From ‘Wonka’ to war: The 10 best films of 2023

Introducing my Top 10 films for 2021 in the Monitor, I wrote, “I do hope, in vain perhaps, that in a post-pandemic world, audiences of all ages will once again throng the theaters for all kinds of movies, not just the blockbusters.” 

Well, here we are in 2023, and there’s no getting around it: This was the year of “Barbenheimer.” The surprise double smash of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” has thus far collectively grossed over $2 billion worldwide. At the same time, expected hits such as the “Indiana Jones” and “Mission: Impossible” sequels, as well as a bunch of Marvel movies, were commercial disappointments. What defines a blockbuster has changed, and perhaps for the better. People of all ages lined up to see a campy-edgy comedy about a beloved/derided doll and, of all things, a gargantuan biopic about a moody nuclear physicist.

Does this mean that the theatrical moviegoing experience is back in full force? I am inclined to view the success of these films as one-offs. They were “event” movies, in much the same way as two other huge 2023 hits, both concert films, Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance.”

What still holds true is that most of the more interesting movie work in the United States and abroad is being done outside the calcified studio system, for audiences less inclined these days to troop out to the local multiplex. Even Oscar-centric movies such as Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” with its hefty $200 million price tag, had to secure the bulk of its funding from a streaming service, Apple, after the major studios balked.

The pandemic certainly cut back on Hollywood’s hegemony, and the long-term labor strikes this year will no doubt impact whatever productions are forthcoming. 

But even before these crises, Hollywood was deep into play-it-safe mode, relying on franchises to fill its coffers. My hope is that the burgeoning indie realm will encourage more artistic risk-taking and provide more distribution outlets than the standard theatrical models. The payoff will be a replenishment of movie love for discerning audiences of all ages.

Meantime, there was still much to like this year, even in some of the movies I was mixed about. Before we get to the main course, I’ve included a few appetizers.

“Oppenheimer” aside – and I have reservations about the heroic martyr aspects of that film – probably the best biopic of the year was about a sneaker: “Air.” The seriously satirical “American Fiction” featured a cast, headed by Jeffrey Wright, that was across-the-board top-notch. The highly touted, sexually graphic “Poor Things,” starring Emma Stone, overplays its feminist bona fides but boasts a world-class comic performance from Mark Ruffalo. 

Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” suffers from too many good ideas but at best displays the great Japanese animator’s trademark visionary flights. “The Holdovers” is spotty but nevertheless represents a return to form for Alexander Payne, the rare Hollywood director who still values humans over hardware.

And now, in alphabetical order, my Top 10 list, drawn from movies that first opened, in theaters and/or online, in 2023. 

Anatomy of a Fall – The best reason to see this smart psychological procedural, which sometimes strains to be more than that, is for Sandra Hüller’s uncompromising performance as a famous novelist who may or may not have killed her husband. Her every facial nuance speaks volumes. Justine Triet’s film won the 2023 Palme d’Or at Cannes, that festival’s highest honor. (Rated R; multiple languages with English subtitles)  

Full Time – Writer-director Eric Gravel’s film, paced like a thriller, demonstrates how dramatically rich the working life of a protagonist can be. Laure Calamy plays a harried single mother who works as a chambermaid in an upscale Parisian hotel during a mass transportation strike. Her quicksilver performance is the engine that propels the action. Released early in 2023 and not widely seen, this gem is well worth seeking out. (Not rated; French with English subtitles)

Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros – Frederick Wiseman, our greatest documentarian, in a career spanning almost six decades, has fashioned one of his best. This four-hour film about a legendary family-owned French restaurant in the Loire Valley is about so much more than nouvelle cuisine. Certainly the sumptuous offerings, and what it takes to prepare them, are on full display. But what the movie is really about is the passage, and the transience, of life. (Not rated; French with English subtitles) 

Past Lives – A first feature from writer-director Celine Song, “Past Lives” is about two childhood friends from South Korea who briefly reunite as adults in New York under very different life circumstances. Song’s emotional honesty transforms what could have been a standard rom-com into a deeply expressive work about how our pasts still hold us no matter how old we are. (PG; English and Korean with English subtitles)

R.M.N. – Set in 2019, the Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s searing examination of xenophobia in a rural village has a resonance all too relatable today. The film is the work of an outraged idealist. (Not rated; multiple languages with English subtitles)

The Taste of Things – Benoît Magimel plays a famous Belle Epoque chef and Juliette Binoche is his longtime cook and occasional lover in this sensuous swirl of a movie. As directed by Tran Anh Hung, their interlocking lives are portrayed with such flavor that even the most resplendent sauces on display are outshone. (Not rated; French with English subtitles)

The Teachers’ Lounge – Director Ilker Çatak’s psychological thriller features a harried sixth grade teacher, played spellbindingly well by Leonie Benesch. Her attempt to do the right thing in uncovering a school scandal leads her into a morally compromised morass. It’s the German entry for an Oscar. (PG-13; German with English subtitles)

The Zone of Interest – Hands down the most powerful movie I saw all year. Jonathan Glazer’s film about an Auschwitz commandant and his family is a steady-state study of the inexplicableness of evil. Sandra Hüller, so good in “Anatomy of a Fall,” is equally strong here in a completely different role as the commandant’s wife. There has never been another film like this one, about the Holocaust or about anything else. (PG-13; German and Polish with English subtitles)

20 Days in Mariupol – The Ukrainian photojournalist Mstyslav Chernov chronicled his 20 days in the port city of Mariupol at the start of the Russian invasion. The result has a devastating you-are-there immediacy as he dodges sniper bullets and bunks with medics and civilians under siege. (Not rated; Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles)

Wonka – Rejoice, foodies! This is the third film on the list centered on culinary marvels. Paul King, who directed the wonderful “Paddington” movies, gives us a kinder, gentler Willy Wonka in this jubilantly funny and inventive musical starring Timothée Chalamet as the young chocolatier. (PG)

A few runner-up worthies are also worth tracking down: “The Delinquents,” “Asteroid City,” “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic,” “Plan 75,” “Robot Dreams,” and “The Civil Dead.” 

Peter Rainer is the Monitor’s film critic.