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.

3 of 21 photo by Searchlight Pictures

83Reality

(#18) Tina Satter directs an adaptation of her own play (Is This a Room) about the arrest of former NSA translator Reality Winner (played here by Sydney Sweeney) for leaking confidential government information. Like the play, the film pulls the entirety of its dialogue from a transcript of Winner's interrogation by FBI agents. That unusual approach produces a "gripping" and "fascinating" film according to critics who raved about Reality at its Berlinale premiere earlier this year.

Stream it now on Max.

“Sweeney's take on Winner reflects the emotional whirlwind the young woman went through after FBI agents showed up in her footsteps. Thanks to her, Reality is a mesmerizing experience that doesn’t hold any punches and will shake any viewer to their core.” —Marco Vito Oddo, Collider

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