Year-End Lists

Erika Balsom: Best Films of 2023, as submitted to the Sight & Sound Poll

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

1. The Human Surge 3
   Eduardo Williams
2. Trenque Lauquen
   Laura Citarella
3. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
   Radu Jude
4. Youth (Spring)
   Wang Bing
5. Orlando, My Political Biography
   Paul B. Preciado
6. The Shadowless Tower
   Zhang Lü
7. Last Summer
   Catherine Breillat
8. Allensworth
   James Benning
9. A Prince
   Pierre Creton
10. Mambar Pierrette
    Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The 50 Best Films of 2023

Dana Stevens: The 10 Best Movies of 2023, as published by Slate, in alphabetical order

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

• Anatomy of a Fall
  Justine Triet
• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• Barbie
  Greta Gerwig
• The Holdovers
  Alexander Payne
• Killers of the Flower Moon
  Martin Scorsese
• Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
  Frederick Wiseman
• Theater Camp
  Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman
• Tótem
  Lila Avilés
• You Hurt My Feelings
  Nicole Holofcener
• The Zone of Interest
  Jonathan Glazer

Runners-up

• Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
• Fallen Leaves
  Aki Kaurismäki
• M3GAN
  Gerard Johnstone
• Reality
  Tina Satter
• Stop Making Sense
  Jonathan Demme

Mara Reinstein: Best Movies of 2023, as published by Us Weekly

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

1. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
2. Maestro
   Bradley Cooper
3. American Fiction
   Cord Jefferson
4. Air
   Ben Affleck
5. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
6. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
7. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
8. Past Lives
   Celine Song
9. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
10. May December
    Todd Haynes
11. Fair Play
    Chloe Domont
12. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
    Kelly Fremon Craig
13. The Burial
    Maggie Betts
14. Killers of the Flower Moon
    Martin Scorsese
15. Dream Scenario
    Kristoffer Borgli
16. You Hurt My Feelings
    Nicole Holofcener
17. Nyad
    Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
18. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola
19. Dumb Money
    Craig Gillespie
20. M3GAN
    Gerard Johnstone

Owen Gleiberman: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by Variety

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012]

1. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
2. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
3. Ferrari
   Michael Mann
4. Maestro
   Bradley Cooper
5. Past Lives
   Celine Song
6. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre
   Guy Ritchie
7. Little Richard: I Am Everything
   Lisa Cortés
8. May December
   Todd Haynes
9. Fair Play
   Chloe Domont
10. The Zone of Interest
    Jonathan Glazer

Peter Debruge: The Best Movies of 2023, as published by Variety

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

1. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
2. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
3. Chicken for Linda!
   Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach
4. Past Lives
   Celine Song
5. The Monk and the Gun
   Pawo Choyning Dorji
6. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
7. Origin
   Ava DuVernay
8. May December
   Todd Haynes
9. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
10. The Taste of Things
    Trần Anh Hùng

10 more for good measure

• Afire
  Christian Petzold
• Asteroid City
  Wes Anderson
• The Color Purple
  Blitz Bazawule
• Dream Scenario
  Kristoffer Borgli
• The Eight Mountains
  Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch
• Eileen
  William Oldroyd
• Memory
  Michel Franco
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
  Christopher McQuarrie
• Perfect Days
  Wim Wenders
• Reality
  Tina Satter

Uproxx: The Best Movies Of 2023

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

1. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
2. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
3. May December
   Todd Haynes
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
   Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson
6. The Holdovers
   Alexander Payne
7. No Hard Feelings
   Gene Stupnitsky
8. Past Lives
   Celine Song
9. Bottoms
   Emma Seligman
10. Beau Is Afraid
    Ari Aster
11. They Cloned Tyrone
    Juel Taylor
12. Saltburn
    Emerald Fennell
13. John Wick: Chapter 4
    Chad Stahelski
14. Creed III
    Michael B. Jordan
15. Fallen Leaves
    Aki Kaurismäki
16. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
    Christopher McQuarrie

Justin Chang: The Best Movies of 2023, presented at The Los Angeles Times as a series of themed pairings

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

1. All of Us Strangers
   Andrew Haigh
2. The Boy and the Heron
   Hayao Miyazaki
3. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
4. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
5. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Afire
   Christian Petzold
7. Past Lives
   Celine Song
8. The Eight Mountains
   Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch
9. De humani corporis fabrica
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
10. Poor Things
    Yorgos Lanthimos

Honorable Mentions

• About Dry Grasses
  Nuri Bilge Ceylan
• Godland
  Hlynur Pálmason
• All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
  Raven Jackson
• Earth Mama
  Savanah Leaf
• Anatomy of a Fall
  Justine Triet
• A Thousand and One
  A.V. Rockwell
• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• Tótem
  Lila Avilés
• Maestro
  Bradley Cooper
• May December
  Todd Haynes
• Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
  Frederick Wiseman
• Our Body
  Claire Simon
• Pacifiction
  Albert Serra
• R.M.N.
  Cristian Mungiu

Sight & Sound Poll: The 50 Best Films of 2023, a poll of more than 100 contributors

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

1. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
2. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
3. Past Lives
   Celine Song
4. Poor Things
   Yorgos Lanthimos
5. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
5. Barbie
   Greta Gerwig
7. Passages
   Ira Sachs
8. Anatomy of a Fall
   Justine Triet
9. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
   Radu Jude
10. May December
    Todd Haynes
11. Close Your Eyes
    Víctor Erice
12. All of Us Strangers
    Andrew Haigh
13. Tár
    Todd Field
13. Asteroid City
    Wes Anderson
15. Saint Omer
    Alice Diop
15. Fallen Leaves
    Aki Kaurismäki
17. Tótem
    Lila Avilés
17. Last Summer
    Catherine Breillat
17. How to Have Sex
    Molly Manning Walker
20. Return to Seoul
    Davy Chou
20. Evil Does Not Exist
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
20. La chimera
    Alice Rohrwacher
20. Afire
    Christian Petzold
24. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
    Phạm Thiên Ân
24. The Boy and the Heron
    Hayao Miyazaki
26. Rotting in the Sun
    Sebastián Silva
26. The Fabelmans
    Steven Spielberg
26. The Delinquents
    Rodrigo Moreno
26. Beau Is Afraid
    Ari Aster
26. The Beast
    Bertrand Bonello
31. Talk to Me
    Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
31. Music
    Angela Schanelec
31. Hit Man
    Richard Linklater
34. The Taste of Things
    Trần Anh Hùng
34. One Fine Morning
    Mia Hansen-Løve
34. Infinity Pool
    Brandon Cronenberg
34. The Human Surge 3
    Eduardo Williams
38. Trenque Lauquen
    Laura Citarella
38. Samsara
    Lois Patiño
38. Suzume
    Makoto Shinkai
38. Rye Lane
    Raine Allen-Miller
38. Reality
    Tina Satter
38. Priscilla
    Sofia Coppola
38. A Prince
    Pierre Creton
38. Our Body
    Claire Simon
38. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
    Frederick Wiseman
38. The Killer
    David Fincher
38. The Holdovers
    Alexander Payne
38. Earth Mama
    Savanah Leaf
38. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
    Raven Jackson

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• Sight & Sound Poll: Beatrice Loayza: Best Films of 2023
• Sight & Sound Poll: Erika Balsom: Best Films of 2023

Slant Magazine: The 25 Best Films of 2023

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

1. May December
   Todd Haynes
2. Showing Up
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Killers of the Flower Moon
   Martin Scorsese
4. De humani corporis fabrica
   Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
5. Fallen Leaves
   Aki Kaurismäki
6. The Delinquents
   Rodrigo Moreno
7. About Dry Grasses
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
8. Menus-plaisirs - Les Troisgros
   Frederick Wiseman
9. The Zone of Interest
   Jonathan Glazer
10. Anatomy of a Fall
    Justine Triet
11. Asteroid City
    Wes Anderson
12. Our Body
    Claire Simon
13. Oppenheimer
    Christopher Nolan
14. The Plains
    David Easteal
15. Afire
    Christian Petzold
16. The Killer
    David Fincher
17. Pacifiction
    Albert Serra
18. Skinamarink
    Kyle Edward Ball
19. Passages
    Ira Sachs
20. Walk Up
    Hong Sang-soo
21. Love Life
    Kôji Fukada
22. The Outwaters
    Robbie Banfitch
23. Ferrari
    Michael Mann
24. The Boy and the Heron
    Hayao Miyazaki
25. Rotting in the Sun
    Sebastián Silva

John Waters: Best Movies of 2023, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture with his brief thoughts on each one

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

1. Beau Is Afraid
   Ari Aster
2. A Prince
   Pierre Creton
3. Master Gardener
   Paul Schrader
4. Full Time
   Éric Gravel
5. Last Summer
   Catherine Breillat
6. Sparta
   Ulrich Seidl
7. Fallen Leaves
   Aki Kaurismäki
8. Strange Way of Life
   Pedro Almodóvar
9. Oppenheimer
   Christopher Nolan
10. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
    Radu Jude