What Were the Best Films of 2024?

2024 has been a bizarre year in cinema. Going into winter it felt like there were quite a number of really good films, but putting together the best of the year might prove difficult. That changed with the November releases and with revisiting a few films I had seen earlier. As a cinephile, I have always felt it was my duty to re-watch films I may have liked but not appreciated as much as I thought I should. There are so many factors that go into a person's reaction to a movie, and a person's mood can certainly be one of them, but the way a film is presented (or misrepresented) can also make a difference (see "The Brutalist" below).

The year in queer film is a different story. I saw "Queer" twice, for example, and did not love it. "Sebastian" is the only gay-themed film to make my list and "Wicked" is one of the few queer-friendly films.

Here are my choices for the best films of the year, plus the performances.