The 20 Best Movies of 2023 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor
and Keith Kimbell, Metacritic Film Editor – July 1, 2023

Which films impressed critics during the first half of the year? In the gallery on this page we rank the highest-scoring movies debuting in theaters (or straight to VOD/streaming) between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Titles are ranked by their Metascores as of June 30, 2023 and must have a minimum of 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion.

18 of 21 photo by Super LTD

91Saint Omer

(#3) After collecting awards on the international festival circuit for her 2021 documentary We, Alice Diop took home the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize (second place) as well as the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for best debut at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. Based on true events from 2016 and using actual trial transcripts (similar to the aforementioned Reality), Diop and co-writers Amrita David (who also edited), and Marie N’Diaye take a shocking event and show the complex humanity of those involved. The film follows Rama (Kayije Kagame), a novelist attending the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanga), a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France.

Stream it now at Hulu.

“The severity and poise of this calmly paced movie, its emotional reserve and moral seriousness – and the elusive, implied confessional dimension concerning Diop herself – make it an extraordinary experience.” —Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

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