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Look back on a great year with ILT’s top 10 films of 2023…Follow ILT on twitter @iltfilm
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10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Dir: Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson

One of the most anticipated films of the year following the success of 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse carried an overwhelming weight of expectation on it shoulders. Prestige animated sequels are not all that common, so when the opportunity comes around, they need to deliver. And boy, does Spider-Verse deliver. Not since Pixar’s Toy Story 2 has an animated sequel truly challenged the original, going bigger and bolder, while stretching the innovation of big screen animation to limits previously unseen. Spider-Verse is a truly mind-blowing cinematic experience, with mesmerizing visuals and a unique, ever-evolving style that utilizes the multiverse setting to its fullest. It doesn’t rely on the novelty of the multiverse, instead it reinvents it to tell a smart, deeply personal story of family, friendship, and coming-of-age for Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and their cohort of unique Spider-People. It’s also hilarious, with writing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller continuing to justify their humorous reputation. One of the finest comic book movies you’ll see, this is better than most, if not all live action Marvel entries.
Watch the trailer here…

9. Seagrass

Dir: Meredith Hama-Brown

The debut feature of Vancouver filmmaker Meredith Hama-Brown is an emotionally raw depiction of family instability amidst a culture of underlying racism in mid-1990s British Columbia. Told through the eyes of a family of four at a couples retreat to help save the marriage of parents Judith (Ally Maki) and Steve (Luke Roberts), Seagrass is a slow-burning downward spiral that spotlights race as a point of increasing tension for Judith, who, like Hama-Brown, is Japanese-Canadian. What was considered normal in the ’90s is of course completely overt today, which makes for distressing and effective sequences as Hama-Brown explores the complex racial dynamic facing Judith and her girls at that moment in time. The heart of Seagrass is its dismantling of the family relationship. The sisters rarely see their parents fight, but their intuition and reaction to the brewing destruction is beautifully channeled, not only by Hama-Brown’s writing and direction, but by two outstanding performances from Nyha Huang Breitkreuz and Remy Marthaller, who carry their scenes effortlessly, despite the challenging material.
Watch a clip from Seagrass here…
Read ILT’s interview with Meredith Hama-Brown here…

8. Poor Things

Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

Nothing can prepare you for how much Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo fuck in Poor Things. It’s wild and really, really funny, representing the blackest of black Yorgos Lanthimos humour as Ruffalo’s sleazy lawyer uses, abuses, and finally falls for Stone’s Bella Baxter, a reanimated woman with the brain of a dead infant. Yes, Poor Things is fucked up, asking brutal questions of men’s obsession with controlling women and of women’s capacity to forge their own path in a society insistent on throwing up roadblocks at every single turn. Stone produces a juggernaut of a performance, running over everyone in her path, including a gleeful scenery-chewing turn from Ruffalo and the masterful veteran presence of Willem Dafoe as God, Bella’s creator. Poor Things is not a great feminist document, rather a reminder that young, exploited, and undervalued people are smarter than you think and will always have the potential to dramatically shift the dynamic of power when underestimated.
Watch the trailer here…

7. Asteroid City

Dir: Wes Anderson

If anyone can pull off a play within a documentary within a film, it’s Wes Anderson. Like all his films, the world of Asteroid City is slightly off kilter, a surreal version of the 1950s, where extraterrestrials and nuclear test sites populate the deserts of the American West. From beginning to end, the fictional town of Asteroid City is a joy to be a part of. In the custom Anderson fashion, every technical aspect pops off the screen, from the framing to the cinematography to the costumes. The real gem is Anderson’s script, which weaves amusing sci-fi hijinks with a deep, visually driven love story, all brought to life by his traditional cast of ridiculous A-list talent. The headline is Jason Schwartzman’s best performance for years as war photojournalist Augie Steenbeck, matched by Scarlett Johansson as lonely Hollywood actor Midge Campbell. A wonderful experience that’s altogether comforting and blue in every sense of the word, Asteroid City is Anderson at the top of his game.
Watch the trailer here…

6. How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Dir: Daniel Goldhaber

The title may suggest otherwise, but it was hard to know what to expect going in blind to How to Blow Up a Pipeline. What followed was a surprisingly original take on social justice, centred on the quest of eight young people – each heavily impacted by the oil and gas industry – to destroy a pipeline in West Texas using homemade explosives. It’s a mile-a-minute thriller from director, co-writer, and editor Daniel Goldhaber, who crafts a sincere dissection of morality and conviction through an act of eco-terrorism, while bringing true cinematic action chops to the table. There are hints of Ocean’s Eleven in the heist-like element and formation of the crew, and rumbles of Reservoir Dogs in the use of flashbacks to convey character development and motivation. The whole thing comes together perfectly around a cast of largely unknown actors, who combine for a memorable ensemble performance, led by co-writer Ariela Barer. One of the most important films of the year.
Watch the trailer here…

5. Killers of the Flower Moon

Dir: Martin Scorsese

It may take more than one viewing to fully experience everything Killers of the Flower Moon has to offer. Despite its 206-minute runtime, Martin Scorsese’s epic is rich enough in execution and thematic nuance to reward the viewer for revisiting his bleak depiction of greed and devastation in 1920s Osage country. Even then it’s still too long, and the final hour drags as the emphasis on the stupidity of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart increases. The first two acts more than make up for this, as Scorsese pulls no punches in illustrating the horrific crimes committed against wealthy Osage by the cruel, calculating white members of their community, long considered to be friends and allies. Robert De Niro’s King Hale is pure, methodical evil, conveyed through a performance that is completely psychotic yet chillingly restrained. The standout is Lily Gladstone, who brings formidable strength and soul-crushing humanity to the tragic figure of Mollie Kyle. She is the reason Killers sits where it does on this list.
Watch the trailer here…

4. Fallen Leaves

Dir: Aki Kaurismäki

Aki Kaurismäki was a new discovery this year, and what an introduction this is to the Finnish auteur. A romantic tragicomedy with plenty of heart, Fallen Leaves takes place in an almost dreamlike state, as two lonely city dwellers come together to form an unlikely relationship. The world of zero hour shelf-stacker Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and alcoholic labourer Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) feels distant, almost of another time, yet the way they experience it is eerily familiar and at times even comforting in its simplicity, despite the tough lives they lead. Pöysti and Vatanen draw you in with ease, delivering ruthlessly sad performances laced with deadpan humour and just the right amount of hope for a future that can only be taken one day at a time. Janne Hyytiäinen steals the show whenever he’s on screen as Holappa’s bear-like friend Huotari, and credit should go to Kaurismäki for his stark, bone-dry script.
Watch the trailer here…

3. Monster

Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns with a multi-layered depiction of emotional trauma and misdirection that begins as a straightforward tale of a young boy suffering physical and mental abuse from his teacher. What follows is a masterful, mind-bending slow burn, told from the perspectives of Minato, his single mother, and his teacher Mr. Hori. Utilizing a blazing tower block as his bleak notice of transition, Kore-eda spins a disorientating web of deceit and discovery between a group of people so close on the surface, yet miles apart in their interpretation of each other’s reality. Yuji Sakamoto’s script is as rich as it is deceptive, tempting you into wrong turns before finally offering hope of salvation with its final twist. Monster is a challenging, yet satisfying effort from Kore-eda, who embraces the complex themes in combination with Ryuto Kondo’s striking imagery. The characters are often alone on screen and those moments are some of the most powerful, a testament to Kore-eda’s capacity for dramatic empathy.
Watch the trailer here…

2. Oppenheimer

Dir: Christopher Nolan

“This is the most important fucking thing to ever happen in the history of the world!”. During the summer, Matt Damon’s gruff remarks as General Leslie Groves applied not only to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s 1940s Manhattan Project, but to Christopher Nolan’s 2023 study of the concept of nuclear armageddon. As one half of the now legendary Barbenheimer phenomenon, Oppenheimer briefly took over popular culture, an astounding achievement for an incredibly serious three-hour epic about the theoretical physicist who became the father of the atomic bomb. What’s even more impressive is that a traditionally genre-focused director had such a project in him to begin with. As Oppenheimer unfolds, the best aspects of Nolan’s filmography combine seamlessly to the point of dramatic combustion. Set against his ever-present thematic backdrop of space and time, Nolan’s vision is executed with grace, fury, and compassion by a stellar cast far too long to list. It’s a career performance from Cillian Murphy and, come the Academy Awards, could well be Nolan’s finest hour.
Watch the trailer here…

1. Past Lives

Dir: Celine Song

Love. It can be difficult. You know that. So does Celine Song, whose stunning directorial debut Past Lives swirls around you like feathers in the wind, slowly guiding you to its heart-wrenching emotional core. The path there traces the achingly restrained exploration of love, loss, and longing experienced by Song’s three main characters, who exist in an unconventional and wholly intriguing love triangle. When the tension is finally released, the feathers take on the weight of a freight train, smashing through your soul with a primal human power earned by the journey that preceded it. Song’s final frames are not flashy, but rather a summation of the stripped back performances, subtle technical prowess (no shot is wasted), and beautifully raw writing that make up Past Lives. Special praise must go to stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, each of whom embodies their role with brutal honesty and a nuance that delivers so much, both during deep but fleeting conversation, and devastating silent reflection.
Watch the trailer here…

Looking for recommendations from the past decade? ILT can help…
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2022!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2021!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2020!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2019!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2018!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2017!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2016!
ILT’s Top 10 Films of 2015!

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