2023 delivered an eclectic mix of movies that resonated with critics and audiences alike. IndieWire picked out some standouts — from quirky comedies and gritty dramas to unique stories you might have missed. Dive into their top film selections and see why these titles deserve a spot on your watchlist.
Content
- Beau Is Afraid
- BlackBerry
- Cassandro
- Earth Mama
- Flora and Son
- M3GAN
- Rye Lane
- Scrapper
- The Starling Girl
- A Thousand and One
Beau Is Afraid
IMDb: 6.7/10
2023, Comedy, Drama, Horror
USA, R
Director: Ari Aster
Top Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan
Beau Wasserman remains a shy, anxious man. His adventure plans to visit with his mother are followed by the film, yet this trip is more than travel. The adventure does turn into an adventure that is unsettling and also surreal for him. Odd folks and bizarre events bring out Beau’s early hurts and his biggest anxieties.
Ari Aster, director of the movie, is known for Hereditary and Midsommar. At first, the screenplay did lean in the direction of comedy. However, the pandemic caused a revision. Now, it is a drama featuring dark humor as well as psychological depth in all of its absurdity.
BlackBerry
IMDb: 7.4/10
2023, Biography, Comedy, Drama
Canada, R
Director: Matt Johnson
Top Cast: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson
This is the story of Research In Motion, who is the BlackBerry’s creator, being the world’s first smartphone company. It shows about how a business can suddenly skyrocket. It vanishes nearly just as quickly. The story focuses on engineer Mike Lazaridis and businessman Jim Balsillie since their ambitions and choices led to the firm’s great rise and fall.
The movie got filmed in a mockumentary style through the use of handheld cameras as it premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2023.
Cassandro
IMDb: 6.6/10
2023, Biography, Drama, Sport
USA, R
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Top Cast: Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa
The film tells the true story of one Mexican wrestler, Saúl Armendáriz, who performed under the very name of Cassandro. He was the initial publicly gay fighter within lucha libre. The sport is known quite well for both its colorful masks and its macho culture. He managed to earn respect in addition to changing how so-called «exótico» wrestlers were seen in Mexico despite personal struggles alongside prejudice.
Earth Mama
IMDb: 6.9/10
2023, Drama
USA, UK, R
Director: Savanah Leaf
Top Cast: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Doechii
Gia is a single pregnant mother having two kids in foster care. She is trying her best to recover them while facing her troubles. She faces a system with much red tape. She is trying to hold on to hope, along with keeping her dignity through it all.
This is the feature debut of Director Savannah Leaf, and it is based upon the short film «The Heart Still Hums.» Doechii is also one who is featured as a Grammy-winning artist.
Its portrayal, which is raw and honest of motherhood, has been commended. It earns praise too for showing the child welfare system.
Flora and Son
IMDb: 7.0/10
2023, Comedy, Drama, Music
Ireland, USA, R
Director: John Carney
Top Cast: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan
Flora is a single mom hailing from Dublin as she continues to try to reconnect with her teenage son, Max. She does find a very old guitar. Then she urges that he give music a try. That simple gesture helps them rebuild their bond, along with sparking a shared adventure in music.
Fun fact: Gary Clark and John Carney wrote the original songs featured in the film.
M3GAN
IMDb: 6.4/10
2022, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
USA, PG-13
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Top Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng
Gemma builds as a robotics engineer a lifelike AI doll named M3GAN, helping her niece Cady cope after her parents' loss. When M3GAN becomes in dangerously unpredictable manner however, things then take a dark turn to becoming overly protective.
The film was a box office hit, also it earned over $180 million on a $12 million budget. M3GAN 2.0 is like a sequel. It is intended for release during 2025.
Rye Lane
IMDb: 7.2/10
2023, Comedy, Drama, Romance
UK, R
Director: Raine Allen-Miller, David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah
Dom and Yas are both experiencing difficult breakups while also meeting unexpectedly in South London. The pair spend the day together as they help each other heal from trauma. They also slowly open up again to the idea of love. The energetic portrayal of London and its fresh take regarding romantic comedies did earn some praise just for the film.
Scrapper
IMDb: 6.9/10
2023, Comedy, Drama
UK, Not Rated
Director: Charlotte Regan
Top Cast: Lola Campbell, Harris Dickinson
12-year-old Georgie has been living on her own since her mom passed away, and she is doing everything that she can do to keep social services from finding anything out. Estranged father suddenly shows up, so her world turns upside down. So much mistrust must be worked on through as they then reconnect.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize. The 2023 Sundance Film Festival conferred that honor. Lola Campbell, even a newcomer, stars in the lead role.
The Starling Girl
IMDb: 6.6/10
2023, Drama
USA, R
Director: Laurel Parmet
Top Cast: Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman, Jimmi Simpson
Jem is a 17-year-old girl within a strict Christian community who grows up in Kentucky. She questions the things that she has been taught, unlike the other people around her. This questioning starts especially after she relates to a young pastor.
The Starling Girl is a film in which finding your own path, sexuality, and faith are explored. Jem’s inner battle was represented mindfully as well as honestly in the commended film.
A Thousand and One
IMDb: 7.1/10
2023, Drama
USA, R
Director: A.V. Rockwell
Top Cast: Teyana Taylor, Aaron Kingsley Adetola, Aven Courtney
Inez has been released from prison just now, and her son was adopted during her absence. She refuses to let him go, so she takes him away from his foster family. She then sets out to build a new life in New York City for them.
A Thousand and One shows just how she fought in order to survive for a decade so she intensely loved as she searched for belonging in a city that does constantly change. That the film did win the Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival is not surprising.
