My Favorite Movies of 2023

Barbie to Bat Mitzvahs: A Cinematic Journey Through 2023's Unexpected Twists

Barbie

2023 picked up speed when the Barbenheimer phenomenon began. I can't help but think there is an argument for the good in our collective when such friendly rivalry like this sprouts up in the media (However capitalistic fueled it is). When I first heard of Barbie, part of me worried that there wasn’t going to be any celebration because of its hyper-feminine context. But with the ultra-beautiful Margot Robbie helming it and the puppeteer of mainstream Greta Gerwig, we were gifted a truly unstoppable movie. I do have to mention the mutual release date though. There is something mildly annoying though about the whole circumstance from the Oppenheimer side. Christopher Nolan has a track record for releasing his films around July. When Nolan ultimately left Warner Brothers for IMAX, let’s say for “art’s sake” among many other factors, many believe WB also chose the July 21st release date to spite Nolan. Robbie herself even brings attention to the release date on the “Actors on Actors” series from Variety where she talks with Cillian Murphy. According to Murphy, Nolan has a superstition around that date, and most of his movies are released around that date and wanted Oppenheimer to be a tentpole movie carrying that tradition. Robbie though, recalls a conversation with Chuck Rovan who she worked with on Suicide Squad where he suggested the Barbie team move their date. Making no mention of the previous WB relationship which soured so poorly that this company is now spiting one of the most beloved directors. Robbie declined and playfully quipped that if they were scared of being up against them, they should move their date. They decided to keep their mutual dates. I find it sort of funny that this was not acknowledged and just kind of brushed aside as friendly rivalry.

I loved Barbie not because it mastered the perfect movie or it said all it needed to say about feminism. It was simply a movie that was desperately needed. Under the guise of a doll’s existential crisis Gerwig and Baumbach's team were able to tackle the anti-feminist issue of the Barbie doll and the actual messaging that this filmmaker duo proposed. It voiced many of the experiences women have gone through, it jokingly played with our deeply rooted gender roles and commented on toxic masculinity. It also did what all good movies should do, which was to show us a path to a better way. It feels too easy to make movies with despair as its leading emotion but through Barbie, there was a hope to reapproach the world and its obstacles with the strength of confidence and perseverance. I found myself greeted with Hey Barbie! and returning this new greeting to other women on the street. Barbie, a bit like Poor Things wiped hundreds of centuries away of pain and suffering in a few hours. It depicted a perfect pink land where women were presidents, doctors, lawyers, and ultimately humans where we are free to achieve what we want no matter the flaws that we are so personally aware of.

Poor Things

In the same vain as Barbie, Poor Things embattled my view of the world. It’s easy to be complacent and accept the terms and conditions of the present world. Especially this hellscape we find ourselves in where our present conditions actively suppress our most fundamental desires like food, freedom, and sex. But with these two feminist films, I came out renewed and with a joyful, naughty point of view imagining all the wonderful ecstasies that exist. Between travel, food, and sex it looks like a great time in Bella’s world, so why not mine?

Bella’s story was told as if she was a brand new woman born without the restraints and challenges we are made aware of as we age. It is only through a man-made tabula rasa that God bestows on Bella that she was wiped clean of any of these obstacles and anxieties that exist in our world. Bella chases so fiercely and innately desires that any criticism of this “sexy baby” / “born sexy yesterday” should be re-examined. What I believe separates Bella from the others who fall into this trope is that her desires shift as the film progresses, she discovers something new she wants to conquer it. Bella is innately good yet has no problem breaking hearts and doing the most outlandish things. Not because she is stupid or dumb but because she is going after her desires through her primary instinct. As she “grows up” she can control said desires and comes out on top and without a man as her compass.

I related to this film as a once “pathological people pleaser” who subconsciously controlled my worldview, appeasing those in my professional arena and personal romantic relationships. It’s through Bella’s utter rejection of societal standards that I am reminded that her behavior is neither wrong nor horrendous and the world does not end. This is a wonderful big world and trying everything you can imagine or want is the gate to true satisfaction.

No Hard Feelings

I am starting this entry by personally apologizing to writer and director Gene Stupnitsky. Not because I said or did anything to him but because I held a personal silent grudge against him due to the horrendous marketing of this film. I went into it believing this was a low point for Jennifer Lawrence. It’s been a few years since I heard anything from her and her former professional relationships with notorious publicly stained men haven’t helped. The rumblings of the nude scene felt very frat boyish and also kept me away. It was through this film that I completely saw the image of J-Law transformed. Andrew Barth Feldman also delivers a stellar performance perfectly sparring with J-Law’s quips. I found renewed hope for the sex comedy genre, a genre greatly looked down upon and strayed away thanks to a few horrible 2000s entries which were notorious for body shaming, misogyny, and overall acceptance of poor behavior from men. No Hard Feelings challenged the stereotypes of a “girl failure” and had a steady heartbeat throughout the film. Where I believe it truly exceeded expectations was through a pivotal moment where we hear “Maneater” by Hall and Oates played on the piano that we as the audience are not only re-evaluating the meaning of the song but the motivations that keep us doing something that we believe is helping us instead of harming our growth.

Eileen

I loved this film. I am not an Otessa Moshfegh reader nor have I read “Eileen”, but I have read a few chapters of “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, and while I can say it didn’t interest me, Eileen speaks to me in a very quirky way. Otessa’s novels are sort of taboo exploring subjects from girl rot, murder, abuse, and loneliness. I went into Eileen blind, on not only the plot but the vibe of the film. All that was circulated was the image of Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway dancing by a jukebox with a strong red bar light setting the scene. Eileen led me through a maze of this young woman’s life and how suffocating her life in X-Ville feels. Both actresses deliver performances that feel so intimate yet speak volumes to their capabilities managing the shifting tone and mysterious energy emanating through the film. While this was a film that made strong rounds in Sundance, for an extremely popular novel, it truly felt like something crafted in the fifties. Something for just the screen and me. It didn’t pander to an audience it didn’t break its mold halfway through and more importantly it held steady with Eileen. Similar to the idea that The Holdovers was a vault film, I felt like I just watched a made-for-TV movie during an era of Joan Crawfords and Patty Dukes. Anne Hathaway has a particular line that I burst out laughing. She is so beautiful in this film but also so untouchable mirroring the feelings that Eileen has.

How to Have Sex

How To Have Sex was one of those watches that hit me from left field. On one hand, it was a scathing view into alcoholism among British fueled by holidays abroad, and on the other a deeply relatable film for young women and their first-time experiences away from home.

How to Have Sex is a film that has been on my radar since early 2023. It had a distinct buzz at Sundance and its plot remained fairly mysterious for most of the year. Having seen it now I can say that its mystery was necessary to its nuanced nature tackling subjects such as alcoholism, holidays abroad in Greece, abuse, female rivalry, and peer pressure. This coming-of-age tale is a standout debut from director Molly Manning Walker who worked as a cinematographer previous to her role as writer/director. It’s one of the challenges where the plot is packed with one storyline while another subtle message is sprinkled through. Tara’s eyes, and emotions, are communicated silently through carefully crafted close-ups. I felt a bit hungover myself after watching this film not only with thoughts of how Tara would be handling this holiday when she’s back home but how many women will be and have gone through this. Molly has a distinct vision and her DP aids in the documentary-style driving force of the film.

Priscilla

Priscilla is by far Sofia’s most commercial film. This is a film that has a distinct beginning, middle, and end and ensures that all audience members can not only track Priscilla Beaulieu’s story but also pick up Sofia’s auteurist energy. I spoke about the film when the trailer first came out predicting what we might feel and where the story will focus. Ultimately I touched a lot but couldn’t imagine how universal this film would feel. Most of her films, seem to speak to young women and cinephiles who want to be part of the conversation she is initiating. Although there weren’t any tangential scenes or long musical moments, I felt like I was in a bit of a drug-induced fantasy. The lavish makeup, clothes, and castle of Graceland felt like a modern Rapunzel. While most of her films have a throughline of intense loneliness, this was one of her few entries where the protagonist is freed in the end. (Although Scientology got her pretty quick after that.)

Cailee Spaeny is one of my favorite actresses, and her track record is nothing but spectacular. I would appreciate it if the general public/ clueless journalists stopped calling her a “newcomer” as she has been in some of my favorite movies of all time like The Bad Times At The El Royale, How It Ends, and On The Basis of Sex. Her appearance in these films not only contributes a great deal to the film's emotional strength but also speaks to her incredible capabilities as a young actor. I did not doubt that she was the perfectly cast when I first heard about the news and I can say that we owe Kirsten Dunst as she was the one who propped her up to Sofia after they starred in Alex Garland’s newest film Civil War (2024) together.

Fair Play

I realized I may have picked the wrong career after watching this film. I always thought that combining my love for art and money into film was a lucrative option but the financial firm world seems a lot more fun. Making other men around you insecure because of your sheer intelligence and quick decisions also seems like a partial benefit jkjk. Fair Play was a psychological thriller that started as a rom-com. I found myself rooting for both Emily and Luke, and later on even felt bad because of Emily’s success (ouch!). A testament to writer and director Chloe Domont, her corporate drama was a chilling realization that not only in professional relationships can you be under the threat of jealousy but your professional life is always at stake too. I am scoring this lower on my top 10 because it does include a graphic scene that is valuable to the fabric of the story but does throw it into one of many thousands of films where a woman has to endure sexual assault to finally be freed of her current situation.

You Are So Not Invited to My Batmitzvah

I feel like one of the games we will be playing in 5 or 10 years is Six Degrees of nepo baby where we will be tracing the ways that movies are made to launch a certain nepo baby’s career. While in this case it’s not all bad I was deeply critical of the film and its production, the good news is- it passed. With certainty of course given this is an Adam Sandler production starring his daughter. Sandler, who is a veteran in many sectors of the entertainment industry made good use of his connections and his family’s natural comedic talent and made an excellent family fun film. I loved YASNITMB. It was quirky, relevant, and wonderfully executed. I felt like this was the entry for the My Big Fat Greek Wedding of the Jewish faith.

The Starling Girl

Eliza Scanlan and Lewis Pullman make an electric pair in Laurel Parmet’s feature film directorial debut The Starling Girl. The choreography, blocking, and intimacy of this film made me feel connected to Jem and Owen, and with the consistency of Laurel’s direction, there was no question I was left speechless. There was a greater energy in each scene and each physical touch ushered me into a different realm. I immediately thought of another film The Place Beyond The Pines that did the same to me. Every time Luke or Jason got on his bike and rode through those backroads, I felt transported. This was a big year for first-time feature film writer-director women and Laurel Parmet is no exception. Laurel crafts an intelligent, truthful, and cosmic-laced story about a girl’s life when her sexual desires and faith collide. The film takes place in a southern fundamentalist remote community where seventeen-year-old Jem is stifled between being raised in her ultra-devoted religious family and chasing a life associated with pleasures like dance and music. Her community’s rejection of her true self leads her to make big decisions, seemingly life-altering. The Starling Girl’s genius lies in the fact that it’s not dedicated to only telling Jem’s story, as well as Jem’s father, and Owen, her youth pastor. There are plenty of memes about the aforementioned youth paster but Laurel seems to not only be aware of said expectations but plays upon those. I felt for Owen and his situation, and Jem’s clinging onto him reminds me of the teenage angst I felt from 17-19 years old and yearning to break myself free through a romance. Jem’s growth aided by a magnificent score by Lord Huron left me motivated to confront every restriction in my life and never deny myself of my talents and loves.

Missing

Missing, Searching, and Run all come from the same creative minds of Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty. These films are an incredibly fun ride that utilizes our current media and technological landscape to map out these stories. I enjoy watching these movies so much because it feels like I am the main character and find myself jumping out of my seat with every discovery. These films are incredibly visceral and force you into an adrenaline rush every time. Other movies in the same vein like Unfriended franchise make me feel the same way and I find that this genre of films is attempted to be recreated but never fully captures the mastery of Sev and Aneesh.