The movie landscape is constantly changing, for better and worse. It’s easier now than ever to discover an eclectic of bold storytelling from around the world – from the shocking outrageousness of The Substance to the illusion-shattering reality of No Other Land. In this case, the cream doesn’t always rise to the top. Some top-tier films get the praise they deserve, while others get lost in the noise that gets louder with the seemingly endless ways to seek them out. Here are the 20 best movies I saw this release year (excluding titles I saw last year on the festival circuit – i.e. Red Rooms, Femme, and Evil Does Not Exist, which deserve honorable mentions nonetheless).

20. ‘U Are the Universe’

Pavlo Ostrikov wrote and filmed his genre-bending sci-fi romance during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The story follows a space trucker’s (Volodymyr Kravchuk) journey through space as humanity meets its end after Earth explodes. He uses the last of his resources to unite with a French woman (Alexia Depicker) after making contact over a call that slowly evolves into a blind romance. The space-set isolation of Duncan Jones’ Moon meets the tech-based love story of Spike Jonze’s Her, complete with a robot companion. A winning combination of humor, space suspense, and romance transforms a familiar story into a very impactful one.

19. ‘Aattam’

A boys’ club theatre group becomes judge and jury after their sole female (Zarin Shihab) actor confides in one of her male colleagues that she was groped by one of their peers. The group assembles in secret without the accuser or the accused present to determine how to proceed. Anand Ekarshi’s dramatic thriller befittingly won three awards, including Best Feature Film, at India’s National Film Awards. There is no denying its nod back to 12 Angry Men for a new age, taking its jurors out of the courtroom and sticking them directly into the conflict. Stories unravel and distrust spreads through the group like wildfire in an undeniably gripping Malayalam-languaged feature with thought-provoking gender politics.

18. ‘Touch’

We’re approaching five years since COVID-19 ravaged the world and no genre has emerged unscathed from its storytelling impact. However, very few utilize it as innately as Baltasar Kormákur’s non-linear romantic drama. One man (Egill Ólafsson/Palmi Kormákur) travels to find his first love (Yôko Narahashi/Kôki) from 50 years prior, refusing to allow the burgeoning pandemic to miss what could be his final chance to do so. The blossoming love story and the endeavor for a reunion are equally tender, emphasizing humanity’s need for physical and spiritual connection in a landscape that makes it dangerous. Iceland selected this gorgeous film as its entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

17. ‘Memoir of a Snail’

Every year, it bears repeating that animation is a medium (not a genre) and it isn’t just for kids. Adam Elliot’s bittersweet story of a misfit woman (voiced by Sarah Snook) who recalls her melancholic journey to adulthood separated from her dear brother (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee). Her relationship with an eccentric old woman (voiced by Jacki Weaver) gives her life an entirely new perspective. The movie is a memorable roller coaster of comedy, sorrow, and whimsy with an impact that only grows stronger the longer it marinates.

16. ‘Flow’

Gints Zilbalodis made a no-dialogue animated adventure unlike anything we’ve seen before. A cat’s home is decimated by a great flood, finding solace in a boat with other species. The story is propelled by the effects of the climate crisis, but there isn’t a single human character to mention. The characters are no less engaging or dynamic, and moments of peril are made even more suspenseful. This movie is a lean survival epic that feels colossally scaled, yet intimate. Latvia selected it as their entry for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, giving the animated picture a deservedly wider reach.

15. ‘The Brutalist’

“They just don’t make movies like this anymore.” That’s what the critics have been preaching about Brady Corbet’s 215-minute (including a 15-minute intermission) epic, and they’re right. The plot follows a visionary architect (Adrien Brody) and his wife (Felicity Jones) after they flee post-WWII Europe for America, where they seek to rebuild their legacy under a wealthy client (Guy Pearce). Corbet’s muscular filmmaking is on full display alongside brilliant performances from Brody and Pearce. The first half is stronger than the second,  but it gives the impression of a major American classic that boasts some of the year’s most impressive filmmaking crafts. Don’t let the daunting runtime scare you off; it’s an enveloping cinematic experience that passes by faster than you’d think.

14. ‘The Wild Robot’

Even in this impressive year for animation, The Wild Robot is an impressive achievement that stands from the pack. It tells the story of a shipwrecked robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who develops an unusual familial bond with the various local animal species. Chris Sanders tackles mature themes, including motherhood and belonging, but it does so with vivid animation and a cute sense of humor that appeals to all ages. Predictable family movie plot beats are present, but it’s easy to ignore that when the emotional core is so robust. Have the tissues ready.

13. ‘The Count of Monte-Cristo’

Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s French period adventure-drama is one of the year’s most underrated movies. It’s a revenge story of a man (Pierre Niney) falsely accused of treason, determined to deliver a fate worse than death to those who put him in imprisonment for 14 years. At a €42 million budget, it’s the most expensive French production of the year and shows it in every stunning frame. The original 1844 novel is modernized in some regards, capturing an impressive scope. Similar to The Brutalist, it feels like the product of an age of Hollywood that has come and gone. And what a wonderful return it is. 

12. ‘Dune: Part Two’

Speaking of Hollywood, blockbusters are rarely as pleasing as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. The sequel to his 2021 hit adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel is no less impressive than Part One. Picking up after its predecessor, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreidas seeks revenge for his family’s destruction with the universe’s fate hanging in the balance. The phenomenal world-building continues to dazzle, driving excitement through intense action sequences and spellbinding dramatic tension.

11. ‘A Real Pain’

Jesse Eisenberg’s outstanding sophomore directing and writing effort warrants high praise, especially after his grating debut (When You Finish Saving the World). He unearths a goldmine of sincerity in a story about two ill-matched cousins (Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin) who reunite for a trip through Poland to honor their late grandmother. Old tensions bubble to the surface, forcing them to confront long-standing family troubles. Eisenberg is quite good, even if we’ve seen him play similar characters in the past. Culkin is the film’s heart and soul, brilliantly navigating the character’s nuanced layers that are beautifully chaotic. Funny and awkward in equal measure, this one is bursting with humanity.

10. ‘How to Have Sex’

Vacations far away from home that open us up to new opportunities can reshape our perspective on the world. Molly Manning Walker’s brave directorial feature debut pits a coming-of-age story in the Greek party scene, where three 16-year-old girls encounter new friends and sexual pressures on a rites-of-passage holiday. Mia McKenna-Bruce gives a remarkable star-making lead performance that immaculately captures personal desolation in the crowds of buzzing nightlife. It’s uncomfortable and distressing, capturing unpredictable youth with a rattling candor that reverberates through every bone in its body

9. ‘Nosferatu’

Robert Eggers is one of this generation’s most visually exhilarating filmmakers. The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman each bring a beautiful aesthetic to their dark worlds; Nosferatu is no exception. This old-school Gothic horror flick conjures the year’s most frightening imagery based on the 1922 classic and Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. A Transylvanian vampire chases his obsession for a young woman (Lily-Rose Depp), which spells out unspeakable horrors for those around her. Eggers pivots the story to follow her perspective closer than the source material while cranking up the macabre eroticism.

8. ‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’

Radu Jude created a curiously provocative movie that tests your patience until it becomes clear that he’s roughhousing the audience. Dark comedy runs through the veins of this dramatic satire about an overworked and underpaid production assistant working to cast a workplace safety video for a multinational company. The blistering comedy is rooted in smart grounded commentary that suggests a sobering reality behind the images portrayed by companies and figures in power. What an ending.

7. ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’

Mohammad Rasoulof filmed his Iranian political thriller in secret, forcing him and some crew members to flee from their homeland. The appalling circumstances further elevate his message on power, corruption, and control in his narrative about a Tehranian investigating judge, who loses his government-issued firearm and turns on his family in a fit of paranoia amid nationwide political protests. Few world cinema titles are earning as much talk as The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and for good reason. This is politically-critical filmmaking that weaves between nail-biting suspense and gripping family drama. Aside from a strange third-act tonal shift, this is a superb film.

6. ‘Black Box Diaries’

Shiori Itô’s documentary went severely underrated all year after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. She chronicles her own sexual assault, seeking to prosecute the high-profile offender. She’s a journalist with the personal objective of exposing Japan’s archaic judicial and societal systems to take a step toward real change. Itô’s fearless vulnerability is enough to get the tears flowing and her investigative reporting is enthralling. 

5. ‘The Beast’

Bertrand Bonello made a real headscratcher of a movie that begs for debate after the credits roll. Léa Seydoux and George MacKay co-star in a futuristic sci-fi dramatic thriller where artificial intelligence takes control over humanity to eliminate emotions. It takes time to decipher the meanings spread from one narrative to the next, where two people are inevitably drawn to one another. Two stellar performances are the core of a patchy, abstract Lynchian tale that builds into a powerful finale.

4. ‘No Other Land’

The best documentary of the year never scored a U.S. distribution deal. A Palestinean-Israeli collective captures Israel soldiers’ destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta, told from an alliance between Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. The raw footage and brief interviews on the ground paint an infuriating picture that is unshakable. Alternating between a political activist piece and vulnerable expressions of fear and the idea of home and legacy, No Other Land is a significant achievement; an absolute must-see.

3. ‘The Substance’

Horror frequently goes underappreciated when discussing cinema’s greatest achievements. Coralie Fargeat makes a grotesque return with her satirical body horror feature that fires on all cylinders. Demi Moore stuns as a fading celebrity who takes a black-market drug that temporarily creates a younger, “better” version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. It’s as in-your-face as filmmaking can get without physically smacking you, and that’s where its power lies. Fiercely relevant, gory as hell, and enraged to its core with two brazenly brilliant performances – it’s unforgettable. A new tier of body horror is here.

2. ‘Challengers’

Nobody creates sexual tension like Luca Guadagnino does. A love triangle from the past unfolds between a former tennis prodigy (Zendaya) and two best friends (Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist) when the two men face one another on the court. It transforms the typical sports movie into an electric experience that is just as suspenseful as it is erotic. Justin Kuritzkes’ screenplay wisely plays with the relationship between love and friendship, where the tennis scenes stand in for sex and physical competition. The tension builds and builds until it hits a climax where you’ll have to be reminded to breathe. 

1. ‘Anora’

Sean Baker continues to explore the silenced American voices with Anora, but this is his most successful endeavor yet. A mirage of a Cinderella tale unfolds between a young sex worker (Mikey Madison) from Brooklyn and a Russian oligarch's son (Mark Eydelshteyn). After they impulsively marry, his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. It’s uproariously funny until gravity causes all the pieces to come crashing back down to Earth with a tsunami of raw emotions. Madison is perfection and Yura Borisov captures the film’s essence as a Russian henchman in one of the most impactful supporting performances of the year. It’s a cinematic tour de force.