So, I watch a lot of movies, but it’s rarely a topic here on the blog. In fact, I work movies into my regular schedule. One night each week, my partner and I go out separately and do our own thing. It helps us maintain independence and keep our own projects and sanity. It also gives us a chance to connect with our own hobbies and interests.
Readers probably aren’t shocked to learn that in the summer, I usually use that night to go watch a baseball game. I also, again no shocker, often use the time to work on my writing. But most weeks, I go see a movie at the local non-profit movie theater. It’s a wonderful place to see films, and they maintain a selection that’s a couple of steps better than the corporate chains.
And so, why not make this a blog topic? I’ll say a word about the top 5 2024 movies I’ve seen.
Two Caveats
I have to begin with a couple of caveats.
First, the movies I’m discussing here are actually 2024 movies.
That might seem obvious to many readers. But the fact of the matter is that I don’t live in New York. We have a great independent, non-profit cinema in Iowa City, as I mentioned. But it doesn’t always get the best films immediately after they’re released, as we see in places like New York or London. Plus, at other times, I miss a great film on its original run and only see it after it gets popular.
To be be honest, the best film I actually watched in 2024 was probably Past Lives. I’d propose Perfect Days as a close second. The problem? Past Lives and Perfect Days are 2023 movies! It’s just that I first watched both of them in January 2024. Sing Sing is another great film I watched in 2024 that I’d classify as a 2023 film.
Second, I have to have actually watched the movie for it to make the list. Even though I watch lots of movies, I don’t see everything. Some great films don’t make it to Iowa City, as I said above. And some I just decide for whatever reason not to watch. Any readers wondering why potential award winners like Anora or The Brutalist don’t appear on the list should put away the mystery. I haven’t seen either movie!
As a side note for readers: do you have any opinions on Anora or The Brutalist? Based on the movies I like (see below), should I see them? Let me know in the comments!
Top 5 Movies of 2024
With those caveats in mind, let’s talk about the best movies from 2024!
5. Civil War
Leftists really love to hate on this one, whether or not they actually watched it. In speaking with fellow leftists, the main complaint I hear is that it’s light on the actual politics. They think a film about a new civil war in the U.S. should dig into the details of the factions and their grievances.
That complaint fails. For one, a movie can make a political point without getting into the details of ideology. But even in civil wars, politics are often less important to people than one might think. Most people who find themselves in civil wars are just trying to survive. Anyone in the middle of one could testify to the lack of importance of politics in the everyday experience of it.
More importantly, despite the title, this movie isn’t really about a civil war, anyway. At least not directly. The film’s main topic is wartime journalism. It follows war photographers as they travel through the eastern U.S. They navigate all the major ethical and professional issues one might expect to find.
And it wildly succeeds as a meditation on wartime journalism. It’s also brutally realistic and visually gorgeous.
4. Didi
This film follows a young Taiwanese American boy as he grows up in the early social media age of the 2000s. He struggles with friendships, but he largely does so via the Facebook and AIM experience of his day. In that respect, this movie made for a nice trip down memory lane. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the social media of 2008.
His core struggle relates to being a nerdy, biracial Asian American young man while growing up in a diverse California community. He struggles to fit in with the cool kids of all races. And each time he finds a friend group, he struggles to present himself authentically in a way that’s agreeable both to himself and to his friends.
He trips and stumbles, as we’d expect him to do. And the film brings it all to a resolution that’s satisfying enough, and quite realistic.
3. Good One
I saw this film shortly before I took a
A young woman goes hiking with her father and his friend. They were supposed to be joined by the friend’s son, but he backed out at the last minute. The film takes a leisurely pace, dwelling on the nature scenery of the hike and the developing dynamic between the three characters.
It all blows up in a way that, in retrospect, was all too predictable. I won’t spoil the ending for readers, because it really shapes the overall experience of the film. That said, I’ll say that I had mixed thoughts about it. The film offers a poignant critique of gender and masculinity. At the same time, it also comes off as a cliched depiction of sexual misconduct.
2. Small Things Like These
So, the choice between 1 and 2 was a really close one.
This is a great story about moral choices, the workplace, and a tight-knit community. For the short version, Cillian Murphy’s character lives in a small Irish town and works as a coal merchant. On the job, he discovers an abusive Magdalene laundry and struggles over whether to blow the whistle. Along the way, we see flashbacks of his childhood traumas that lead him to a perpetual state of melancholy.
The entire film is extremely understated, with Murphy’s performance leading the way. And while I love that style of film, I think Murphy takes it a tad too far. For me, that was the tiebreaker between this and the next film.
1. Ghostlight
Truth be told, ranking these five films was tough. They’re all great, but none was truly flawless.
This one comes out on top because it works on a few levels. At the surface, it’s a story of a construction worker struggling with disrespect from the public and at home. But as it moves along, it introduces the real reason for his problems. And it opens the door to a novel way to cope with life’s problems.
In short, the construction worker is really struggling with the death of a family member. And he deals with it by joining a community theater production of a play that depicts a similar death.
At times, it’s a bit too on the nose. But the film tells the story in such an earnest, sincere way that it never feels too over the top.
Honorable Mention: My Old Ass
While I’m happy with my list, I wanted to finish with an honorable mention. It’s this recently released coming of age story starring newcomer Maisy Stella and veteran actress Aubrey Plaza playing two versions of the same character. Stella’s version recently turned 18 and is about to head out into the world, while Plaza’s version is a 39 year old, cynical and jaded adult. Via an interesting plot device, Plaza travels back in time to speak with Stella about her future.
We do find out what makes Plaza’s version so cynical and jaded, but it’s an essential plot element. I won’t spoil it.
This wasn’t one of the top 5 movies for the year, but I really liked it a lot. The idea of meeting your 39 year old self at age 18 is compelling, and the film presents it in a satisfying way. Plus, it’s rare to find a good coming of age story about a young woman – especially one exploring her newly discovered bisexuality.
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