A Glean movie guide
The Best of 2023
2023's Definitive Watchlist
From historical epics to indie darlings, these are the year's most acclaimed films.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Oppenheimer
A masterclass in tension and scale following the father of the atomic bomb.
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
A haunting, sprawling crime epic exploring a dark chapter of 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
Poor Things
A visually stunning and surreal journey of liberation and self-discovery.
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.
- 04
Past Lives
A quiet, deeply moving exploration of fate and the paths not taken.
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.
- 05
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping courtroom drama that dissects the complexities of a marriage.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 06
The Zone of Interest
A chillingly detached look at the banality of evil during the Holocaust.
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.
- 07
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
A breathtaking visual achievement that pushes the boundaries of animated storytelling.
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.
- 08
The Holdovers
A soulful and witty character study set in a 1970s New England boarding school.
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.
- 09
Barbie
A vibrant and subversive comedy 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.
- 10
Godzilla Minus One
A powerful return to roots that balances spectacle with genuine human emotion.
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.
- 11
American Fiction
A sharp and hilarious satire targeting the commodification of culture.
A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
- 12
The Boy and the Heron
A hand-drawn masterpiece of imagination and grief from Hayao Miyazaki.
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."