Year-End Lists

The Film Stage: Top 50 Films of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
3. May December
   Todd Haynes
4. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
5. Pacifiction
   Albert Serra
6. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
7. Afire
   Christian Petzold
8. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
9. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
10. Anatomy of a Fall
    Justine Triet
11. Fallen Leaves
    Aki Kaurismäki
12. Past Lives
    Celine Song
13. The Boy and the Heron
    Hayao Miyazaki
14. The Killer
    David Fincher
15. All of Us Strangers
    Andrew Haigh
16. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
    Frederick Wiseman
17. Ferrari
    Michael Mann
18. De humani corporis fabrica
    Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
19. Passages
    Ira Sachs
20. Close Your Eyes
    Víctor Erice
21. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola
22. La chimera
    Alice Rohrwacher
23. Poor Things
    Yorgos Lanthimos
24. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
    Radu Jude
25. Youth (Spring)
    Wang Bing
26. The Taste of Things
    Trần Anh Hùng
27. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
    Raven Jackson
28. The Beast
    Bertrand Bonello
29. Here
    Bas Devos
30. The Delinquents
    Rodrigo Moreno
31. The Plains
    David Easteal
32. Trenque Lauquen
    Laura Citarella
33. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
    Daniel Goldhaber
34. Our Body
    Claire Simon
35. Godland
    Hlynur Pálmason
36. Samsara
    Lois Patiño
37. The Iron Claw
    Sean Durkin
38. Bottoms
    Emma Seligman
39. Perfect Days
    Wim Wenders
40. Hit Man
    Richard Linklater
41. Knock at the Cabin
    M. Night Shyamalan
42. The Human Surge 3
    Eduardo Williams
43. Unrest
    Cyril Schäublin
44. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
    William Friedkin
45. Geographies of Solitude
    Jacquelyn Mills
46. Beau Is Afraid
    Ari Aster
47. Hello Dankness
    Soda_Jerk
48. Walk Up
    Hong Sang-soo
49. After Love
    Aleem Khan
50. Sick of Myself
    Kristoffer Borgli

Jeffrey M. Anderson: Top 10 Films of 2023, as published by San Francisco Examiner

[see also 2022 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Past Lives
   Celine Song
3. Priscilla
   Sofia Coppola
4. Fallen Leaves
   Aki Kaurismäki
5. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
   Frederick Wiseman
6. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
7. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
8. May December
   Todd Haynes
9. Earth Mama
   Savanah Leaf
10. Fremont
    Babak Jalali

Runners up

• The Boy and the Heron
  Hayao Miyazaki
• The Holdovers
  Alexander Payne
• The Iron Claw
  Sean Durkin
• John Wick: Chapter 4
  Chad Stahelski
• The Royal Hotel
  Kitty Green
• Skinamarink
  Kyle Edward Ball
• A Thousand and One
  A.V. Rockwell
• The Zone of Interest
  Jonathan Glazer

Guilty pleasures

• Evil Dead Rise
  Lee Cronin
• Flora and Son
  John Carney
• A Haunting in Venice
  Kenneth Branagh
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
  James Mangold
• Silent Night
  John Woo
• The Wrath of Becky
  Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote

La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best Movies of 2023, a survey of programmers, critics, and filmmakers from around the world, posted with entries and notes from each participant

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Fallen Leaves
   Aki Kaurismäki
2. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
   Radu Jude
3. Close Your Eyes
   Víctor Erice
4. Music
   Angela Schanelec
5. The Delinquents
   Rodrigo Moreno
5. Trenque Lauquen
   Laura Citarella

Honorable Mentions

• Afire
  Christian Petzold
• Killers of the Flower Moon
  Martin Scorsese
• The Human Surge 3
  Eduardo Williams
• Anatomy of a Fall
  Justine Triet
• Man in Black
  Wang Bing

Debut Film

• Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
  Phạm Thiên Ân
• Past Lives
  Celine Song

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Nicole Brenez: Best Films of 2023

Jesse Hassenger: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by Paste Magazine

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014]

1. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
3. The Killer
   David Fincher
4. Past Lives
   Celine Song
5. May December
   Todd Haynes
6. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
7. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
8. John Wick: Chapter 4
   Chad Stahelski
9. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
10. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola

Jacob Oller: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by Paste Magazine

[see also 2022 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. The Boy and the Heron
   Hayao Miyazaki
3. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
   Daniel Goldhaber
4. Past Lives
   Celine Song
5. Asteroid City
   Wes Anderson
6. Passages
   Ira Sachs
7. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
   Raven Jackson
8. The Taste of Things
   Trần Anh Hùng
9. May December
   Todd Haynes
10. Kokomo City
    D. Smith

Barack Obama: Favorite Movies of 2023, as posted to Instagram, noting that "I'm biased since these [first three] were produced by Higher Ground, but these are in fact three of the best films I saw this year"

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018]

Produced by Higher Ground

• Rustin
  George C. Wolfe
• Leave the World Behind
  Sam Esmail
• American Symphony
  Matthew Heineman

Other Favorite Movies

• The Holdovers
  Alexander Payne
• BlackBerry
  Matt Johnson
• Oppenheimer
  Christopher Nolan
• American Fiction
  Cord Jefferson
• Anatomy of a Fall
  Justine Triet
• Monster
  Hirokazu Kore-eda
• Past Lives
  Celine Song
• Air
  Ben Affleck
• Polite Society
  Nida Manzoor
• A Thousand and One
  A.V. Rockwell

Peter Travers: The 10 Best Movies of 2023, as aired on ABC News’s Good Morning America

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
1. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
2. Past Lives
   Celine Song
3. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
4. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
5. American Fiction
   Cord Jefferson
6. Maestro
   Bradley Cooper
7. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
8. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
9. May December
   Todd Haynes
10. Barbie
    Greta Gerwig

Sam Adams: Top 10 Movies of 2023, posted as part of the Slate Movie Club and ranked as follows

[see also 2022 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

• Passages
  Ira Sachs
• Past Lives
  Celine Song
• May December
  Todd Haynes
• A Still Small Voice
  Luke Lorentzen
• The Zone of Interest
  Jonathan Glazer
• The Eternal Memory
  Maite Alberdi
• Oppenheimer
  Christopher Nolan
• Our Body
  Claire Simon
• Killers of the Flower Moon
  Martin Scorsese
• Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
  Anna Hints

Eric Kohn: The Best 2023 Movies, published as a guest post on Ted Hope's Substack

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012]

1. De humani corporis fabrica
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
2. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
3. The Delinquents
   Rodrigo Moreno
4. Beau Is Afraid
   Ari Aster
5. Pacifiction
   Albert Serra
6. Tótem
   Lila Avilés
7. 32 Sounds
   Sam Green
8. Infinity Pool
   Brandon Cronenberg
9. The Five Devils
   Léa Mysius
10. The Sweet East
    Sean Price Williams

IndieWire: The 50 Best Movies of 2023, as voted by 158 film critics from around the world

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
3. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
4. Past Lives
   Celine Song
5. May December
   Todd Haynes
6. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
7. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
8. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
9. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
10. Asteroid City
    Wes Anderson
11. Fallen Leaves
    Aki Kaurismäki
12. Showing Up
    Kelly Reichardt
13. All of Us Strangers
    Andrew Haigh
14. The Boy and the Heron
    Hayao Miyazaki
15. Passages
    Ira Sachs
16. American Fiction
    Cord Jefferson
17. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
    Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson
18. Pacifiction
    Albert Serra
19. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
    Kelly Fremon Craig
20. Afire
    Christian Petzold
21. The Killer
    David Fincher
22. Perfect Days
    Wim Wenders
23. Maestro
    Bradley Cooper
24. The Taste of Things
    Trần Anh Hùng
25. Godland
    Hlynur Pálmason
26. John Wick: Chapter 4
    Chad Stahelski
27. You Hurt My Feelings
    Nicole Holofcener
28. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
    Raven Jackson
29. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
    Radu Jude
30. Godzilla Minus One
    Takashi Yamazaki
31. Kokomo City
    D. Smith
32. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola
33. De humani corporis fabrica
    Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
34. Trenque Lauquen
    Laura Citarella
35. A Thousand and One
    A.V. Rockwell
36. Bottoms
    Emma Seligman
37. About Dry Grasses
    Nuri Bilge Ceylan
38. 20 Days in Mariupol
    Mstyslav Chernov
39. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
    Frederick Wiseman
40. Ferrari
    Michael Mann
41. A Still Small Voice
    Luke Lorentzen
42. Four Daughters
    Kaouther Ben Hania
43. Beau Is Afraid
    Ari Aster
44. The Eight Mountains
    Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch
45. Saltburn
    Emerald Fennell
46. The Eternal Memory
    Maite Alberdi
47. La chimera
    Alice Rohrwacher
48. The Settlers
    Felipe Gálvez Haberle
49. Close Your Eyes
    Víctor Erice
50. Eileen
    William Oldroyd