STACKER.COM — Sequels and original stories exist side-by-side on the slate of films to look forward to in 2023. More than 5,000 titles worldwide have release dates this year, according to IMDb. Between theatrical releases and streaming service offerings, look forward to the diversity of work from established directors and up-and-coming filmmakers.
With a plethora of films to choose from over the coming year, this list moves beyond blockbusters to include films that have made a significant impact through their unique narratives, poignant characters, and unique perspectives on both a macro and micro level of culture. These films encompass everything from love, heartbreak, war, poverty, fear, joy, and a myriad of emotions in between.
With so many new movies to choose from and not enough hours in the day to watch them all, it's important to know what to prioritize. To determine the best movies of 2023 so far, Stacker collected Metacritic data on all feature films released in theaters or on streaming services up to March 31. Films are ranked by Metascore with ties broken internally at Metacritic, where the data goes further than what is presented online.
Keep reading to learn more about the top 25 must-watch movies of the year so far.
#25. Cinema Sabaya
- Director: Orit Fouks Rotem
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 91 minutes
"Cinema Sabaya" was an Oscar contender for Best International Feature, and it's no wonder. The Israeli documentary-style film acts as a proverbial fly on the wall of an all-female filmmaking workshop between Arab and Jewish women. Rather than focusing on any perceived differences between the groups, the film strips the women metaphorically bare, showing the similarities that cross physical and cultural borders. Based on the director's real-life experiences as a teacher, the film "is full of life, love, humour, and authenticity without being didactic," according to Variety's review.
#24. Emily
- Director: Frances O'Connor
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 130 minutes
Emma Mackey, known best for her work on Netflix's hit series "Sex Education," takes on a decidedly different role as the title character in "Emily." This biopic about "Wuthering Heights" author Emily Brontë also marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of British Australian actress Frances O'Connor. While the film focuses on Brontë as an independent woman who was, in many ways, ahead of her time, Variety also lauded O'Connor's work for its "singularly moving investigation into the mechanisms of sibling relationships."
#23. Pacifiction
- Director: Albert Serra
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 165 minutes
"Pacifiction" is a drama-thriller that follows a government official investigating rumors of nuclear testing in Tahiti. Before the movie's February 2023 U.S. release, it was dubbed "the art film of the year" by IndieWire in 2022. This French film also received praise for its commentary on colonialism, as well as the breakout performances of Benoît Magimel in the role of government official De Roller and trans actor Pahoa Mahagafanau in the supporting role of Shannah.
#22. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
- Director: Teemu Nikki
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 82 minutes
This Finnish film ends up being nothing like what it may seem, based on the title. With a somewhat tongue-in-cheek title, "The Blind Man Who Didn't Want to See Titanic" lends to the idea of a sweet rom-com about a partner who refuses to watch a film.
Instead, what this movie becomes is a thrilling suspense film with moments of acerbic humor and unfaltering faith. It takes us on an intimate trip through the horrifying twists and turns the protagonist Jaakko must go through in order to reach his love, Sirpa, whom he has never met other than over the phone. Homebound—Jaakko is blind, uses a wheelchair, and has multiple sclerosis—we make each stop along the way as he journeys to Sirpa. Writing for Roger Ebert, film critic Monica Castillo lauded the film for its charming premise with a suspenseful twist.
#21. Nostalgia
- Director: Mario Martone
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 117 minutes
After receiving critical acclaim in Europe in 2022, as well as Italy's Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, "Nostalgia" was brought to the U.S. by Breaking Glass Pictures in early 2023. Based on a novel by Ermanno Rea, this film tells the story of a man who returns home to Naples, where he reminisces on his youth after spending 40 years in Egypt.
#20. Let It Be Morning
- Director: Eran Kolirin
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 101 minutes
"Let it Be Morning" depicts the class system in Israel. The film focuses on the main character, Sami, a Palestinian citizen from Jerusalem, and his seeming disconnect from where he comes from—until he comes back home and is forced to stay. Centered around the difficult themes of assimilation in the midst of conflict, director Eran Kolirin adapted the film from the book by Sayed Kashua of the same name. Telling the story of what Sami must deal with after he finds he is trapped by an Israeli military blockade, we learn to find importance in where we come from through the self-reflection Sami must face while trapped in a dying village.
#19. Tori and Lokita
- Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 88 minutes
"Tori and Lokita," from the Dardenne Brothers, is an extremely dark film that follows 11-year-old Lokita and 6-year-old Tori, both Cameroonian refugees who were forced to flee to Belgium. The Dardenne brothers are known for their social commentary and unflinching look into the lives of the marginalized, but "Tori and Lokita" by all accounts is their darkest yet, with New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis remarking "What I didn't grasp when I first watched the movie is that the act of grace I was anxiously waiting for had happened before the movie began."
#18. John Wick: Chapter 4
- Director: Chad Stahelski
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 169 minutes
Everyone's favorite anti-hero, John Wick (Keanu Reeves), is back with the fourth and theoretically final installment of the John Wick series. The Table has marked Wick as excommunicado numero uno, and he has chosen to take them head-on. The film features an all-star cast and, were it not for the fact that you knew it was a live-action film, has visuals so stunning you might assume they could exist in real life. It's an intense, action-packed thriller that showcases just why Hollywood still sees Keanu Reeves as the leading man that he is.
#17. Enys Men
- Director: Mark Jenkin
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 96 minutes
With a name that means 'Stone Island' in Cornish, "Enys Men" is a film set in the early '70s that follows that gritty psychological horror film blueprint a la Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." The tension-filled film spends two hours digging itself into your psyche and settling deep in your spirit, unnerving you in a way that is difficult to describe.
Shot in 16 mm film, the movie takes place on an isolated island where a volunteer nature preservationist spends her days taking daily observations of a rare flower known to grow amidst the desolation. What we end up seeing as she spends her days is that she slowly slips into a form of madness. The film's cutting scenes, rough angles, and confusing sweeps keep viewers from fully understanding what is nightmare and what is reality.
#16. Godland
- Director: Hlynur Pálmason
- Metascore: 79
- Runtime: 143 minutes
"Godland" follows a Danish priest sent to a remote part of Iceland with the mission of building a church and documenting the people of the land. As the film continues to follow him through rougher and rougher terrain, the deeper the priest seems to stray from his mission. According to IndieWire, the film "maps the mental and physical decay of Lucas, a 19th-century Danish priest of the Lutheran faith" during a time when the land was still a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The film speaks to the themes of religion and colonialism, without taking a strong political slant, but instead focuses on the humanity, or lack thereof, that the themes can entail.
#15. Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV
- Director: Amanda Kim
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 107 minutes
In her documentary debut, director Amanda Kim chooses to delve into the world of Nam June Paik, a Korean-born and U.S.-based artist known as the "father of video art." The work itself acts as a testimony to the importance of Paik's impact as told through the people he influenced alongside the use of found footage.
The film paints a somewhat nostalgic picture of a time when things felt new again—when technology wasn't advancing at such a fast rate that artists weren't able to keep up. By dissecting Paik's deep, almost otherworldly understanding of television and how it could be used in modern art, the film allows viewers to find themselves deep in the folds of the artist's mind and process.
#14. Linoleum
- Director: Colin West
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 101 minutes
Branching out from comedy to science fiction, Jim Gaffigan stars as underappreciated scientist Cameron Edwin in "Linoleum." When a Russian rocket unexpectedly lands in his backyard, Edwin takes it as a sign to rebuild the apparatus and follow his long-discarded dream of becoming an astronaut. The film received critical acclaim when it debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2022 and was later picked up for theatrical release in February 2023.
#13. Rimini
- Director: Ulrich Seidl
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 114 minutes
"Rimini" is a mixture of drama and comedy that follows main character Richie Bravo through his meager existence as a washed-up pop singer. The character is exactly what his name suggests: a sleazy, slick-haired ne'er-do-well that hides his insecurity in polyester suits that were barely fashionable when they came out decades prior. He sings songs for the elderly and bounds his way through life under constant intoxication only to have his lackadaisical life come to a crashing halt when his daughter appears from nowhere asking for money.
#12. Bruiser
- Director: Miles Warren
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 97 minutes
"Bruiser" is a first-time directorial debut for Miles Warren, and it is safe to say that it is a full tour de force. A Collider review said the film "marks the arrival of an insightful new voice in feature filmmaking." This coming-of-age story has a somewhat surprising plot twist while exploring themes of traditional masculinity and lays bare the emotional turmoil that a young man can face when he feels alone in the world.
The film features Darious—a young teen who is sent to a posh boarding school under the guise of the alleged American dream where parents want their kids to have better than they do, no matter the ramifications. Living a modest life, Darious returns home after school to exist in a space that he no longer feels safe in, isolated from his peers because of his schooling, and from his father who is a distant workaholic.
#11. Rye Lane
- Director: Raine Allen-Miller
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 82 minutes
Called a "miracle" by The Independent, "Rye Lane" is a feel-good, sweet, and wholesome rom-com. It gives the audience the opportunity to have its faith in love restored, at least ever so slightly, by following main characters Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson), who have a chance meeting as they are both suffering through a nightmare to end all nightmare breakups with their respective exes. "Rye Lane" is like a breath of fresh air for anyone who is looking to enjoy a day watching a movie with a special someone.
#10. Stonewalling
- Directors: Huang Ji, Ryûji Otsuka
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 148 minutes
"Stonewalling" is a look at contemporary China and the resources available to the younger generation told through the lens of a young woman's surprise pregnancy and the complications that arise from it. Directed by married duo Ryuji Otsuka and Huang Ji, the film is lauded for its elegant use of cinematography to thematically paint the portrait of a woman teetering on the edge.
After being told that she must learn English in order to survive in a gig-economy world and being forced into menial day-to-day jobs where she plays dress up as a princess for a jewelry display window, the discovery of an unwanted pregnancy sends her on a spiral—one where she lies about having an abortion and retreats back to her family to seek solace.
#9. Close
- Director: Lukas Dhont
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 104 minutes
"Close," the Belgian film that took second prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is a moving portrayal of childhood friendship that follows a pair of 13-year-old boys with a particularly close bond. This relationship is interpreted by many as romantic (although this is never confirmed nor denied in the film) which leads to bullying and ultimately drives the two apart—resulting in devastating consequences. NPR commended young leads Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele for giving "two of the best, least affected child performances" seen on the big screen in recent years. The film was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2023.
#8. After Love
- Director: Aleem Khan
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 89 minutes
In "After Love," a widow faces a series of shocking revelations after her husband abruptly dies from a heart attack. Mary, who converted to Islam to marry her love Ahmed, learns only after his death that he lived a second life—one with a French woman who appears very different from Mary, a woman she comes to know in unexpected ways throughout the film. The Guardian raved about Aleem Khan's directorial debut when the movie was first released in the U.K. in June 2021, also praising Joanna Scanlan's BAFTA-winning performance as Mary as "the best of her career so far."
#7. Mars One
- Director: Gabriel Martins
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 115 minutes
Brazilian drama "Mars One" premiered at Sundance in 2022 before releasing in the U.S. in early January 2023. Set in the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, the film follows a young boy with dreams of joining the Mars One space mission, while his father instead hopes he will one day become a star soccer player. These personal experiences are contrasted against larger political movements in the country. The Hollywood Reporter commendeddirector Gabriel Martins' "ability to engage with urgent economic issues as an integral part of the narrative."
#6. Full Time
- Director: Eric Gravel
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 88 minutes
"Full Time" is a French film that delves deep into the world of a well-known catch-22, set against the backdrop of capitalism and the kind of obstacles humans must traverse in order to overcome them. Focusing on the story of single mother Julie, played by César Award-winner Laure Calamy, the film follows along as we watch Julie struggle to hold her life together while the country is falling apart under the tenuous hold of a national transit strike.
Having to commute back and forth between her chambermaid duties in the main city, and her home in a rural town, we watch her barely survive until a safety net appears beneath her in the form of a job interview. The chaos that ensues in order to get Julie covered at work in order to sneak off to better her future reminds us all of our own lives as we struggle to survive through the day-to-day and makes this movie one of the more realistic thrillers you may ever witness on film.
#5. Huesera: The Bone Woman
- Director: Michelle Garza Cervera
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 97 minutes
As Valeria (Natalia Solián) prepares for the birth of her first child, she battles more than just morning sickness in "Huesera: The Bone Woman." This expectant mother begins to have apparitions of a demon only she can see, leaving viewers to question whether these visions are a real danger or a manifestation of the fears of becoming a parent. The New York Times praised everything from the cinematography to sound design in this debut from director Michelle Garza Cervera, describing it as "the type of staggering supernatural nightmare that is as transfixing as it is terrifying."
#4. Shin Ultraman
- Director: Shinji Higuchi
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 118 minutes
"Shin Ultraman," a reboot of the hit 1960s Japanese children's show, became one of the highest-grossing Japanese films of 2022, but released in U.S. theaters for only two days in January 2023. "Ultraman" is a classic superhero film with "creature design and fight scenes [that] hit a glorious retro-modern sweet spot," according to Variety.
#3. Alcarràs
- Director: Carla Simón
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 120 minutes
Director Carla Simón took a big risk casting "Alcarràs" entirely with debut actors, but it was a risk that paid off with rich on-screen chemistry. This story follows a family of Spanish peach farmers whose livelihood is threatened by local modernization. The film received critical acclaim ahead of its January 2023 U.S. opening, including the Best Film award at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and the International Screenplay award at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
#2. The Blue Caftan
- Director: Maryam Touzani
- Metascore: 86
- Runtime: 122 minutes
The "Blue Caftan" takes place in a caftan store in Morocco, and follows the story of a family-owned business that has become inundated by an abundance of customers. Needing to offset some of the work, they hire a young apprentice.
As the film progresses we watch as a form of forbidden attraction, and perhaps love, forms between Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Youssef (Ayoub Missioui)—all before the watchful eyes of Halim's wife and manager of the shop Mina (Lubna Azabal), who becomes jealous of the seeming attraction her husband feels for Youssef. The trick to the movie, however, is that it doesn't follow the story that you think it's going to follow, instead telling a far more complicated love story than meets the eye.
#1. Saint Omer
- Director: Alice Diop
- Metascore: 91
- Runtime: 122 minutes
"Saint Omer" not only tops this list, but it also took home a major prize—Best Foreign Language Film—at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival. This French drama was inspired by the real-life case of a mother who left her 15-month-old daughter on the beach to drown in November 2013, a trial that screenwriter and director Alice Diop watched unfold firsthand.
