You Need To See These Movies In 2023
2023 has shaped up to be a surprisingly robust year for cinema. While we wait for assured masterpieces coming later this year — Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE, Celine Song’s PAST LIVES, Denis Villeneueve’s DUNE: PART TWO, and Jonathan Glazer’s THE ZONE OF INTEREST, just to name a few — there are a multitude of incredible films out there for you to watch right now.
Want to see something new? Looking for a good “date night” movie? I’ve got you covered.
KILL BOKSOON (2023, d. Sung-hyun Byun)
The idea behind KILL BOKSOON is quite simple. Gil Bok-soon is an assassin. Not just an assassin, though — she’s the best at what she does. But she’s also a mother, and keeping those two lives separate, while also raising her daughter, can prove to be a stressful and difficult endeavor.
In addition to having some killer fight scenes (no pun intended), KILL BOKSOON also manages to be funny, engaging, and surprisingly heartfelt. Jeon Do-yeon gives an incredible performance as the titular character, the editing is smooth and confident, and there are more than a few directorial choices that help separate the action scenes visually from the cinematic competition.
KILL BOKSOON is currently available to stream on Netflix.
A THOUSAND AND ONE (d. A.V. Rockwell)
There are so many good performances in A THOUSAND AND ONE it’s hard to call out just one. Teyana Taylor is of course the woman who holds the film together. Her fiery and passionate performance as Inez oscillates between funny, dramatic, and heartrending. There is never a moment in this film where she’s not in total control of the scene. I hazard to say the film wouldn’t work without her.
Similarly, William Catlett turns in a wonderful supporting performance as Lucky, Inez’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. He has a quiet, authoritative presence throughout the film. I adored watching Catlett and Taylor play off each other; they have a natural connective chemistry.
Lastly, the role of Inez’s son, Terry, is played by three different actors (the story spans Terry’s childhood). All three excel in their own way, but it’s Josiah Cross who brings the role to its full potential. He manages to thread the individual threads Aaron Kingsley Adetola and Aven Courtney weave before him, presenting Terry’s complex emotional state and the two sides of his personality (influenced by Inez and Lucky).
Perhaps most surprising is the film’s ending, which contains one of the most gut-wrenching and painful twists I’ve seen in a dramatic film for quite some time.
This is a film that will stay with you in every way.
A THOUSAND AND ONE is available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
POLITE SOCIETY (d. Nida Manzoor)
POLITE SOCIETY was one of my favorite theater experiences so far. The film’s energy is truly unparalleled, and the story is anchored by two of the most likable lead performances of the past five years.
Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya play Ria and Lena, respectively. Ria’s dream in life is to become a stunt performer, and Lena is struggling in the aftermath of leaving art school. Their parents are pushing Lena to get married to a hot-shot doctor who’s got boatloads of money and an imposing mother. Things seem to be going alright; Lena is smitten. But Ria senses something is off about her future brother-in-law, and she devises a plan to do something about it.
Some of my favorite sequences of the year are contained in this film. Every fight scene is introduced like a Mortal Kombat sequence, complete with unique music and title cards introducing the fighters. The supporting cast is absolutely wonderful. Ella Bruccoleri and Seraphina Beh play Ria’s friends, and they are delightful. The trio plays off each other so well and they are directly responsible for the majority of the film’s comedy.
Nimra Bucha is a stand-out, too. Her performance as Raheela, Lena’s future mother-in-law, is sinister and eerie. She chews the scenery every chance she gets, keeping the view, and Ria, off balance until the final act.
This is one of those movies that made me fall in love with cinema all those years ago as a kid. It’s funny; it’s irreverent; it’s confident. The passion is truly off the charts, and I can guarantee you will have a good time.
POLITE SOCIETY is currently available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
INFINITY POOL (d. Brandon Cronenberg)
Those who have seen Brandon Cronenberg’s prior films — mainly POSSESSOR, which was released in 2020 — know what they are getting into when they buy a ticket to something like INFINITY POOL. Those who don’t know Brandon’s work may find themselves thrown off-balance by the film’s dark charm and deranged tone.
This has another deceptively simple plot. James and Em, played by Alexander Skarsgård and Cleopatra Coleman, respectively, are staying at an all-inclusive resort on the fictional island of La Tolqa. There, they meet Gabi (played by Mia Goth) and Alban, another couple at the resort. Together, they take a trip outside the resort and are involved in a fatal accident that transforms their lives entirely.
Mia Goth’s performance is the main focus of many who watch this film (myself included). She has carved out a compelling resume within the horror genre for herself, and INFINITY POOL presents her most deranged and memorable performance yet.
Cronenberg’s direction is similarly disorienting and crazed, with certain sequences being edited like a fevered LSD trip. The color pallet in this film is fascinating, too, shifting between freezing blue hues and crushing, overwhelming scarlet.
I wouldn’t recommend this film to a casual horror enthusiast, nor to someone who isn’t interested in body horror or existential dilemmas. But if those two things sound up your alley, then INFINITY POOL is worth your time.
INFINITY POOL is currently available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. (d. Kelly Fremon Craig)
Kelly Fremon Craig had already asserted herself as an exciting and bold cinematic voice with her debut feature, THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. That film was funny, complicated, and authentic in a way many coming-of-age stories aren’t (or, at least, struggle to be). The fact that she followed that excellent effort up with an equally impressive (and potentially better) film — an adaptation of a beloved book, no less — is a true testament to her capabilities behind the camera.
Based on the Judy Blume book of the same name, ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. is a heartwarming, funny story about a young girl coming to grips with puberty and living in New Jersey. The film has such a rock-solid cast, too. Abby Ryder Fortson knocks the role of Margaret out of the part, weaving together an earnest and funny performance that immediately captures you. The supporting cast is astonishing — Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates, and Elle Graham all bring their A-game — and Craig’s direction is beautifully understated.
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET. recently finished its theatrical run and will be available on VOD platforms soon.
RYE LANE (d. Raine Allen-Miller)
I am an absolute sucker for a good rom-com, and RYE LANE fits that description to perfection. Anchored by two of the year’s best performances, this film follows Dom and Yas following Dom’s sudden breakup. What follows is one of the most creative, visually inventive, and purely fun films of the past decade.
The danger with any rom-com is falling into tired tropes and not being able to pull off their well-worn edges. RYE LANE doesn’t shy away from those tropes — if anything, it embraces them — but it brings such a unique and inventive visual style that it’s easy to forgive the script’s familiar beats. On top of that, David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah have phenomenal chemistry. Their performances rocket this story into the likability stratosphere. There are very few moments where I wasn’t smiling or laughing.
This is Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut, and I cannot wait to see more work from her.
RYE LANE is currently available to stream on Hulu.
MISSING (d. Nicholas D. Johnson & Will Merrick)
The “movie on a computer screen” phenomenon is still nascent, with only a handful of shows and films attempting to pull it off. However, there is no denying that there’s something compelling about this style of storytelling that makes films like UNFRIENDED and SEARCHING so engaging. Perhaps it’s because we spend so much of our day-to-day lives in front of screens that the style is familiar in a way found footage is not. Regardless, MISSING is yet another example of how this storytelling method can work. If anything, it’s a bold and ambitious thriller that strives to push this style to its limits.
As with its predecessor, MISSING is a pretty by-the-numbers thriller. June (played by an electric Storm Reid), gets worried when her mom (Nia Long) doesn’t return from her vacation with her new boyfriend. What follows is a white-knuckled investigative thriller where we watch June track down her mother’s whereabouts, discover lies and hidden truths, and confront her own past.
I was also incredibly surprised by the film’s visual variety. While the camera is locked down to specific devices (iMacs, phones, etc.) directors Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick manage to cleverly include close-ups and inventive wide shots without betraying this defined rule.
MISSING is currently available to stream on Netflix.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
There are so many good movies out there to watch, that I couldn't leave you without tossing in some honorable mentions.
EVIL DEAD RISE (2023, d. Lee Cronin)
Available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
CALL ME CHIHIRO (2023, d. Rikiya Imaizumi)
Available to stream on Netflix.
SISU (2022, d. Jalmari Helander)
Available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN (2022, d. Michelle Garza Cervera)
Available to rent or buy on VOD platforms.
THE OUTWATERS (2022, d. Robbie Banfitch)
Available to stream on ScreamBox.
