Cinema Femme’s Top Ten Films of 2023

This year has been a celebration of thought-provoking films, and audiences have been showing their gratitude for them by leaving their streaming platforms at home and going to the movies. This year, I feel I’ve spent more time in movie theaters than ever before, and I’ve seen films like “Barbie,” “Bottoms,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” and “Priscilla,” multiple times in the theater. On occasion, I’ve followed up my streaming of a film on my computer screen to seeing it in the theater, most recently with “Eileen,” which made two of our contributors’ top ten film lists of the year. Seeing the film’s star Thomasin McKenzie transform and evolve in the title role is magical to behold.

What a joy it was this summer! Instead of Marvel films leading the box office, we had “Barbenheimer”: two original films opening on the same weekend, one a movie about a doll and another about the man who created the atomic bomb. People made themed shirts, flooded socials with memes, and this was all generated by people’s excitement for both films. And for “Barbie,” what a joy to see people decked out in pink. For me, this “Barbenheimer” experience showed me a glimpse of what our film industry could look like with gender equality behind the camera. Another summer film experience I loved was seeing “Past Lives” on the screen. The film premiered at Sundance, but I saw it during a critics’ screening just before the release, and it inspired me to write this essay. The film has been celebrated and embraced by critics. It’s a beautiful thing to see a film based on such a personal story by the director, and her feature debut is moving audiences and film journalists across the country. Authenticity in my book always wins, and I’m so happy it’s being celebrated through this film.

Praises for Lily Gladstone this year! I knew after I saw her in Kelly Reichardt’s “Certain Women” in 2016 that she was going to bring more and more greatness to the screen. You never forget a performance like that one. 2023 has been her year with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Unknown Country,” and of course, “Fancy Dance,” which made our top ten of the year, directed by Erica Tremblay. At the Gotham Awards this year, Lily won the Outstanding Lead Performance prize for her role in “Unknown Country,” directed by Morrissa Maltz. She also got an award for her role as Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” We may have our first indigenous best actress win next year at the Oscars, and I’m so excited for her.

And thank god for “Bottoms,” the teen sex comedy we’ve all been waiting for with power duo Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri making us cry laugh. It was truly cathartic to see the film this year, and on the big screen. The film made two of our contributors’ top ten lists, and was our contributor Emily Jacobson’s number one film of the year.

We kicked off the year with our extensive Sundance coverage that really set the tone for our top ten films of the year. “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” make our combined number one, which just last week won Best Documentary at the European Film Awards, following a string of awards. We are rooting for an Oscar nomination and win for this film. We are quoted in their trailer from my interview with the director Anna Hints when I called the film a “masterpiece” in my introduction. This film forever changed me, and it kicked off my year of cinema on a high note.

I’d be remiss to not acknowledge the strikes that happened over 7 months this year against the AMPTP. With audiences showing their love for authenticity onscreen, the people in the industry who bring authenticity to the screen through the words and their performances fought for their rights as artists and their place in the industry. It was a difficult time for production this year because of that, but in the long-run, I feel this is good for the industry. We cannot have AI take the place of these creatives. Fair agreements have now been made between the AMPTP and the WGA and SAG-Aftra, and my hope is that it will help everyone thrive, not just the people at the top.

Below is Cinema Femme’s top ten films of 2023, starting with “Priscilla” as number ten. For me, “Priscilla” was one of the best movie-watching experiences I had all year. Sofia is my first director love, and it’s amazing to see all of the poetic beauty she creates in this adaption of Priscilla Presley memoir, where she details her life with Elvis. After each title, we’ve included an excerpt from a contributor and a link to their feature related to the film. Five of our contributors and myself have shared our personal top ten or five films that are posted below our combined list. We are grateful to the filmmakers this year, and the work that has been shared and celebrated on the screen.

-Rebecca Martin Fagerholm, Cinema Femme magazine Editor in Chief

10 – “Priscilla” – directed by Sofia Coppola

So many beautiful images from her films have become eternally etched in my mind: Charlotte skipping on the rocks in the water by the temple, Lux daydreaming in a corn field, Amy looking for mushrooms in the southern fields, Cleo drinking tea at the bottom of the pool, and now, Priscilla’s bare feet walking in the shag carpeting at Graceland.

Through Her Eyes: Sofia Coppola and Cailee Spaeny on the visual poetry of “Priscilla”

9. “Scrapper” – directed by Charlotte Regan

But like a breath of fresh air, this film came into my queue. It has shades of Arnold and Loach in how it elevates the working class community in the UK, but instead of lingering on the poverty, it shows us a lightness and quirkiness at the heart of its characters. You can’t help but smile when you watch this film.

Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper” explores working class life through a humanistic, playful lens

8. “Fancy Dance” – directed by Erica Tremblay

“Fancy Dance” got a prestigious premiere slot at the Eccles Theatre on the opening Friday night of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film carried a lot of buzz, and is an inspiration for female filmmakers and Indigenous filmmakers alike. 

Sundance 2023: Erica Tremblay on her debut feature “Fancy Dance”

7. “Joonam” – directed by Sierra Urich

“Joonam” is a beautiful debut documentary from Iranian-American filmmaker Sierra Urich. In the film, Urich connects with her Persian mother and grandmother while learning Farsi and trying to build her own foundation with her Iranian culture. The camera acts as an intermediary between the women as they deepen their understanding of each other and address tensions that have built up surrounding their identities.

Sierra Urich explores the spaces that children of immigrants occupy in her documentary feature debut “Joonam”

6. “Past Lives” – directed by Celine Song

Filmmaker Celine Song had a unique moment when her childhood sweetheart and her husband met. This moment was very significant to her, and it became the seed of her film, “Past Lives.” The film has been called “a modern romance,” but to me, it is much more than that. “Past Lives” is ageless to me, which is also true of films like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Her,” and even “My Girl”. All of these films cropped up in my mind while writing this review.

Celine Song’s “Past Lives” is a modern romance that is ageless

5. “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.” – directed by Kelly Fremon Craig

It is here where Abby cements her status as one the most gifted actors of her generation, anchoring every scene with the complex emotions that register on her expressive face. Not since Elsie Fisher in “Eighth Grade” have I felt so wholly immersed in the moment to moment experience of a young person onscreen. 

Quietly Revolutionary: Abby Ryder Fortson and Kelly Fremon Craig on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (Cinema Femme contributor Matt Fagerholm for RogerEbert.com)

4. “Barbie” – directed by Greta Gerwig

Gloria helps the Barbies find themselves and therefore, find each other. She introduces the real-world comfort and joy of sisterhood to Barbieland and saves them not simply from Kendom, but themselves.

“Thank God for Gloria: Feminism Awakened in Greta Gerwig’s BARBIE” (soon to be read in THE CALL SHEET Vol. 2, coming in January 2, 2024, by Cinema Femme contributor Peyton Robinson)

3. “Bottoms” – directed by Emma Seligman

 Emma is great at crafting scenarios that are uncomfortable to watch at times, yet also cathartic in many ways too. To me, this is one of the best LOL films of the year. 

Emma Seligman on her queer sex comedy “Bottoms,” starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri

2. “A Thousand and One” – directed A.V. Rockwell

“A Thousand and One” is a commanding film about motherhood, family, and the dexterity and flexibility of the human spirit. Utterly engrossing and demanding in its power, the film carves its own lane. Boasting incredible performances, stunning visuals, and a script laden with humanity’s best and worst, “A Thousand and One” is an adulation of filmmaking, storytelling, and Black existence itself. 

Sundance 2023 review: “A Thousand and One,” directed by A.V. Rockwell

1. “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” – directed by Anna Hints

Seasons come and go, and every season symbolizes life at different stages being encapsulated within the elements of those seasons. Winter can be harsh with the ice and the cold air, but it also can be comforting when you are around people in warm spaces. The fall always reminds me of new beginnings, maybe because while growing up, the new school year started in the fall. With the crisp leaves and the slight chill, a fire is nice, a kind of fire that lights something within, reminding you of your voice. In the summer when it is hot, the cool water is heaven. It cleanses. And in the spring, there is this manic energy of promise, future and possibility. All of these things are elevated through a group of women, not identified by gender but community. It is the sisterhood of the Smoke Sauna in Southern Estonia.

Anna Hints on the power of Southern Estonia women in their feature debut, “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”

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Cinema Femme Contributors’ top 10/5 films of the year:

Rebecca Martin Fagerholm – Editor in Chief

1. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood – Anna Hints
2. Joyland – Saim Sadiq
3. Return to Seoul – Davy Chou
4. Barbie – Greta Gerwig
5. Past Lives – Celine Song
6. Animalia – Sofia Alaoui
7. Our Father, the Devil – Ellie Foumbi
8. Priscilla – Sofia Coppola
9. Perfect Days – Wim Wenders
10. Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet

Rebecca’s TOP 50 – Letterboxd

Peyton Robinson – Contributing Writer

1. A Thousand and One – A.V. Rockwell
2. Paradise is Burning – Mika Gustafson
3. How to Blow Up a Pipeline -Daniel Goldhaber
4. Earth Mama – Savanah Leaf
5. Kokomo City – D. Smith
6. Saltburn – Emerald Fennell
7. Dream Scenario – Kristoffer Borgli
8. Bottoms – Emma Seligman
9. Eileen – William Oldroyd
10. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood – Anna Hints

Emily Jacobson – Contributing Writer

1. Bottoms – Emma Seligman
2. The Killer – David Fincher
3. Sometimes I Think About Dying – Rachel Lambert
4. Priscilla – Sofia Coppola
5. How to Blow Up a Pipeline – Daniel Goldhaber
6. Eileen – William Oldroyd
7. Past Lives – Celine Song
8. May December – Todd Haynes
9. Scream 6 – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
10. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig

Matt Fagerholm – Contributing Writer

1. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. – Kelly Fremon Craig
2. Judy Blume Forever – Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchok
3. Barbie – Greta Gerwig
4. The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer
5. Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet
6. Past Lives – Celine Song
7. Our Father, the Devil – Ellie Foumbi
8. Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos
9. Memory – Michel Franco
10. Fuzzy Head – Wendy McColm

Dawn Borchardt – Contributing Writer

1. Joonam – Sierra Urich
2. Fancy Dance – Erica Tremblay
3. King Coal – Elaine McMillion Sheldon
4. Scrapper – Charlotte Regan
5. Barbie – Greta Gerwig

Davide Abbatescianni – Contributing Writer

1. Echo of You – Zara Zerny
2. If Only I Could Hibernate – Zoljargal Purevdash
3. We Will Not Fade Away – Alisa Kovalenko
4. Bye Bye Tiberias – Lina Soualem
5. The Gullspång Miracle – Maria Fredriksson