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.

20 of 21 photo by A24

94Past Lives

Metacritic's #1 Film of the First Half of 2023

The debut feature from playwright turned filmmaker Celine Song has been wowing critics since first debuting at Sundance in January. Taking place across multiple time periods, this soulful exploration of love and fate follows the evolving relationship of Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) as the childhood friends are separated when Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to Canada, and then decades later as the pair find each other again in New York as adults. Song based the film on events from her own life, resulting in an honest and touching film that could wind up battling another A24 release, The Zone of Interest, for the title of 2023's highest-scoring film.

Past Lives is currently playing in select theaters across the country.

“Song has crafted a deliriously honest romantic drama that is utterly singular even while it calls to mind everything from Richard Linklater to Wong Kar-wai to David Lean’s Brief Encounter. This is a movie that flows over with patience, forgiveness, and tender wisdom — qualities all the more wondrous for their relative absence from modern society and its movies.” —Oliver Jones, Observer

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