2023 was a hard year at FictionMachine: the year started with some major health issues – including a multiple sclerosis relapse and a bout of COVID-19 – and ended with some family crises, and included an increasingly busy day job in between. As a result, there are a lot of films that were released this year that I strongly suspect might have made the list had I seen them. Barbie and Godzilla Minus One are two key examples.

That, however, is okay. As always the idea of a “year’s best” seems disingenuous and unhelpful. These are not the films I assessed as the best made or most worthy, but simply the ones that I liked the most out of what I saw. These are the 2023 releases I feel are worth recommending to others. If there is a film that you loved in 2023, and it is not listed here, either I did not love it as much as you did or (more likely) I have simply yet to see it. If there is something you would like to recommend I watch or re-assess, let me know in a comment.

Of course I liked more than 10 films this year. Movies that almost made my top 10 include Theater Camp, Creed III, Kalev, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mania, Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, The Crime is Mine, The Boy and the Heron, Reality, and The Pale Blue Eye.

10. Four Daughters
Directed by Kauther Ben Hania.

A blend of documentary and dramatic retelling, focused on Tunisian mother Olfa Hamrouni – whose eldest daughters are radicalised by Islamic extremists. Hania’s 2017 drama Beauty and the Dogs made it to third place in that year’s top 10, and the subsequent impression that this film has made on me has guaranteed I will check out everything she directs. In my review during the Melbourne International Film Festival I wrote: ‘with Four Daughters, she provides not only a thought-provoking insight into the politics and culture of the Arab world but a valuable profile of human nature. It draws the viewer in with an arresting premise, but what the film is really about is inter-generational trauma.’ (link)

Four Daughters is not currently available in Australia.

9. Polite Society
Directed by Nida Manzoor.

An absolute crowd-pleaser that I honestly expected was going to be a more popular hit than it was. This joyful confection combined elements of Bollywood, martial arts action and British romantic comedy to form something as spectacular as it was unique. In my review I wrote: ‘It is a clear heir to the crown of cult British comedy cinema – inherited from the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It loves genre in a playful fashion, and isn’t afraid to shift tone and style when the moment demands. It is also an aggressively female experience, still a rarity in a very male-dominated field.’ (link)

Polite Society is available in Australia on DVD and online rental/purchase, and is streaming via Binge and Netflix.

8. Monster
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Three intertwined stories combine to form a single tragedy in Kore-eda’s latest drama, and the faulty perspectives and unreliable narration of each thread blinds the viewer to the truth of the other two. Yuji Sakamoto’s screenplay is a little too complex to emotionally engage; Kore-eda’s deft direction drags in back. In my review during MIFF, I wrote: ‘Kore-eda uses his own well-established style, shooting from arms length and highlighting the performances over any kind of excess visual style. When the film employs Ryuichi Sakamoto’s gentle score (his last before dying earlier this year) it does so sparingly, and for maximum impact.’ (link)

Monster is not currently available in Australia.

7. December
Directed by Anshul Chauhan.

This Japanese legal drama is small in scale, and that intimacy generates enormous emotional strength. A grieving father fights to keep his daughter’s killer behind bars when they apply for an early release. It’s not only a strong drama but an innately Japanese one too, with much to say about that country’s punitive legal system. When I reviewed it during the Osaka Asian Film Festival, I wrote: ‘There is not a mystery to resolve here. The film makes it expressly clear from the outset that Kana is definitely guilty of the crime for which she was convinced. The question is not whether or not she should have been gaoled but rather how long should she have been gaoled for?’ (link)

December is not currently available in Australia.

6. Oppenheimer
Directed by Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan’s lengthy biographical picture is almost too complicated for its own good, only fully falling into place in retrospect, but it boasts one of 2023’s finest ensemble casts. All of Nolan’s well-established strengths are in evidence, as are his weaknesses – he still appear incapable of writing for women. While the film is flawed, it remains exceptional. This is the kind of involving ‘big picture’ spectacle for which cinema was invented, and proof that a mass audience will watch quality drama if Hollywood offers it to them. In my review I wrote: ‘Despite its flaws, Oppenheimer is a powerful, visually impressive film. Ludwig Göransson’s musical score is masterful, as is Nolan’s use of sound. Stamping feet never felt so powerful, or so ominous.’ (link)

Oppenheimer is available on DVD, bluray, and 4K, as well as to buy and rent online.

5. Notre-Dame on Fire
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.

A 2022 release in its native France, Annaud’s Notre-Dame on Fire came to Australia via this year’s French Film Festival. It is a muscular, aggressively contemporary thriller, drawn from real life and striking in its immediacy and its energy. Based on documented events during the 2019 fire that almost brought Paris’ legendary cathedral to the ground, it is probably the film that surprised me the most this year. In my review I wrote: ‘It is true that there are a few deeply sentimental moments, but importantly the film earns them. It is enormously effective and respectful. It is historical tragedy and nail-biting cinema blended together. It is one of the best films that Annaud has ever directed.’ (link)

Notre-Dame on Fire is available on DVD and to buy and rent online, and is streaming on Stan.

4. Talk to Me
Directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou.

A tightly-made and gripping horror with a sensational premise and a brilliant execution. This South Australian production was widely hyped throughout the year and was a box office success in the USA. For once, the hype was met by an equally great film. In my review I wrote: ‘Like most great horror films and thrillers, you only really want to know the basic premise of Talk to Me before watching it. There are twists and surprises in the ensuing film, and they benefit enormously from a cold viewing.’ (link)

Talk to Me is available on DVD, bluray, and 4K, to buy and rent online, and is streaming on Netflix.

3. Past Lives
Directed by Celine Song.

From what I saw, Celine Song’s Past Lives is the best American film of the year. Moving between South Korea and America, it is a perfectly observed story of love, regret, and life choices. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are fantastic leads, but its supporting actor John Magaro that makes the greatest impression. In my review I wrote: ‘Every year brings along its line of widely-hyped new feature films, praised to excess by critics and tipped for future awards contention. More often than not these films can disappoint in the actual viewing. Past Lives does not disappoint. This is the real deal. If you’ve an interest in five-star contemporary cinema, you miss this at your peril.’ (link)

Past Lives is available on DVD, and to buy and rent online.

2. New Religion
Directed by Keishi Kondo.

Ultimately, isn’t the best horror cinema nearly always Japanese? This independent feature begins somewhere between tragedy and thriller, shifts gamely into horror, and then moves someplace altogether weirder. If the likes of Ring, Pulse, and Cure can find a global audience, then cult success for New Religion seems assured. In my OAFF review I wrote: ‘It is not simply up my alley: right now it feels as if it pretty much is my alley. It is always exciting to discover a film that absolutely reflects one’s own tastes, and if – like me – you have a particular love for atmospheric Japanese horror, then New Religion is also likely to reflect yours.’ (link)

New Religion is not currently available in Australia.

1. The Breaking Ice
Directed by Anthony Chen.

The best films are rarely the flashiest, or the most unexpected. Usually the very best films simply tell an interesting story with engaging characters and a strong visual aesthetic. Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice follows young accountant Haofeng (Haoran Liu) to a wedding in the wintry northern city of Yanji. When he loses his phone – and with it access to any money – he hooks up with tour guide Nana (Dongyu Zhou) and her restaurant cook friend Xiao (Chuxiao Qu) to wander the streets.

In my MIFF review I wrote: ‘The story’s resemblance to François Truffaut’s 1962 classic Jules et Jim has led to a lot of critics to compare Chen’s film to the nouvelle vague. While it is an understandable comparison to make, it does tend to overlook how much of The Breaking Ice already fits neatly into the mould of contemporary Chinese cinema. The modest scale, handheld photography, desolate locations, and broad avoidance of non-diegetic sound are all hallmarks of independent film in China, and Chen has directed an exemplary example of the form. While the French New Wave may indeed lend a heavy influence, this is Chinese film at its very best.’ (link)

The Breaking Ice is not currently available in Australia.