The end of another calendar year brings the captivating game of selecting the best of the best. These are my picks from over 500 films I watched at international festivals around the world and in cinemas in 2024 (listed in no particular order):
The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
A stark portrayal of the violence of life through the story of a migrant architect fleeing the Holocaust. The film is in no rush to tell its story—in fact, it’s remarkably long (215 minutes). However, the filmmaker takes us on an Odyssean journey with the protagonist, weaving the threads of history (the Holocaust) with the concept of the American Dream, while delving into the inner world of an artist surviving in a brutal society. Here, survival itself demands a heavy toll.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (Tim Burton)
Tim Burton’s best work in the past two decades is a stunning return to his favourite worlds and atmospheres—a quintessentially “Burtonian” film that elevates fantasy and imagination to their zenith. In its vividly narrative space, the film makes all the incredible creatures and events wholly believable, offering a visual feast. Strangely, it didn’t receive much acclaim and was largely ignored during awards season.
The Substance (Coralie Fargeat)
An unusual and thought-provoking film exploring beauty and womanhood, unflinchingly challenging social norms. It examines the worlds of fashion and entertainment (and their relentless demand for beauty and youth) while delving into the inner life of a woman determined to remain youthful, beautiful, and adored. The filmmaker confronts her protagonist with the harsh realities of life through the clash of youth and old age (and beauty and ugliness). The film’s shocking twists captivate viewers, though the gratuitous violence in its closing scenes feels unnecessary.
April (Dea Kulumbegashvili)
A compact, raw, brutal, and gripping film from Georgia about abortion, delving deeply into the feminine world of its protagonist, who stands in opposition to the masculine ethics and beliefs of her surroundings. With an observant camera that refrains from dramatizing the events, the film features a deceptively simple yet meticulously crafted scene of an abortion that lingers indelibly in the viewer’s mind.
Anora (Sean Baker)
This year’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes is a haunting exploration of a sex worker’s life; a bitter, impactful film that refrains from judging or condemning its protagonist. Instead, it offers a deeply human portrait of a young woman and her dreams. As the story unfolds, her profession becomes secondary, and her emotions and inner world take canter stage. The film crescendos to an extraordinary climax, with tears that had remained unspilled throughout finally breaking free.
Joker 2: Folie à Deux (Todd Phillips)
Todd Phillips’s daring and ambitious approach to this film is enviable. He knew it wouldn’t be warmly received at the box office or by critics (as it’s entirely disconnected from its predecessor, building an entirely different world that defies audience expectations). Yet, he boldly crafts a deeply personal vision, pulling his protagonist into an intense and unique narrative. Defying Hollywood conventions, he delivers a dark, audacious, and compelling film that remains underappreciated.
Memoirs of a Snail (Adam Elliot)
An adult animation that delves into the bitterness and struggles of life, drawing viewers into the sorrows of Grace, a young girl, and her many tribulations. The story unfolds with captivating precision, beginning with death and transitioning to life. Without lapsing into preachiness, the film ultimately celebrates life, cinema, and art, delivering a deeply personal ode to cinema itself.
Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
A well-crafted and engaging narrative with a unique storyline, departing from Audiard’s previous works and exploring a completely different (and non-French) world. The story revolves around a Mexican criminal who transforms himself into a woman to survive. This marks the beginning of an unpretentious exploration of gender concepts and the erasure of boundaries between men and women, told within a vibrant and tumultuous tale that invites viewers into a strange yet emotionally resonant world.
The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar)
One of Almodóvar’s most visually compelling films—unfortunately one of his most underrated. Stepping away from his melodramatic tendencies, this film emerges as a poetic meditation on death. In an anti-narrative space, it examines two women’s confrontation with mortality, achieving fascinating conclusions: death becomes a natural continuation of life, not an obstacle to it.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Mohammad Rasoulof)
Continuing Rasoulof’s unflinching exploration of Iran’s socio-political realities, the film boldly portrays the current state of the nation without succumbing to censorship constraints. Aligning with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, it portrays women as they rise against religious patriarchy. The climactic scene, reminiscent of the iconic image of Qasem Soleimani’s hand, buries the regime’s tyranny and oppression under layers of earth.
© 2020-2025. UniversalCinema Mag.