Following on from our reviews of the worst films of the year, we move on to Part 2 of our year end review of 2023. This year I’ve seen just a shade over 100 new films, with my acquaintance with the Cameo Picture House growing after Edinburgh Filmhouse sadly shut towards the end of 2022. Perhaps not the strongest year for cinema as I look over my favourites, but there are some gems as always that you may or may not know about. As always, here’s our list of the year’s best films, starting with our favourites from 20-11 – let us know what you think!

If you’d like to read our full reviews of any of these films, clicking on the titles will take you to them,

20. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

This documentary about the American photographer and artist Nan Goldin looks at her work through the lens of how her activism helped lead to the fall of the Sackler family, big players in the art world who had made a lot of their fortune from the promotion of highly addictive pharmaceutical drugs such as Oxycontin. A very well made documentary that speaks to the power of positive activism.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/all-the-beauty-and-the-bloodshed

19. Ferrari

Focusing on an important year in the origin story of the legendary car manufacturer, ‘Ferrari‘ is an old school biopic about Enzo, the man who founded the company and set the blueprint for its future success. Michael Mann’s movie excels in the thrilling racing sequences, and in moments where he digs into Ferrari’s dig, drive, ambition and ideology, which may, as it did me, make me forgive some of the difficulties it has in truly getting to the heart of Enzo in this character study.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/ferrari-2023

18. Rye Lane

It’s rare to see a debut feature that feels so confident and fully formed right out the gate, but ‘Rye Lane’ is funny, edgy and really, really likeable, and one of the best romantic comedies of recent years. Making the most of its South London setting and its charismatic leads, this is a really fun movie that succeeds in giving you both the ‘rom’ and the ‘com’.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/rye-lane

17. Holy Spider

Set in Iran, ‘Holy Spider‘ is a tense and thrilling movie about Iran’s most infamous serial killer, who targeted prostitutes in the early 2000s – with this movie following both the killer himself, and a female journalist who is attempting to identify who he is. With a lot to say about Iran’s secretive and misogynistic culture, this is a movie that both informs and entertains.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/holy-spider

16. BlackBerry

This has been a popular year for corporate biopics with ‘Tetris‘, ‘The Beanie Bubble‘ and ‘Air‘ (see below) all telling the story of how their respective products came into being. ‘BlackBerry‘ is one of the best, and certainly the funniest, of the year, in its telling of the rise and fall of the mobile phone company that dominated the market until the iPhone came along.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/blackberry

15. Cairo Conspiracy

‘Cairo Conspiracy’ is a fascinating political thriller about the government’s attempts to ‘rig’ the election of a new Grand Imam in Egypt, exploring the political manipulations in a country and culture where religion and state are of almost equal importance. Morally complex and brilliantly written, this is a terrific follow up to the equally brilliant ‘The Nile Hilton Incident‘.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/boy-from-heaven

14. John Wick: Chapter 4

The (potentially) final ‘John Wick‘ film is an action epic that is not just brilliant because of the spectacularly choreographed action sequences (too many to mention!), but because of the enhanced scope that uses the weight of everything that has happened over the previous 3 movies to bolster the narrative of this movie. ‘John Wick: Chapter 4‘ is cinema with everything and the kitchen sink thrown at the screen, and incredibly it works.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/john-wick-chapter-4

13. Killers of the Flower Moon

Set in Osage County in the 1920s, Martin Scorsese’s latest movie centres on a series of murders shortly after oil was discovered on tribal land – known as the Osage Indian murders – although prior to this I doubt many people had heard about them. It is in essence a movie that attempts to reckon with America’s complicated past with indigenous peoples, wrapped up in a story that is almost too unbelievable to be true, yet it is, and it is brought to the screen superbly by one of our greatest directors.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/killers-of-the-flower-moon

12. How to Have Sex

This brilliant drama follows 3 teenage girls who head off to Malia for a week of partying, with the aim of drinking, clubbing and hooking up. It is both a celebration of youth and female friendship, as well as a cautionary tale that delicately explores the culture of sex and consent. With a star making turn from Mia Mckenna-Bruce in the leading role, this is a terrific, authentic debut from Molly Manning Walker.

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/how-to-have-sex

11. Air

Ben Affleck’s first film as director in 7 years is a biographical sports drama about the origins of a shoe, specifically the Nike Air Jordan shoe that transformed the fortunes of Nike and revolutionised how sports endorsements work. If that sounds like behind the scenes business stuff it is, but in the hands of Affleck, this is a thoroughly entertaining movie that works because ‘Air’ takes the form of a scrappy underdog story and uses our knowledge of Michael Jordan and what he’d become to add weight to the events we see on screen. This might at heart be about a shoe, but it’s more about a small group of individuals who took a big gamble that paid off massively, and what’s not to love about that?

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/air-2023

Narrowly missing this list: Reality, Dumb Money, The Night of the 12th, Smoking Causes Coughing, One Fine Morning