A Glean movie guide
The Best Movies of 2023
The year's cinematic highlights.
From historical epics to surrealist comedies, the year's definitive must-watch films.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Oppenheimer
A towering biographical thriller capturing the tension and moral weight of the atomic age.
The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
- 02
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese delivers a haunting, masterful account of a dark chapter in American history.
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
- 03
Past Lives
A quiet, deeply moving meditation on fate and the connections that linger across decades.
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
- 04
Poor Things
A visually stunning and audaciously funny reimagining of the Frankenstein myth.
Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
- 05
Barbie
A vibrant and witty exploration of identity that became a global cultural phenomenon.
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
- 06
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
A breathtaking achievement in animation that pushes the boundaries of the superhero genre.
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.
- 07
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping legal drama that dissects a marriage with surgical precision and ambiguity.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 08
The Zone of Interest
A chillingly clinical look at the banality of evil through the domestic life of a Nazi commandant.
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
- 09
The Holdovers
A warm, character-driven story that feels like an instant holiday classic.
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
- 10
Godzilla Minus One
A powerful return to roots that balances spectacular kaiju action with genuine human stakes.
In postwar Japan, Godzilla brings new devastation to an already scorched landscape. With no military intervention or government help in sight, the survivors must join together in the face of despair and fight back against an unrelenting horror.