As we cross the halfway point of the year, 2024 saw a rough start with film releases. Over the past couple of months, however, that has begun to change. Films such as ‘Night Swim’, ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Argylle’ set the stage for a disastrous opening few months. As soon as March and April came around, things started looking different.
My top 10 films of the year so far:
10. The First Omen:
The last thing I expected this year, was to see a truly fantastic studio horror prequel. Arkasha Stevenson and Nell Tiger Free provided with just that. Stevenson knows exactly how to paint a picture and she gives us some simultaneously horrifying but gorgeously lit images. Nell Tiger Free’s performance has gone under the radar across most of the general public. It truly is one of the most captivating performances of the year. She pulls off the best Isabelle Adjani in ‘Possession’ (1981) homage I’ve seen from a lead in any horror and it’s terrifying. This is an absolute must-watch for horror fans.
9. La Chimera:
If 2024 has been a standout year for any actor so far, it’s Josh O’Connor. Having its festival run in 2023, Alice Rohrwacher’s stunning Italian film ‘La Chimera’ finally made its way onto international screens in 2024. An exploration of love, life, and death each with an infinite amount of interpretations. Maybe that’s the joy of these kinds of films though. Josh O’Connor leads a wonderfully charismatic cast of architects. Each with an obsession over the past whilst just trying to secure a good future. A touching exploration of the afterlife with our protagonist so hung up on his past life. Rohrwacher squeezes every drop of beauty out of this film in the most passionate of ways. Her wonderfully unique camerawork brings this film to life. She cleverly attempts to flip this film’s perspective on its head through brilliant visual storytelling. An incredibly endearing picture.
8. Hit Man:
For many decades now, Richard Linklater has been one of cinema’s most important directors. From the heartbreaking ‘Before Trilogy’, to coming-of-age classics like ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’. He’s done it all. With this, his most recent film, he has single-handedly revived the modern rom-com and restored it to its original heights. Let’s get one thing straight, Glen Powell and Adria Arjona are movie stars. They provide the best on-screen chemistry of this decade so far, and it’s not even close. Powell plays this fake hitman character Gary, which he brings to life with his endless charm and charisma. One of this year’s finest performances. It’s all good writing a sexy rom-com but you need to energy to match it. So incredibly satisfying and so incredibly well written.
7. Kinds of Kindness:
Yorgos Lanthimos returns in fantastic fashion with his second film in six months. Emma Stone once again returns to his side with a plethora of incredible actors like Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemmons. A brilliant piece of anthology cinema on everyone’s different perception of human emotions. An exploration of how animalistic we are and the consequences of it. Lanthimos dives back into his roots with screenwriter Efthymios Filippou and produces a film that feels like his earlier work. SYorgos brings back his dreading sense of discomfort throughout this film’s entire 164-minute run time. Not for everyone but one with a lot to unpack.
6. Dune: Part Two:
Battling through strikes and delays, Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Two’ finally hit big screens on March 1st. It took the world by storm. This mammoth of a sequel was always going to be bigger and more action-centered, but not necessarily better. In this case, Part One still prevails as the better-edited and written piece of media. It knows how to take its time building us into this world. There is still no denying the grandeur of Part Two, however. The set pieces are breathtaking and are ensemble of characters expands largely, for the good. It’s an undeniable epic for the ages. Onto Messiah.
5. I Saw the TV Glow:
Jane Schoenbrun has been best described as a filmmaker for our generation. There is no better way to put it. With this, their sophomore outing, ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ serves as a vessel for transgender identity and about finding yourself. Schoenbrun completely understands the concept of show don’t tell, as we get lost in the film’s hypnotic purple and green visuals. A film inspired by Twin Peaks: The Return and one you can tell has David Lynch written all over it. Whilst the main message of the film is about finding yourself, there are a lot of people who will relate to the hopeless and lonely feeling of the film. A film that Schoenbrun described as one for people who liked watching TV shows in their basement all summer. Schoenbrun is one of the most important figures in LGBTQ cinema right now. A simultaneously horrifying but important film.
4. Evil Does Not Exist:
Ryusuke Hamaguchi returns to centre stage after his triumphant 2021 outing ‘Drive my Car’. Whilst ‘Drive my Car’ was incredible. This somehow was even more so. A stunningly executed piece of slow cinema about our place in the cycle of nature. A gorgeous tale of what happens when even the quiet are threatened. Hamaguchi presents to us a reminder of the violence of urbanisation and a juxtaposition to its nature counterpart. We reflect on the nature around a local woodland community and its inhabitants as ignorant urban dwellers threaten their land. It resulted in one of the most remarkable climaxes this decade, all brought about through Hamaguchi’s ingenious direction.
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga:
At the ripe age of 79, George Miller is still redefining action like no other working director. Our first taste back into the Mad Max world in 8 years. The last one was a masterstroke of directional genius. This is no different. Furiosa as a film works as an incredible companion piece to ‘Fury Road’. Miller builds on the world-building and the lore that it habits The Wasteland. It plays as an anthology tale of what came before. Every shot, every signature quick zoom, every long tracking take, it feels like it was planned to perfection. The colours of this wasteland stand out, even more, this time around. Miller paints a worn torn painting of vengeance and its destruction, with one of this generation’s greatest actresses at the helm. Anya Taylor-Joy. She is the darkest of angels. The fifth rider of the apocalypse.
2. Challengers:
Luca Guadagnino knew exactly what he was doing when he hired Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. The end result; a stunningly horny, sweaty, and electric piece of art. Triple split diopter and under-the-court shots. What is not to love? Guadagnino and Mukdeeprom paint pictures of exaggerated body language and churro-eating men to fulfill this film’s ultimate feeling of constant sexual tension. All with minimal sexual activity. Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor give us our strongest set of lead performances this year. Luca’s direction is perfectly reflected in their flawlessly controlled mannerisms and energy. No review of this film should go without praising the techno geniuses of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score brings the tone of this film to a whole new level of uniqueness, and it never lets off. What can I say? I told ya.
1. The Beast:
A film, no doubt, that many would not have heard of. It is one worth everyone’s attention, as all masterpieces should. Bertrand Bonello throws us into a century-spanning story of fear and love. A reflection of human emotions and the horrors of feeling nothing. A narrative reminiscent of the works of David Cronenberg with beats of David Lynch, but still entirely unique. Léa Seydoux controls this film’s patient tempo and delivers THE best performance of the year so far. Bonello uses long takes and extreme close-ups to really test the audience. And it works. Prolonged scenes (complimentary) build on this unconscious sense of dread that culminates into one of the most distressing and haunting final acts of this century. Romance and sci-fi like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
2024 in film: looking to the future:
With just under six months of this year to go, here are five films that you need to keep an eye out for:
- Nosferatu – directed by Robert Eggers – US release date: 25th December 2024 / UK release date: 1st January 2025
- Megalopolis – directed by Francis Ford Coppola – US release date: 27th September 2024 / UK release date: TBC
- Anora – directed by Sean Baker – US release date: 18th October 2024 / UK release date: 1st November 2024
- Trap – directed by M. Night Shyamalan – US release date: 2nd August 2024 / UK release date: 9th August 2024
- Gladiator II – directed by Ridley Scott – US release date: 22nd November 2024 / UK release date: 15th November 2024
Click here to find out about some of the best original films that have already been released
