In a year fettered with union strikes and Hollywood moneymakers taking gross advantage of the creators providing them with their profits, it’s more important than ever to support independent cinematic ventures. Audiences seem to have grown tired of the same old Marvel mishaps, and the overuse of world-building and cinematic universes has inspired fatigue amongst even the most hardcore of fans.
For those reasons, as well as the fact that I prefer genre films over obvious Oscar bait, my list of the best films of 2023 veers off the beaten path and into less mainstream territory. The movies I’ve selected reflect a forward-thinking transition in storytelling. Some are easily digestible fodder, others are challenging and controversial. However, they’re all worth checking out.
[NOTE: Only the first three are ranked, as it didn’t seem right to pit such original and uniquely different films against each other on an inconsequential list. Let’s celebrate these wonderful storytellers, not compare them.]
1. ALL OF US STRANGERS
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Starring Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, Jaime Bell
I’ve never felt so personally connected to a film’s subject matter before in my life. Watching this was like seeing my heart ripped out and delicately splayed out on the screen, exposed and bleeding. I cried for 45 minutes sitting alone in Central Park like a real New York Lonely Boy AFTER the movie was over – let alone all my crying while the movie was playing. The film’s subject matter provided me with a language to process aspects of my life I never knew how to express before – aspects I never knew I needed to express. The film is a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, beautiful, impossible-to-describe gay cinematic experience.
2. SALTBURN
Directed by Emerald Fennell
Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike
Eat the rich! This was my #1 until ALL OF US STRANGERS came along. I feel lucky to have seen SALTBURN early on in a theater before the internet over-hyped expectations and spoiled the film’s juiciest moments. I even brought a friend to see it a second time, who also loved it.
3. GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Kuranosuke Sasaki
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with this film. I doubt any of us did. Aside from its success at the box office, the film should be celebrated as a feat of monster moviemaking. Who’da thunk a monster worth being afraid of and human characters worth investing in would work? And on a $15m budget, to boot. Hollywood should be ashamed! (Are you listening, Marvel?)
👶 BIRTH/REBIRTH
Directed by Laura Moss
Starring Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes
With a production team consisting almost entirely of women, this complicated and thought-provoking take on Frankensteinian lore raises challenging questions for the modern age. Dangerous ponderings on the creation and value of life, bodily autonomy, and the pros of being pro-choice are on full display here, showcased beautifully by the film’s two leads.
🕷 HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN
Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera
Starring Natalia Solián, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla
A moody, well-paced, beautifully acted film challenging toxic machismo and the expectations of women’s roles in the world, specifically within Mexican culture. The film delves deep into the challenges of pregnancy that are seldom (if ever) showcased. Some unexpected queer representation adds layers to the grounded feel of the film. It’s dark and upsetting with an ending that will leave you breathless.
🤑 INFINITY POOL
Directed by Brandon Cronenberg
Starring Mia Goth, Alexander Skarsgård
Mia Goth on the hood of a car and Alex Skarsgård on a leash. Need I say more? The film is wild – the unrated version is even wilder. Sure, Goth’s performance probably could/should have been reigned in a bit, but that’s why we love her, and her outrageous behavior only adds to the bizarreness of the film. It’s an upsetting and very original middle finger to the disgustingly wealthy.
🧛♂️ RENFIELD
Directed by Chris McKay
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina
This film deserved better than it got. I’m convinced had it been released in October it would have taken off. Alas, Universal felt the need to give that hallowed Halloween slot to a poorly-realized sequel no one wanted to one of the best horror films of all time (which shall remain nameless). RENFIELD is far from perfect, and while the mafia family storyline doesn’t quite fit the gothic origins of the story, it’s still a great, blood-soaked time at the movies. One particular action sequence/massacre elicited uproarious applause from the audience I saw it with. The film also allows Nicolas Cage to be Nicolas Cage, delivering one of his best performances.
🦷 SAINT DROGO
Directed by Michael J. Ahern, Ryan Miller, Brandon Perras
Starring Michael J. Ahern, Brandon Perras
Just finishing its rounds in the horror festival circuit, SAINT DROGO, like ALL OF US STRANGERS, is a sincere and surprisingly real showcase of gay relationships and what they do to us. It challenges what we know about queer horror storytelling and takes advantage of a modern spin on folk horror. The off-season P-Town setting provides a sense of dread and isolation, leading up to one of the most visceral and upsetting gore sequences of the year. It’s heartfelt, heartbreaking, and absolutely incredible. Keep an eye out for it as it finds distribution this spring.
☎️ SKINAMARINK
Directed by Kyle Edward Ball
Starring Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault
Fight me. It’s evil ASMR for queer Lonely Boys like me. It scared the hell out of me and I slept with the hall light on for a week. This film is not for everyone, and I’ll never begrudge anyone who didn’t like it. However, it’s a perfect example that just because a movie is not for you, doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. SKINAMARINK challenges what we consider to be “cinema,” and feels more like a cursed art installation than a narrative film. Horror fans have been begging for something new and original, and SKINAMARINK gave it to us. Here’s to more experimental horror!
🪓 WHEN EVIL LURKS
Directed by Demián Rugna
Starring Ezequiel Rodríguez, Demián Salomón, Silvina Sabater
Argentina’s WHEN EVIL LURKS starts out with a punch to the face and the beating just keeps going all the way through to the end. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and couldn’t stop thinking about it after. While that third act does slow down the pace and over-explains the events leading up to the film, it still lands on a satisfying and chilling ending. The film is a living, breathing trigger warning, so go in prepared to see things you never imagined could ever possibly be put on screen.
There we have it – a list of unusual, weird, scary, beautiful, and challenging films from 2023. Now that the union strikes have ended and negotiations are being finalized, let’s hope that moving forward creators are given more freedom to provide us with more original, unique, and experimental stories. Here’s to 2024!
