Best Reviewed Movies of 2024

All killer, no filler

We here at SFR see a lot of movies. Like, a lot of movies. And we realize that that might have sounded like a complaint just now, but it's really not—we love a good film as much as the next cinephile, and we love thinking a little deeper about film as a connective medium. Still, we see a lot of crap. These aren't that, however, so much as they're the finest movies we saw all year. From the hilarious heights of American Fiction and the weirdo minimalism of The Sweet East to the quiet dignity of Poetry, the intensity of Love Lies Bleeding, the heartache of Fancy Dance and the inescapable weight of About Dry Grasses, we think these are the ones you oughta see yourselves, dear readers. Perhaps during some sort of upcoming holiday break? Enjoy!

American Fiction (Reviewed Jan. 17)

We said: American Fiction is at turns hysterically funny and gut-wrenchingly sad in moments that feel unvieral. Some will call it woke while others will decry its anti-wokeness. Some will see it for what it is, though—a movie about how family is hard, how writing might be harder and how sometimes things just feel empty no matter how much we try. But we do it anyway. (Alex De Vore)

Score: 9 

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The Promised Land (Reviewed February 6)

We said: [Writer/director Nikolaj] Arcel composes a devastating film, and at times it’s surprisingly graphic, with no shortage of torture and throat slitting. But it’s also a visual feast: The wrinkles in the folding fabric of the working women’s dresses and the muted tones of the fields and sky are reminiscent of classic, light-stroked popular oil painting that coincides with the rough time period of the film.(Julie Ann Grimm)

Score: 8 

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The Sweet East (Reviewed March 12)

We said: Heads up...fans of clear-cut narrative? You might not wanna hang. The rest of you? This one will stick with you for days, and not just for the unexpected yet glorious musical moment in the opening act. (ADV)

Score: 8 

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About Dry Grasses (Reviewed March 18)

We said: How truthful are we in our myriad relationships? The mentor/mentee; our coworkers; ourselves? [Director Nuri Bilge] Ceylan’s characters are heartbreakingly human, which means, inherently, deeply flawed. And just because it’s challenging to dig into the specifics of About Dry Grasses doesn’t make it any less riveting.(ADV)

Score: 10 

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Love Lies Bleeding (Reviewed March 20)

We said: Is it a gangster movie? An homage to thrillers like Kill Bill? A love story? An anti-love story? Yes, all of the above. At its core lies a distorted moral about wanting better for oneself, too, and the lengths to which one might go for love, even if—or especially because—it’s that fucked up kind of love that burns with alarming intensity. This is a weird one, but imminently watchable. (ADV)

Score: 9 

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Poetry (Reviewed May 1)

We said: Poetry feels like a must-see for those grappling with age, though it might perhaps hit harder for women ...When we grapple with self-perception or consider how we appear to others, we might not like what peers back; when we consider the brevity of existence or the moral implications therein, the best we might hope for is that we lessened the hurts we bestowed upon others—and ourselves. (ADV)

Score: 9 

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Evil Does Not Exist (Reviewed Oct. May 15)

We said: If the impact of his film is that it makes viewers think a little more deeply about how they carry themselves? That would clearly be a good thing. This isn’t about finger-wagging; it’s about a moment’s consideration for the type of world we’ll leave behind. (ADV)

Score: 8 

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Taking Venice (Reviewed Oct. 19)

We said: Here is a great American artist continuing to risk alienation and ridicule. He struggles against repetition, haunted by the violence of the ‘60s. He wants to see nationalism dissolved. One roots for Rauschenberg. Despite misdirection and missing context, this is an important story of the best of our culture. (James Reich)

Score: 8 

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I Saw the TV Glow (Reviewed May 28)

We said: Knowing the film’s trans-narrative in advance of viewing does not detract from the anguish of watching the life, the very air, seep out of [the lead] as he refuses to allow himself to be the person that exists inside the skin he eventually peels up to reveal the TV static underneath. (Julia Goldberg)

Score: 9 

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Fancy Dance (Reviewed June 26)

We said: The omnipresent undercurrent of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People permeates each and every scene, leaving little room for comfort or a satisfying climax. It hurts, in fact, when we must accept what [lead] Jax knows all along: Help isn’t coming, but celebrating small victories, even if they’re just another sunrise, sometimes has to be enough.(ADV)

Score: 8 

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Janet Planet (Reviewed July 3)

We said: The dialogue is quietly hilarious and often allowed to go on for longer

than we’re used to on the big screen, but if you’re willing to sit back and remember a time when we could listen to ourselves think, the film becomes a perfect mediation on love and what it means to grow up. (Ariel Gore)

Score: 9 

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Swan Song (Reviewed July 24)

We said: At its best, Swan Song reminds one of the physicality, luminosity and darkness of Edgar Degas’ ballet paintings. (JR)

Score: 9 

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Omni Loop (Reviewed Sept. 23)

We said: Groundhog Day and Palm Springs lean into the idea that if you just find you a good partner, everything else will fall into place. Omni Loop, however, feels more hopeful and less reductive. We might not see the good things around the bend, but they’re there. (ADV)

Score: 8 

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A Different Man (Reviewed Oct. 7)

We said: In exploring how society reacts to beauty and ugliness, [director] Aaron Schimberg holds a mirror up to his audience. This becomes uncomfortable fast, but the best films often wield discomfort to great effect. (ADV)

Score: 9 

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Separated (Reviewed Nov. 6)

We said: [Errol] Morris’s important documentary exposes the chain of uncaring government officials and their tactics of child arrests. The creation of institutionalized orphan children as a deterrent to illegal entry into the US might even be the darkest chapter in recent American history. (Jesse Colvin)

Score: 8 

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Wicked (Reviewed Oct. 19)

We said: Damn the year gap between the two parts, you’ll surely want more. (Evan Chandler)

Score: 9