You probably haven’t seen all the movies from 2024, and there are quite a few worth checking out. The American Film Institute (AFI), one of the most respected media organizations, put together a list of the films that stood out most to their editors. Here are their top 10 picks.
Content
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Emilia Pérez
- Nickel Boys
- A Real Pain
- Sing Sin
- Wicked
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Nobody Wants This
- The Penguin
The Brutalist
IMDb: 7.3/10
2024, Drama
USA, Hungary, UK, R
Director: Brady Corbet
Top Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Brutalist is a unique film with a layered story. In many ways, it’s a movie that reflects today’s world. At its core, it tells the story of László Tóth, a Jewish-Hungarian architect who survived the Holocaust. He emigrates to the U.S. in search of the “American Dream,” but instead finds a reality that exploits his talent and then casts him aside.
The filmmakers invite the audience to witness the struggles László goes through as he tries to find his place in a world that feels foreign to him. In the film, Brutalism is not just an architectural style known for its harshness and discomfort, it also serves as a metaphor for the trauma and war experiences of the main character.
A Complete Unknown
IMDb: 7.3/10
2024, Biography, Drama, Music
USA, R
Director: James Mangold
Top Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning
The marketing for this film was so strong that you’ve probably heard of it — even if you’ve never listened to Bob Dylan. And yes, Dylan himself is the main character. The story focuses on the early years of his career, from 1961 to 1965, starting with his rise as a folk musician and leading up to his controversial electric guitar performance at the Newport Folk Festival. The movie explores his path to fame and his connections with other key figures of the era.
How much of it you believe is up to you — the plot is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric!.
Fun fact: the film includes details that weren’t widely known before, like Dylan’s correspondence with Johnny Cash and his relationship with Suze Rotolo (who appears on the cover of one of his albums). Both are drawn from real events.
Emilia Pérez
IMDb: 5.4/10
2024, Musical, Crime, Drama
France, R
Director: Jacques Audiard
Top Cast: Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez
This crime musical tells the story of a Mexican drug lord who decides to undergo gender transition. For him, it’s not only a way to escape his criminal past, but also a step toward becoming who he truly feels he is — a woman. He hires a lawyer to help guide him through the process and build a new life. The film isn’t a biography; it’s a fictional story inspired by an unpublished opera.
Nickel Boys
IMDb: 6.9/10
2024, Drama
USA, PG-13
Director: RaMell RossEthan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater
The story is based on Colson Whitehead’s novel. It follows two African American teenagers, Elwood Curtis and Turner, who are sent to a reform school called the Nickel Academy. There, they face brutal violence and racism under Jim Crow laws.
The plot is inspired by the real Dozier School for Boys in Florida, where horrific abuse took place for decades.
While the main characters are fictional, their experiences are drawn from the real testimonies of the school’s victims.
A Real Pain
IMDb: 7.1/10
2024, Comedy, Drama
USA, R
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Top Cast: Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Will Sharpe
This is a slow-paced comedy-drama that makes you reflect on your roots. A Real Pain follows two cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), who travel to Poland to join a Holocaust tour and honor their late grandmother, a survivor. Their trip becomes both an attempt to reconnect and a painful dive into their family and cultural history.
Jesse Eisenberg not only stars in the film but also wrote and directed it, creating an interesting balance between humor and tragedy.
Sing Sin
IMDb: 7.6/10
2023, Drama
USA, R
Director: Greg Kwedar
Top Cast: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci
The film is based on the real “Rehabilitation Through the Arts” program at Sing Sing, a maximum-security prison. It follows inmate John “Divine G” Whitfield, who finds new purpose in life by joining the prison’s theater group. Performing in plays helps him come alive again, and he decides to fight to prove his innocence and win back his freedom.
Fun fact: the movie features former inmates who actually took part in the real program — here, they play fictionalized versions of themselves. The story itself is rooted in true events.
Wicked
IMDb: 7.4/10
2024, Musical, Fantasy, Romance
USA, PG
Director: Jon M. Chu
Top Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Another musical makes the list — but unlike the others, this one is a fantasy. Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of two witches: Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned outcast, and Glinda, the popular golden girl. The film explores their complicated friendship and how they eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the South.
The movie is based on the hit stage musical of the same name, which itself was inspired by Gregory Maguire’s novel. The story takes place before Dorothy ever arrives in Oz.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
IMDb: 7.0/10
2024, Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
USA, UK, TV-MA
Director: Hiro Murai
Top Cast: Donald Glover, Maya Erskine, Paul Dano
This TV series is a reboot of the 2005 movie starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. This time, the characters are different, and so are their challenges.
Two strangers are recruited by a mysterious spy organization and must pose as a married couple under the names John and Jane Smith. Each mission tests not only their spy skills but also their growing relationship.
Nobody Wants This
IMDb: 7.8/10
2024, Comedy, Romance
USA, TV-MA
Director: Greg Mottola; Hannah Fidell
Top Cast: Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe
This romantic comedy follows the unlikely relationship between Jo, a woman who’s an agnostic, and Noah, an unorthodox rabbi. They meet at a party, and despite their very different worldviews, sparks fly. Their connection forces them to navigate challenges around faith, family, and society.
If you’re interested in the complexities of interfaith relationships, this series is definitely for you.
The Penguin
IMDb: 8.6/10
2024, Crime, Drama
USA, TV-MA
Director: Craig Zobel, Helen Shaver, Kevin Bray, Jennifer Getzinger
Top Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell
This series is a spin-off of the 2022 Batman movie. It follows Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, better known as the Penguin, as he rises to power in Gotham’s underworld. The story picks up a week after Carmine Falcone’s death, with Oz trying to claim his place while facing rivals and the return of Falcone’s daughter, Sofia.
Here, the Penguin isn’t shown as someone from a wealthy family but as a working-class gangster. The series takes a deeper look at his character and his drive to become a crime boss.
