American and international filmmakers made us experience all kinds of emotions in cinemas in 2023. Here are our 15 favorite foreign films of the last twelve months:
The American touch
Photo provided by Apple TV+
In 1920s America, white Americans kill members of the Osage Nation to seize their oil revenues. These real-life events, known as the “Reign of Terror,” are brought to the screen by Martin Scorsese, who chooses to take the point of view of Mollie Kyle (extraordinary Lily Gladstone), the victim of her husband Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). his uncle (Robert DeNiro). A great film with perfect execution. (I H).
maestro
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NETFLIX
Bradley Cooper shines in this biographical film dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, which he also directed and co-produced with Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. The actor paints a fascinating portrait of the West Side Story conductor and composer through his romantic relationships with his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) and his lovers. (HELLO)
Oppenheimer
Photo provided by Universal Pictures
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan showed all his virtuosity in this magnificent biographical drama about the life of the physicist Robert Oppenheimer. This dense and spectacular work, spanning three hours, offers a fascinating insight into the mind of this genius, tormented and overwhelmed by his own invention. (MD)
Barbie
Photo provided by Warner Bros.
With box office revenue of $1.44 billion, Greta Gerwig's feature film is undoubtedly the film of the year. It is a gem of humor and social criticism with the radiant Margot Robbie, fantastic as Barbie, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon, and Ryan Gosling, whose ridiculous but big-hearted Ken we can only admire. (HELLO)
Anatomy of a fall
ENTRY FILMS
With this masterful film, which won the Palme d'Or at the last Cannes Film Festival, French filmmaker Justine Triet brilliantly revisits the codes of the legal thriller to analyze the balance of power within a series of writers on the verge of implosion. She succeeds in keeping us in suspense every minute of this captivating drama, which disturbs us and haunts us for a long time. (MD)
Spider-Man: Through the Spider-Verse
Image provided by Sony Pictures
Visually stunning with its ceaseless kaleidoscope of different techniques and images, this second animated installment of the adventures of Miles Morales, a young Spider-Man in alternate universes, also features Gwen Stacy, with whom he fights against the villain The Spot. Undoubtedly, we can't wait for the next one. (HELLO)
The wish: Asha and the lucky star
Photo provided by Disney
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Disney animation studio and the Frozen team decided to do something big and create a fairy tale that is both modern and nostalgic and will warm the heart. Young Asha and her hilarious talking goat face off against King Magnifico in visual scenes reminiscent of all the classics from the centuries-old house. (HELLO)
The ones who stay
Photo Seacia Pavao / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
After the disappointing “Small Format,” which hit theaters six years ago, American filmmaker Alexander Payne is back in top form with this endearing comedy-drama that sees him reconnect with the actor 20 years after the release of the excellent “Adrift.” Paul Giamatti records. Full of nostalgia, this funny and warm film touches the heart. (MD).
Air: Courting a Legend
Screenshot, YouTube
Director Ben Affleck returns to his Argo tone to tell the story of how Michael Jordan became a spokesman for Nike. The feature film is a humorous and exciting insight into this unfortunately little-known story from the 1980s and highlights the entire cinematic talent of the man who plays the CEO of the sports shoe brand. (HELLO)
Salt burn
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AMAZON STUDIOS
Emerald Fennell, Oscar-winning screenwriter and director for her superb A Young Woman Full of Promise, returns with a work that is equally delicious and edgy. Barry Keoghan plays a poor student who is admitted to the prestigious Harvard University and falls under the spell of Felix (Jacob Elordi), a rich fellow student. The humor is biting, the portrait of the famous 1% is killer and we appreciate the unbridled sensuality of this amazing and refreshing feature film. (HELLO)
Poor creatures
PHOTO BY YORGOS LANTHIMOS, PROVIDED BY SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
The worlds of Yorgos Lanthimos always make you lose touch with reality a little, and the feature film is no exception by revisiting the myth of Frankenstein. Emma Stone is unforgettable as a Victorian woman, victim of three men (played by Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef and a surprising Mark Ruffalo), who breaks free from all conventions. (HELLO)
May December
FRIENDLY PHOTO
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore deliver top-notch performances in this film directed by Todd Haynes (Carol), loosely inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau affair. This carefully crafted drama with thriller overtones explores the complex psychology of a mother imprisoned after a relationship with a 13-year-old teenager (who has since become her husband), through the eyes of an actress preparing to play her role on the screen. (MD).
When evil lurks
Photo provided by Shudder
Six years after Demián Rugna gave us the excellent “Terrified”, he persists and signs “When Evil Lurks”, a work as brutal as it is unpredictable. The Argentinian filmmaker throws his film at us like a slap to the sternum, and its impact is felt long after the credits roll. (BL)
Talk to me
Photo provided by Fantasia Festival
There are countless horror films about possession… and only a few of them manage to be truly frightening. But brothers Danny and Michael Philippou achieve this feat with Parle-moi, a debut work full of promise that is destined to join The Loved Ones and The Babadook as an Australian horror classic. (BL)
On the way to a bright future
Photo provided by K-Films America
In this comedy full of tenderness and nostalgia, the famous Italian director Nanni Moretti (“The Son's Room”) takes great pleasure in parodying himself by slipping into the shoes of a disillusioned filmmaker overwhelmed by his time. This fourteenth feature film by Moretti is a true love letter to cinema and a little gem full of humor and self-irony. (MD)