelle (Michele Austin).
Jean-Baptiste's performance, in particular, has been and called the by various film critics, from The Associated Press to The Boston Globe. She's been nominated for awards in various critics circles, including winning in December 2024.
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#15. Pictures of Ghosts
- Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes
In this documentary, filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits his life in Brazil, recalling its glory days through the prism of the various cinemas he frequented as a child. The New York Times praised the film, which combines both new and archival footage, for the way it inspires a ", and those complicated, invariably haunted places we call home." Meanwhile, IndieWire hailed the documentary's celebratory spirit, noting that Filho gives it "."
#14. About Dry Grasses
- Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Metascore: 88
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Run time: 3 hours 17 minutes
This Turkish-language drama centers on a teacher who finds his future threatened after a female student alleges inappropriate contact. As is the case with many of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's projects, the movie is slow and sparse, with a strong . The New Yorker called it "," stressing that it "brims with a bitingly melancholy Chekhovian spirit," something that's sure to appeal to certain moviegoers.
#13. Nickel Boys
- Director: RaMell Ross
- Metascore: 89
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Run time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Dubbed "" by Little White Lies, "Nickel Boys" is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Colson Whitehead novel of the same name. It follows two young Black men sent to a highly abusive reform school (based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys in Florida) in the 1960s and the effect it has on the rest of their lives. The movie was named the best film of the year by the National Society of Film Critics and was nominated for several major awards, including a Golden Globe and five Critics Choice Awards. While "Nickel Boys" isn't an easy watch, it's certainly an impactful one.
#12. Green Border
- Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 6.4
- Run time: 2 hours 32 minutes
Described by in June as "the to be released in the U.S. so far" in 2024, "Green Border" examines the ongoing European refugee crisis. Set on the border of Belarus and Poland, the movie is gorgeously shot in black and white and manages to perfectly walk the line between real and melodramatic. It's a must-watch for any politically minded viewer.
#11. Sugarcane
- Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
- Metascore: 90
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes
National Geographic documentary "Sugarcane" looks at the abuse and death that transpired in a Canadian Indian residential school system, following survivors and investigators as they learn what went on behind closed doors in one of the more troubling parts of the country's history. While the movie is a difficult watch, it's also a powerful one, relying not on talking-head or gritty reenactment approaches, but rather inviting audiences to sit alongside those most affected by the program. A must-see, "Sugarcane" won the Directing Award for documentaries at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and Best Documentary from the National Board of Review in December 2024.
You may also like:
#10. La Chimera
- Director: Alice Rohrwacher
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Set in the '80s, "La Chimera" centers on a lovelorn archaeologist who unwittingly finds himself as the head of a ragtag gang of grave robbers, stealing artifacts and passing them on to a mysterious buyer. The Guardian called it "," noting that its tone, and the way it teems with life, is one of the best things about it. Meanwhile, Slant loved the way it and its effect on all of our lives.
#9. Anora
- Director: Sean Baker
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Run time: 2 hours 19 minutes
The romantic dramedy "Anora" follows the ill-fated marriage of a Brooklyn-born stripper and the immature son of a Russian oligarch. Described by multiple outlets as a the film won the top prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the coveted Palme d'Or. Relative newcomer Mikey Madison's , as is Yura Borisov's supporting turn as Igor. As of January 2025, outlets like , , and others currently list "Anora" as a frontrunner to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars.
#8. Tótem
- Director: Lila Avilés
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The National Board of Review named "Tótem" one of the in 2023, which is as great of an endorsement as one could hope to receive. The Mexican project, which received a wide release in 2024, is about a 7-year-old girl celebrating her father's birthday and struggling to come to terms with the fact that it will likely be his last. Variety called the movie "" and commended filmmaker Lila Avilés' "generous, open-ended" style.
#7. The Brutalist
- Director: Brady Corbet
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 3 hours 35 minutes
"The Brutalist" is an epic period drama that follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Jewish architect who moves from Hungary to America after surviving the Holocaust. Soon, he finds his life changed both for better and for worse when he encounters a wealthy client named Harrison Lee Van Buren.
The movie has been praised for its cinematography, production design, and the performances of its three stars— Brody, Felicity Jones (who plays Erzsébet, László's wife), and Guy Pearce (who plays Van Buren). But it's the film's depiction of the American dream that cements it as "," according to outlets like Vogue—that, and the fact that it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama in January 2025.
#6. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
- Director: Johan Grimonprez
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This multilayered documentary explores the events that led up to the Feb. 15, 1961 demonstration at the United Nations following the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A compilation of news footage, audio memoirs, essays, and the jazz music of greats like Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, the film explores how African self-determination was undermined by the world's powers at a time when racial segregation was still a massive issue on the homefront.
"Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" is certainly not a light watch, but it's absolutely a worthwhile one. As Wendy Ide of The Guardian put it, the film is "" and "a breathtaking, ideas-packed journey." It won numerous awards throughout 2024 and is up for Best Documentary at the Independent Spirit Awards in February 2025.
You may also like:
#5. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
- Director: Neo Sora
- Metascore: 91
- IMDb user rating: 8.1
- Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Called "" by The New York Times, "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus" is the titular pianist's final performance. There are no interviews or introductions in the film, it's simply 103 minutes of the Japanese artist sitting at his piano playing some of his greatest hits. While it may not sound like the most exciting film the year has had to offer, the space it provides for contemplation is unlike anything else the big screen has given us.
#4. Here
- Director: Bas Devos
- Metascore: 92
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Run time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Dubbed "" by The New York Times, Bas Devos' "Here" follows the lives of a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese academic who studies moss. Their lives, which have almost no reason to intersect, inevitably do in the most unusual of places. The quiet film is beautifully photographed and captures a sense of connection where "nothing much and everything happens—or could," according to the Times.
#3. All We Imagine as Light
- Director: Payal Kapadia
- Metascore: 94
- IMDB user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 1 hour 58 minutes
"All We Imagine as Light" follows three women (two nurses and one hospital cook) in Mumbai, India, as they search for belonging and connection. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called it "." She added that it's the kind of international movie that features "characters who look and sound like real people," but it's also so quiet that it could "get lost amid the year-end glut of Oscar-grubbing titles."Ìý
"All We Imagine as Light" was the first Indian film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years, and it took home the Grand Prix. The film was also nominated for , including Payal Kapadia's Best Director nomination, a first for an Indian filmmaker.
While "All We Imagine as Light" has a shot to get nominated in a few categories (including Best Picture) at the Academy Awards, it was shockingly left out of contention for one crucial Oscars race. The movie was an international coproduction of companies from France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy, but none of those countries selected it as their submission for Best International Feature Film for the 2024 Academy Awards, which was .
#2. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Director: Thien An Pham
- Metascore: 94
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Run time: 2 hours 59 minutes
Straddling the line between surrealism and realism, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" centers on a young Vietnamese man navigating the unexpected loss of a family member and grappling with larger questions of faith, god, and the afterlife. At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the movie won director Thien An Pham the Camera d'Or, the award given to the best debut feature.
Outlets like IndieWire have gushed over the project's (there are long, uninterrupted shots that run for up to 20 minutes at a time), which has earned praise from critics internationally. "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" has won a handful of awards since Cannes and is up for two Independent Spirit Awards, which will be announced in February 2025.
#1. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
- Director: Radu Jude
- Metascore: 95
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Run time: 2 hours 43 minutes
In this black comedy, a production assistant is tasked with shooting a workplace safety video, only to find their plans upended when an interviewee makes a surprising statement. Completely unique in its form (it's a mix of new footage; edited excerpts of another 1981 film, "Angela merge mai departe"; and the main character's TikTok videos), Variety called the movie a ", an all-fronts-at-once attack on the zeitgeist, and a mischievous, often hilarious work of art about the artifice of work."
Data reporting by Luke Hicks, Rob Powell, and Wade Zhou. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin and Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
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