Good cinema is always around the corner. You can find it on your television screen, at times your local theatres, and more often, a movie suggestion pops up in a casual conversation or through your social media feeds. Sometimes, it’s not just about the film but also the thrill you experience on the first day-first show of a blockbuster. Certain movies deserve to be watched on the big screen, whereas some require a more personalised setting, preferably surrounded by the ambient light of a laptop. Some prefer to watch the titles readily available on their go-to streaming app, while others enter endless scroll mode and scour the last page of surface web for options. Film recommendations are everywhere; however, mainstream cinema seems to be the norm of the day. This list will hopefully pull you out of the echo chamber.
The beauty of cinema is that there’s so much to choose from. These ninety-nine films deserve people’s attention. They range from big-budget tent-pole movies to experimental arthouse projects that span from the interiors of rural Iceland to the red heart of the Australian Outback. An overload of biopics, sci-fi features, surreal horror, and neo-noir crime stories populate the catalogue. Of the mentioned, the shortest film is just over 30 minutes while the longest runs up to four hours. Titles that had a film festival premiere and await international distribution can be seen here, as well as movies you may have missed at the end of 2022 and those that do not have a release date yet. Also included, myriad sequels, few social realist dramas, three animation projects, two serial-killer thrillers, and one ‘Screenlife’ feature.
Let’s hope you get inspired and take it as a challenge to watch all the films featured in this listicle. It’s perhaps never too late to make New Year’s resolutions. So, without further ado, for your consideration, 99 essential movies to satisfy your cinematic cravings. Do stick around till the end for honourable mentions.
99. Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Das Engelsgesicht
The German director’s gangster film has been a long time in the making. It is the story of Giorgio Basile, aka ‘Angel Face,’ a German hit man associated with the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate who became a state witness against the Italian mafia. Hirschbiegel’s selected filmography includes his early work Das Experiment, the WW-II era drama 13 Minutes, his English-language features Five Minutes of Heaven and Diana. However, it is his masterful dramatisation of Hitler’s last days in the 2004 film Downfall that stands out. The film’s legacy, though, is caught up in criticism for its ‘humane’ depiction of the Nazi leader and has since become source material for ‘Hitler rant parodies’ on YouTube. These internet memes have, unfortunately, overshadowed the existence of a crucial film, not to mention, Bruno Ganz’s brilliant performance.
98. Maiwenn’s La Favorite / Jeanne du Barry
This will be Maïwenn’s sixth directorial feature and Johnny Depp’s first film role since his publicised defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. The French period drama traces the life of Jeanne Bécu (played by the director herself), a working-class woman who climbs through the social ladder becoming a countess and the King’s royal mistress. The film’s supporting cast includes Pierre Richard, Noémie Lvovsky and Benjamin Lavernhe. Johnny Depp steps into the role of King Louis XV. The movie is apparently his French language debut, although the actor has appeared in a brief but popular scene in a 2004 French film Happily Ever After.
97. Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy
Having bagged several awards, including the prize for best film in post-production at the 2022 Venice Film festival, the Jordanian director will be busy giving final touches to his debut feature. Amjad Al-Rasheed tackles his country’s inheritance laws and how it is partial towards women. Palestinian actress Mouna Hawa plays the lead in the story about a woman who risks losing the house to her male relatives after her husband’s sudden demise. Pushed to the edge, the grieving widow comes up with a desperate plan. She pretends to be pregnant with a male child. A striking dramedy, Inshallah A Boy is expected to be released later this year.
96. Roger Ross Williams’ Cassandro
A film with Gael Garcia Bernal as a flamboyant lucha libre wrestler, what’s not to like? Veteran documentarian Roger Ross Williams tells the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler who rises to international fame through his on-stage ‘exotico’ persona. This is Roger Ross’ first scripted feature.
95. Sudhir Mishra’s Afwaah
The veteran Hindi filmmaker reunites with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui following their Emmy-nominated film Serious Men. The director, in an interview, stated that his latest film is ‘a novel story rooted in the heartland of India.’ Sudhir Mishra’s filmography leans toward socially relevant themes and humanistic thrillers. The cast of his upcoming film includes Bhumi Pednekar, Sharib Hashmi, Sumeet Vyas, and Rockey Raina.
94. Yann Demange’s Exit West
The director is best known for his exciting debut ‘71 set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. British actor Riz Ahmed toplines Demange’s latest film Exit West, a story about refugee crisis and global immigration told through fantasy elements. A young couple fleeing a war-torn country come across rumours about magical doors that lead to various places around the world. The film is an adaptation of Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid’s bestseller. Interestingly, Riz Ahmed was also the lead in another movie based on the latter’s work. The Reluctant Fundamentalist, released in 2012, was directed by Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair. Meanwhile, Demange is working on several projects including Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Blade reboot.
93. Johan Renck’s Spaceman
Continuing his tryst with character roles, Adam Sandler stars as a Czech astronaut in the film adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 sci-fi novel ‘Spaceman of Bohemia’. Swedish director Johan Renck, known for his wide-ranging work in music videos and TV series, helms the project which includes Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan and Isabella Rossellini. Renck’s previous works include directing the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries Chernobyl. Bordering on fantasy and absurdism and set in the backdrop of real historical events, Spaceman tells the fictional account of an orphaned boy who would go on to become Czech Republic’s first astronaut. While investigating an anomaly in space, he encounters a giant alien spider and there begins a story full of philosophical musings, action, and redemption.
92. Zhang Yimou’s Full River Red (Man Jiang Hong)
The Chinese filmmaker has been working at an incredible pace for the last few years. The title of his new film Man Jiang Hong (aka Full River Red) alludes to an old Chinese poem of unspecified origin that speaks about the Song dynasty. Co-starring Jackson Yee and Shen Teng, the historical film tackles a mysterious incident during the Southern Song dynasty. The septuagenarian director has been churning out films at a faster rate, albeit with no loss in trademark style and vision. 2023 shall hopefully see the release of one more Zhang Yimou film, an urban neo-noir crime drama titled Under the Light (aka Jian Ru Pan Shi). Also, pre-production for a sequel to the political spy thriller Cliff Walkers has already been, according to reports.
91. Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano
We see human displacement in the news every day, yet we know very little of what causes it and what happens to those pushed into such situations. The renowned Italian director tackles the horror of immigration in his next feature about African youth making their way to Europe. Dubbed as a modern-day odyssey, the film follows two young men from Dakar who decide to leave for the Italian coast. The perilous passage takes them through harsh desert landscapes and risky sea rides as they put their trust in the hands of fellow ambiguous humans. Io Capitano takes inspiration from the true stories of the people who survived the journey. The filmmaker last directed an adaptation of the fantasy novel ‘Pinocchio’ (starring Roberto Benigni) and the grim crime drama Dogman.
90. Kantemir Balagov’s Butterfly Jam
A departure from his home country over the situation in Ukraine has also made the filmmaker embrace a creative decision. The Russian director’s next film is set in America and will be his first English language feature. Butterfly Jam looks at a complicated relationship between a father and a son belonging to a community of Kabardian immigrants in New Jersey. Balagov’s first two feature films, Closeness and Beanpole, were well-received at the Cannes Film festival and heralded the arrival of a new-age talent.
89. David Gordon Green’s Untitled The Exorcist film
After playing around with John Carpenter’s Halloween series with seemingly mixed results, David Gordon Green has been tasked to reboot William Friedkin’s 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist. Dubbed as a sequel, the revival story looms around the father of a possessed child whose search for help leads to a person with similar experiences. Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn will reprise her role from the original movie after a gap of 50 years.
88. Nanni Moretti’s Il Sol Dell’Avvenire
The Italian auteur has tapped French actor Mathieu Amalric for his next film set in Rome. The plot details have been kept vague. We know that Il Sol Dell’Avvenire is a period piece centred in the city’s circus world between 1950s-70s. A Cannes regular since the 1990s, Nanni Moretti’s movies showcase interesting caricatures of characters through comedy, melodrama, and politics. His latest cast includes Margherita Buy, Barbora Bobulova, Silvio Orlando, and Jerzy Stuhr.
87. William Oldroyd’s Eileen
After his masterful debut with Lady Macbeth (propelled by Florence Pugh’s performance), Oldroyd directs Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie in this 1960s-set Boston drama. Eileen revolves around the friendship of two women staffers of a prison facility. However, things take a dark turn as the relationship tangles one of them in a difficult situation.
86. Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch
Amy Adams produces and stars in this absurdist film about a mother who believes she may be turning into a canine. Nightbitch is Marielle Heller’s fourth feature. Her previous films include The Diary of a Teenage Girl and Can You Ever Forgive Me, both critically acclaimed and the joyful Fred Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The director is an ideal fit for the project that explores motherhood, the expectations, and social commentaries associated with it.
85. Vasilis Katsoupis’ Inside
From indie films to major studio projects, Willem Dafoe continues to manifest assorted roles and churn out multiple movies with commercially, critically acclaimed, avant-garde, and new-age filmmakers. This time, he leads the feature directorial debut of Vasilis Katsoupis. Inside is about a skilled art thief (Dafoe) who gets trapped in a high-tech penthouse after his heist goes sideways. He must use all his expertise and craftiness to survive for as long as he can in this psychological thriller. We will also get to see the accomplished character actor in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl.
84. Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding
The English film director follows her acclaimed psychological horror debut Saint Maud with a romantic thriller starring Kristen Stewart alongside Jena Malone, Dave Franco, and Ed Harris. Set in the strenuous, sweaty world of bodybuilding, Love Lies Bleeding is about a female competitor who goes to extreme limits to succeed. Kristen will be co-lead, playing the protective lover of a female bodybuilder. The film will be an intense gay romance ‘fuelled by ego, desire and the American Dream.’
83. Achal Mishra’s Dhuin
One of the six Indian films screened at last year’s Cannes, Dhuin is a Maithili language feature from independent filmmaker Achal Mishra belonging to a growing collective of directors bringing stories from their hometown of Darbhanga. A small-town theatre artist hopes to make it big in Mumbai. However, familial responsibilities and growing financial owes post Covid lockdown put him in a spot.
82. Usman Riaz’s The Glassworker
In 2016, a successful crowdfunding campaign resulted in the birth of a pilot animation that has now blossomed into a full-fledged feature film. In the intervening years, Usman Riaz worked on pre-production, co-founded a studio (Mano Animation) and brought in like-minded artists from across the world to bring life to his project. The Glassworker is the first hand-drawn animated film from Pakistan and tells the story, set during wartime, of a young boy apprenticing in his father’s glass workshop. When he crosses paths with an army colonel’s daughter, a harsh reality engulfs them. Usman Riaz’s debut Urdu language anime aims to put Pakistan on the map of animation talents.
Another noteworthy feature from the country is last year’s Joyland. Saim Sadiq’s directorial debut is the first Pakistani film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the first from the country to make it to the Oscar shortlist. Joyland is a calmative character portrait that looks at conformed gender and sexual norms in a rigid socio-cultural context.
81. Tomas Alfredson’s Seance on a Wet Afternoon
Rachel Weisz plays a self-proclaimed psychic who convinces her husband to kidnap a child in Tomas Alfredson’s return to English language cinema. In doing so, the woman hopes to solve the crime and attain fame for her abilities. However, intentions start to diverge in this clairvoyant thriller inspired by Mark McShane’s 1961 novel. Richard Attenborough (director of Gandhi) and Kim Stanley starred in a previous film adaptation of the book in 1964. Tomas Alfredson is internationally known for his 2008 vampire classic Let the Right One In and the intricately dour John le Carré adaptation Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
80. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
A whimsical take on the famous Mattel doll, a delightful meta production that subverts pre-conceived gender troupes or a comedy satire centred on the world of Barbiecore. Not much is known about the plot, but it could be any of the above or all of it. Margot Robbie as the eponymous doll, Ryan Gosling as her romantic partner Ken, and a star-studded cast bring to life the first live-action Barbie film. Given Gerwig’s track record as a filmmaker invested in female voices (Lady Bird and Little Women), and with a script treatment from writer-partner Noah Baumbach (whose latest directorial feature White Noise opened to mixed reviews), Barbie will be an unconventional depiction of a fashion figurine who tries to find meaning in a pink-drenched, bombastic world. Greta’s Barbie will go nuclear alongside Nolan’s Oppenheimer on July 21, 2023.
79. Nikolaj Arcel’s The Bastard
Mads Mikkelsen and Amanda Collin star in this Danish-language historical drama alongside a cast of formidable Nordic actors. Set in the 18th century, it follows a lone soldier of an uncompromising nature who sets out to tame the wild, netherworld-like terrain of Jutland on the orders of the Danish King Frederick V. Based on the book ‘The Captain and Ann Barbara’, the story is a riveting tale of conquest, sacrifice, love, and fight against evil. Nikolaj Arcel returns home to direct his first Danish movie since 2012. His previous films include the fantasy Hollywood movie The Dark Tower and the Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair, another period piece featuring Mads Mikkelsen.
78. Duke Johnson’s The Actor
After co-directing his first feature, the fantastic stop-motion animated psychological drama Anomalisa, with absurdist veteran Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson has finally set eyes on his next film. A 1950s story set in Ohio, The Actor traces an amnesiac man who attempts to find his identity and regain all that he had lost. André Holland leads the movie, alongside Toby Jones, Simon McBurney, and Gemma Chan, adapted from Donald E Westlake’s noir crime novel ‘Memory’. Ryan Gosling was earlier attached to the project.
77. Liliana Cavani’s L’ordine del tempo
The Italian director’s latest film, her first in 20 years, will be an adaptation of a book by theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli. In L’ordine del tempo, a group of long-time friends discover during their annual social gathering that the world would be ending in a few hours. What happens next is described in the film logline as follows: from that moment on, the time separating them from the possible end of their lives seems to flow differently, both speedily and never-endingly, over a summer’s night which will change their lives forever. The 90-year-old director is best known for her historical documentaries and the 1974 drama The Night Porter; other acclaimed works include The Skin and Ripley’s Game. Since her last feature release in 2002, Cavani has been splitting her time between stage plays, made-for-TV movies, and short films.
76. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Newsflash
November 22, 1963, the singular day that altered America and the World and, in a way, broadcast journalism itself. Newsflash provides an intimate portrait of CBS main man Walter Cronkite who is tasked with informing the nation about John F Kennedy’s assassination (reminds me of George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck). Chris Pine takes the mantle of the legendary anchorman with Mark Ruffalo as senior news producer Don Hewitt in this dramatisation of the behind-the-scenes newsroom event that made Mr Cronkite “the most trusted man in America." Alfonso Gomez-Rejon broke out with his indie hit Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. His previous film The Current War featured Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon as Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.
75. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things
The unconventional Greek director’s next feature is a re-imaging of Frankenstein tropes. It is an eccentric tale about a woman who drowns herself to escape her abusive husband but is revived when her brain gets replaced with that of her unborn child. Poor Things is based on a 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray and unites Lanthimos with Emma Stone following The Favourite. The cast includes well-known actors Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Christopher Abbott.
74. Michel Franco’s Memory
After causing a storm with his fantastic and divisive film New Order, the Mexican filmmaker is busy preparing his next feature with Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jessica Harper. Memory will be Franco’s second film set in the United States after Chronic (2015). His last film Sundown (2021) is considered the best among his growing filmography.
73. Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo
The South African wunderkind, missing in action for quite some time now, has been working on sci-fi shorts for his independent film studio and was attached to direct sequels for the Alien and Robocop franchises before the projects fell apart. Blomkamp’s last release Demonic was below par but found recognition among sci-fi audiences. Known for his innovative techniques and CGI-fuelled low-budget stories, Blomkamp has not received the kind of widespread recognition District 9 revved up. Gran Turismo will be the director’s next major studio release. Based on the PlayStation series and the true story of gamer-turned-professional racer Jann Mardenborough, the sports drama features Archie Madekwe, Orlando Bloom, David Harbour, Thomas Kretschmann, and Djimon Hounsou. The success of this video game adaptation would encourage studios to bring Blomkamp’s pending projects to fruition.
72. Derek Cianfrance’s Wolfman
Ryan Gosling is bitten by a werewolf and cursed with an unimaginable nightmare in Universal Studios’ latest attempt to revive its Classic Monsters movies. Derek Cianfrance has been tapped to develop a modern iteration of the beastly creature, which was last portrayed by Benicio del Toro in a 2010 adaptation. Cianfrance is one of the better original filmmakers in American Cinema. He previously directed Gosling in the acclaimed indie hits Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines.
71. Santosh Sivan’s Mumbaikar
The ace cinematographer turned director is working on a Hindi language remake of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil hit Maanagaram. It chronicles the people of Mumbai, whose lives entwine in a series of events. Vikrant Massey, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey, Sachin Khedekar, and Tanya Maniktala are part of the film. Santosh Sivan is, without a doubt, one of Indian cinema’s best visual masterminds. As a director, his work fluctuates between low-budget realistic dramas and larger genre features. Santosh Sivan’s essential filmography includes Halo, The Terrorist, Asoka, Anandabhadram, Tahaan – A Boy with a Grenade, Urumi, and Inam.
70. Damien Chazelle’s Babylon
Babylon is a Hollywood time capsule. Released in the final days of 2022, the story revolves around screen actors during the Roaring Twenties and how the transition from silent to talkies (sound films) alters their way of life. Gorgeous cinematography, lavish set designs, and jazzy sound pieces complemented by lead performances of Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and supporting characters bring to life the world of Pre-Code Hollywood. Chazelle’s extravagant, self-indulgent take on yesteryear personalities and their debaucherous lifestyle in the ever-bustling City of Los Angeles is a piece of cinema history and a must-watch.
69. Andrew Haigh’s Strangers
Irish actor Andrew Scott stars, alongside Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell, in Andrew Haigh’s fourth feature, which draws inspiration from Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel. A chance encounter leads a screenwriter back to his childhood home where he finds his mother and father still residing. However, his parents had died several years ago. The surreal tale comes from the director behind critically acclaimed films Weekend, 45 Years, and Lean on Pete.
68. Kanu Behl’s Despatch
An investigative thriller set in the world of crime journalism. Manoj Bajpayee plays a veteran reporter who is increasingly side-lined in an evolving digital news environment. Unfazed, he continues to search for a big breaking story that leads him to the murky underbelly of Mumbai city. Behl is best known for his directorial debut Titli and for co-writing Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex aur Dhokha.
67. Quentin Dupieux’s Daaaaaali!
Next up is an absurdist Frenchman’s take on Salvador Dalí, the master of Surrealism. It is about a journalist who meets the iconic artist on several occasions for a documentary that never gets made. Daaaaaali! comes from the fantabulous director who made a movie about a rubber car tyre that goes on a murderous rampage after coming to life. Expect the esoteric in Quentin Dupieux’s next featuring an all-star cast led by Pierre Niney.
66. Daniel Goldhaber’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline
A group of young environmentalists plan to blow up an oil pipeline in this eco-thriller film that brings attention to climate activism through revolutionary tactics. It is based on Andreas Malm’s provocative and thoughtful non-fiction that argues physical damage and disruption are valid forms of seeking environmental justice. How to Blow Up a Pipeline comes from American director Daniel Goldhaber who made his debut in 2018 with CAM, a psychological techno-horror set in the world of online sex.
65. Jean-Bernard Marlin’s Salem
Returning to the streets of Marseille for his sophomore feature, Jean-Bernard Marlin tackles a fantasy drama set among young gangland thugs in the city’s crumbling housing projects. Salem revolves around a dying gang member’s curse that portends a near-future apocalypse. A rival teenager tries to flee along with his pregnant girlfriend, but gets caught and put in jail for the murder. After 12 years in prison and still haunted by the curse, the reformed adult is convinced that his daughter is the only person capable of saving the community from impending doom. He is willing to do anything to find her. Jean-Bernard Marlin’s gritty, coming-of-age romance Shéhérazade was an accomplished debut. There is much to expect from the director’s second film.
64. Robin Campillo’s École de l’air / Vazaha
His last film BPM (aka 120 Beats Per Minute) released in 2017 received universal acclaim. Campillo hopes to achieve the same in his upcoming feature: a critical examination of French colonisation of Madagascar. École de l’air is set in the final years of the occupation and tells the story through the experiences of a young boy living in a French army base. Known for his passionate take on personal stories of resistance, Robin Campillo’s next movie is eagerly awaited.
63. Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear
The movie is exactly what the title suggests. Banks’ new film has the most absurd premise: a coke-fuelled bear on the loose in the aftermath of a botched narcotics drop. Equally bonkers is the fact that it is based on a true story. Featuring an ensemble cast including Keri Russell, Kristofer Hivju, Margo Martindale, Alden Ehrenreich, and O’Shea Jackson Jr, Cocaine Bear already has all the elements to engage the audience, and if done right, it would be a madlad of a movie. Though the real-life episode in 1985 was uneventful, with the bear found dead from overdose, the film stretches the incident for dramatic purposes. The dark comedy features Goodfella Ray Liotta in one of his final acting roles.
62. Hlynur Pálmason’s Godland
A fledgling Danish priest is tasked with building a church in 19th century rural Iceland (part of the Kingdom of Denmark at the time). The young man’s journey is fraught with challenges. His inability to speak the language, ethnic animosities amongst the people he encounters and the wild, unforgiving Icelandic landscape add to his troubles. Framed in a 4:3 aspect ratio (with soft-rounded edges), Hlynur Palmason’s Godland (aka Vanskabte Land) is a gorgeous geographic documentation and exploration of humanity.
61. Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki
2023 sure seems like the year of King Khan. The Bollywood star has not one but three films coming up this year. Directed by Siddharth Anand, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan (released in January) is a spy thriller featuring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. SRK will again return to the big screen, reportedly in a dual role, when Jawan, helmed by Tamil director Atlee, opens on June 2. Touted to be an action drama, the film marks Nayanthara’s Hindi language debut while Vijay Sethupathi is set to raise hell as the antagonist. And lastly, the actor’s year-ender movie is a collaboration with director Rajkumar Hirani. Probably the most exciting project of the lot, Dunki tells the story of illegal backdoor routes known as ‘Donkey Flight’ used by Indians to immigrate to countries like Canada and the USA. Known for infusing societal issues in his movies, Hirani’s dramedy will touch upon the arduous nature of these cross-continental movements through the characters played by Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, and Boman Irani.
60. Marco Bellocchio’s The Conversion
The film is based on a cause célèbre in the 19th century that continues to be a topic of contention among Christians and Jews. A child named Edgardo Mortara is kidnapped and converted to Catholicism. It is said that the Jewish boy was secretly baptized when he was ill. As a result, he was taken away from his real family and raised under the tutelage of Pope Pius IX himself. This 1858 incident that concerns religion and papacy is, however, viewed as a political act by filmmaker Marco Bellocchio. The cinema grandee, whose career spans over 50 years, is known for his defiant, non-conformist movies. The Conversion (aka La conversione) fell into the hands of the Italian maestro following Steven Spielberg’s departure.
59. Lav Diaz’s When the Waves Are Gone
The celebrated Filipino auteur channels the essence of Russian litterateurs Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky through the characters of crooked officers who partook in Rodrigo Duterte’s Philippine drug war. An allegorical tale that follows a policeman who is released from prison after serving time for corruption. He now desires to seek revenge on his colleague for turning him in. A modern master of slow cinema, Diaz’s films stretch over enormous time lengths. His 2004 film Evolution of a Filipino Family clocks in at 647 minutes. When the Waves Are Gone (aka Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon) had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival last year. With a run time of 187 minutes, it is one of Lav Diaz’s shortest films.
58. John Woo’s Silent Night
Woo hoo! The Hong Kong action master’s first English language movie set in North America since 2003’s Paycheck is currently under post-production. A ‘no dialogue, only guns’ wordless action flick, Silent Night stars Joel Kinnaman as a father out to avenge his son’s death. It has also been reported that the director is working on the English language remake of his 1989 action classic The Killer with Omar Sy in the lead.
57. Bradley Cooper’s Maestro
Before opting to direct The Irishman, Martin Scorsese was on track to make a biopic on the legendary American composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. Now, the project has fallen into the hands of Bradley Cooper, and rightly so. The actor-turned-director’s sophomore film will feature himself as the beloved composer and Carey Mulligan as his wife, Felicia Montealegre. Maestro brings to life the complex story of the world-renowned composer, his personal and public persona, his ambitions, and his genius works that cemented his place in 20th-century American music. Bradley Cooper last directed the hugely successful romantic musical drama A Star Is Born.
56. Gareth Evans’ Havoc
A detective is on the run following a botched drug deal and must fight his way through a city of criminals in order to rescue a politician’s son, while unravelling a dark web of corruption and conspiracy. Who else is better suited than Gareth Evans to make a movie with such a premise! The Welsh director found his calling in Indonesian movies through action flicks fused with elaborate fight choreographies. His films revitalised high-octane thrillers and brought international attention to Indonesian martial art of pencak silat. Tom Hardy plays the lead role in Havoc alongside Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Tom Wu, and an army of heavy-hitter stuntmen.
55. Ken Loach’s The Old Oak
In a follow-up to his previous films—I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You—which examined the lives of people in the north east of England, the acclaimed director sets his eyes again on the region to tell the story of Syrian immigrants in a small, mining village. Joined by a cast of newcomers, including actual refugees, Ken Loach directs this social drama centred on a dwindling local pub, the last of its kind, which serves as the only social gathering space for members of the community and interlaced with the arrival of refugees at their doorsteps. An uncertain future beckons both the refugees and the last remaining pub in this Paul Laverty scripted film.
54. Richard Linklater’s Hitman
The Texan auteur’s most recent feature Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood, a nostalgia rotoscope piece seems to have faded away rather quickly from mainstream viewing. It deserves a much better welcome and I recommend readers to watch it. Meanwhile, Linklater is working on a comedy-of-errors sort of action project based on the true story of Gary Johnson, a staff investigator who poses as an undercover hitman to catch individuals trying to arrange a contract killing. Hitman stars Glen Powell (last seen in Top Gun: Maverick and Devotion), who worked with Linklater in Everybody Wants Some!!, and Adria Arjona. Sourcing inspiration from this longform article published in the Texas Monthly magazine, the amusing drama fine-tunes the real story to suit Linklater’s comic prospects.
53. Christian Petzold’s Afire (formerly The Red Sky)
For his next feature, the acclaimed German film director moves to the Baltic coast where four young people at a vacation house are trapped by a forest fire. The group is, however, intimidated not by the engulfing flames but by the assorted feelings they share for each other. Emotions erupt in this heatwave-induced thriller. Afire is said to be the second film in Petzold’s fairytale-esque trilogy of mythic elements following Undine (2020). Paula Beer joins forces with the director for the third time alongside Enno Trebs, Thomas Schubert, Langston Uibel, and Jonas Dassler (who played the serial killer in Fatih Akin’s The Golden Glove).
52. Lynne Ramsay’s Stone Mattress
The maverick director, known for taking long gaps between projects, is finally back with her next feature. The Scottish filmmaker will adapt Margaret Atwood’s short story for the big screen. Headlined by Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh, Stone Mattress is a revenge thriller aboard a cruise ship in the Arctic. When a seemingly harmless man’s presence troubles fellow passenger Verna (played by Julianne Moore), past wounds and memories resurface leading to a shocking turn of events. Stone Mattress should be mandatory viewing as it comes from the director behind critical hits Ratcatcher, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and You Were Never Really Here.
51. Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life
Almodóvar’s first English language feature with Cate Blanchett fell through, much to the disappointment of fans. The prolific Spanish director, however, is working with Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal on a 30-minute anglophone Western. It concerns middle-aged frontiersmen who come across each other after a long time. The reunion kindles not just memory but also ignites untold passion. As always, possible queer romance overtones from Pedro Almodóvar.
50. Kitty Green’s The Royal Hotel
Notable for her documentary works, Ukraine is not a Brothel and Casting JonBenet, the Australian director’s first feature film The Assistant, a tactfully told drama with Julia Garner, was among the best under-the-radar movies of 2020. The duo team up for a second outing and bring along Hugo Weaving and Jessica Henwick. Best friends on a backpacking trip run out of money and take temp jobs at a bar in a remote town. The locals look friendly, but things aren’t always what they seem. The Royal Hotel replaces the claustrophobic office space of The Assistant with the never-ending Australian Outback. Expect a Wake in Fright style thumping thriller.
49. Lisandro Alonso’s Eureka
The Argentine film director’s long-gestating project might finally see the light in 2023. Eureka begins in the 19th century and is touted to be a multi-generational exploration of indigenous tribes, their culture and life framed in four distinct chapters. Alonso’s ambitious project stretches across The Americas and explores characters (led by Chiara Mastroianni, Rafi Pitts, Viilbjørk Malling Agger, and Jose Maria Yaspik) amidst native landscapes. Viggo Mortensen, who starred in the director’s last film, the meditative Jauja, plays the lead role.
48. André Øvredal’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter
Another Dracula adaptation in the making, this time from Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal. Corey Hawkins, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and Javier Botet star in the American supernatural horror drama based on the chapter ‘The Captain’s Log’ from Bram Stoker’s classic novel. It follows the crew of merchant ship Demeter which carries Dracula’s coffin from Transylvania to England. A specialist in tackling the horror genre, Øvredal’s previous works include Trollhunter, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The last one is a terrific watch.
47. Vetrimaaran’s Viduthalai
The National Award-winning Tamil director has found his niche in adapting short stories and novellas to the big screen. Following Asuran and Visaranai, this will be his third feature to be officially based on literary works. Viduthalai is a gritty crime caper inspired by writer B Jeyamohan’s Thunaivan and will be released in two parts. Popular comedy actor Soori, who has been cast against type as a policeman, leads the film alongside Vijay Sethupathi in a formally undisclosed role. Vetrimaaran is also currently involved in the making of Vaadivaasal, another ‘novel’ venture with Suriya and Ameer Sultan. It centres on the characters and their conflicts during the annual Jallikattu (traditional bullfighting) sporting event.
46. Missing by Nick Johnson and Will Merrick
From the makers of Searching (2018), a film that relied on computer screens, smartphones, electronic footage, and clever writing to deliver a digital whodunnit, comes yet another innovative mystery thriller. Akin to Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching, which was about a father’s search for her daughter, Missing involves a teenage girl trying to trace her mother’s whereabouts using all the technology available following her sudden disappearance. Nick Johnson and Will Merrick, editors of Searching, are the co-directors of the new ‘screenlife’ feature.
45. Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul
A young woman returns home to South Korea for the first time in search of her biological parents who gave her away to a French couple. She embarks on a journey that gets more and more challenging as she finds very little in common with the people of her motherland. A far cry from regular K-dramas, Return to Seoul casts light on the issue of overseas South Korean adoption schemes and how returnees/adoptees are perceived in their culture. Davy Chou’s riveting exploration of identity and of belongingness is propelled by the phenomenal performance of first-time actor Ji-Min Park.
44. Todd Haynes’ May December
The director’s new feature is a domestic drama about two women. This will be Julianne Moore’s fourth film under Haynes’ direction and a first for Natalie Portman. Known for making movies with female leads, Todd Haynes’ May December follows an actress preparing for the role of a woman who gets enamoured with a much younger man and marries him. As part of her research, she travels to meet the real-life person behind the story who hit the tabloids several years ago. Haynes’ last film Dark Waters featured a male lead played by Mark Ruffalo. The director also released a documentary on the rock band The Velvet Underground.
43. Víctor Erice’s Cerrar los ojos
30 years since his last major big screen release, the Spaniard returns home to feature-length cinema. El espíritu de la colmena (aka The Spirit of the Beehive), Víctor Erice’s 1973 debut, is considered one of the greatest Spanish films ever made. He followed it with two more feature films, both receiving major plaudits, El Sur in 1983 and El sol del membrillo (aka The Quince Tree Sun) in 1992. Though sparse, Víctor Erice’s filmography has inspired several filmmakers over the decades. His new film Cerrar los ojos explores the events that descend following a renewed interest in the case of an actor who mysteriously disappeared several years ago. The Spanish auteur never left filmmaking. He has been actively involved in anthology features, experimental shorts and compilation films. The cast of his latest film includes Ana Torrent, José Coronado, Soledad Villamil, and Manolo Solo.
42. Michael Mann’s Ferrari
Adam Driver stars as Italian automobilist and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s upcoming movie. It is one of the most eagerly awaited biopics of the year. The cast includes Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Jack O’Connell, and Patrick Dempsey. Set in 1957, the film examines the life of Enzo Ferrari and his wife Laura Garello (played by Penélope Cruz), as he deals with financial, familial, and professional setbacks, culminating in the events of the prestigious Mille Miglia race. This will be Michael Mann’s first film since 2015’s Blackhat.
41. Laura Citarella’s Trenque Lauquen
The Argentine filmmaker’s latest is an ambitious four-hour portrait of Laura, a young woman and it begins with her disappearance in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Split in two parts, the search for the runaway is explored through 12 chapters. The investigation leads to a larger set of events that weaves together the lives of several people and the secrets lurking within each of them. The director’s previous feature Ostende also revolved around a female character named Laura.
40. Aki Kaurismäki’s Dead Leaves
Finnish great Kaurismäki‘s next will be a tragicomedy with Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen. The director is back from the short-stinted retirement he had announced during the release of his last film, the migrant dramedy The Other Side of Hope. Not much is known about his latest, but Dead Leaves (aka Kuolleet lehdet) is revealed to be the newest entrant in his Proletariat Trilogy: a set of social-realist stories about lousy, heart-warming, low-level working-class characters in Finland that find refuge in melancholy, romance, and bleak comedy. Shadows in Paradise (1986), Ariel (1988), and The Match Factory Girl (1990) form the director’s much-beloved trilogy.
39. Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand
The Brazilian filmmaker, renowned for his works featuring complex female characters, has found the perfect subject for his first English-language feature. Jude Law and Alicia Vikander take up the roles of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife in Firebrand. Other cast members include Sam Riley, Eddie Marsan, Erin Doherty and Simon Russell Beale. Karim Aïnouz’s film centres on Catherine Parr. It will be a portrait of a risk-taking woman committed to her political and religious ideals who puts her neck (quite literally) on the line when she marries the ‘mad’ King. Aïnouz’s recent works include Mariner of the Mountains, a visual essay about his father’s homeland, and The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, his 2019 feature which was also Brazil’s Oscar submission.
38. Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera
Set in the 1980s around the looting of pre-Roman archaeological artefacts near the Tuscan region, the Italian director returns to deliver yet another notable parable. Rohrwacher’s fourth narrative feature is led by Josh O’Connor who plays an English archaeologist ensnared in the black-market sales of historical items. The cast also includes Isabella Rossellini, Vincenzo Nemolato, and Carol Duarte. A film festival favourite, Rohrwacher’s previous three features were screened at Cannes. Corpo Celeste marked her debut while The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro were prize winners.
37. Bijukumar Damodaran’s Adrishya Jalakangal
The veteran Malayali filmmaker’s latest is described as an ‘anti-war film set in a metaphysical realm.’ Known for his strong socially driven evocative films, Adrishya Jalakangal combines many themes such as politics, ecology, love, war, and loss into a storyline about man-made warfare. Tovino Thomas, most popular for his role as the swashbuckling superhero in Minnal Murali, leads the film helmed by the three-time National Award-winning director.
36. Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill
Almost a decade has passed since Sissako’s last film, one wonders if he will ever get back to feature filmmaking. The African director’s Timbuktu, released in 2014, is considered one of the finest films of the century. It portrayed the daily life of people under the oppressive regime of Islamic jihadist groups in Mali, which sadly continues to this date. A realist, Sissako uses his movies to deliver issues of identity politics, globalisation, and human displacement while also confronting quotidian realities of African life. He is also one of the few influential directors from the sub-Saharan region to gain worldwide recognition. The Mauritanian-born Malian filmmaker proceeded with two short films in 2019 while a new project awaited him the following year. In 2020, Sissako staged an opera in collaboration with Damon Albarn, the English musical artist behind Blur and Gorillaz, as a love letter to African history and culture. The musical project is chronicled in Charles Castella’s documentary Abderrahmane Sissako, un cinéaste à l’Opéra which was released a year later. 2023 will see Sissako return to feature-length narrative with a story that stretches across continents. The Perfumed Hill follows an African woman who breaks her engagement and leaves for China where she finds work and eventually love.
35. Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge
A former military man crosses paths with corrupt police officers in Jeremy Saulnier’s upcoming film. The American director, behind critical hits Green Room, Hold the Dark, and Blue Ruin is known for his exciting, unique take on the thriller genre. Rebel Ridge is dubbed as ‘a high-velocity thriller exploring systemic American injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense, and dark humor.’ Don Johnson, James Cromwell, Aaron Pierre, and James Badge Dale have been roped in for the project.
34. Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One
Tom Cruise will be running again (alongside jumping off cliffs, fighting on train tops, chasing cars, and performing all stunts sans a body double) in the seventh instalment of the Mission: Impossible film series. Apart from the daredevilry, which remains one of the top elements of the long-running franchise (a far cry from Brian De Palma’s taut, deceptive, split diopter-loaded classic), a growing list of newer characters, their allegiances, and a network of sinister organisations will surely push Ethan Hunt to the limit. Having made the last two MI films, Christopher McQuarrie returns to helm successive action sequels. Meanwhile, Dead Reckoning Part Two is scheduled for a 2024 release.
33. Bruno Dumont’s L’Empire
The New French Extremity director’s next is a sci-fi romp involving extra-terrestrial knights! Bruno Dumont’s filmography is a mishmash of cinematic influences, starting with realist dramas, moving on to transgressed themes with overplayed violence and sex, and goofing around with comedy narratives and farcical characters in between. In L’Empire, rival members of an outer space gang descend upon the northern coast of France where they duke it out, in an apocalyptic battle, for a young child, who they believe would become ‘the Beast of the Endtimes’. Now, who does not want to see a film with such an exciting premise! Dumont’s last directorial France was a satirical news drama led by Lea Seydoux. Reminiscent of American movies Network and Broadcast News, it is worth a watch.
32. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
One of the major headliners of the year is Christopher Nolan’s biographical project on J Robert Oppenheimer featuring Cillian Murphy in the titular role alongside a sprawling cast of A-listers and Hollywood regulars. The film will supposedly take place over 45 years, split across timelines and includes black-and-white sequences. In what seems like the perfect casting in recent times, Cillian Murphy takes on the role of a brooding, enigmatic, sometimes vulnerable and complicated persona (à la Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders). In tracing Oppenheimer’s life through his individuality, his politics, his scientific ambitions, his public image and fallout, his post-war activities, his trials under McCarthyism and Hoover’s FBI, his later life and worldviews, it is to be seen if Nolan can elevate this project into something more than a traditional biopic. The filmmaker had earlier cited The Right Stuff as an influence during the making of Interstellar. Let’s hope this time he makes a movie in the same vein as Philip Kaufman’s 1983 classic.
31. Pablo Larrain’s El Conde
Chilean military despot Augusto Pinochet is alive but unwell in Larrain’s El Conde. Having killed thousands, persecuted political opponents and misled the country during his time as a ruthless dictator (with the help of the United States of course), the totalitarian bloke is paying for his sins. He is now a 250-year-old fragile vampire and finally willing to die. Pablo Larrain’s black comedy will be available exclusively on Netflix. The Chilean filmmaker has become adept at tackling historic biographies. Neruda (2016) was a skillful documentation of the life of Nobel Winner Pablo Neruda during communist purge in Chile. Jackie (2016) was a compelling portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy. It chronicled the first lady’s grief, angst, and fight for legacy in the aftermath of her husband’s (JFK) assassination. Spencer (2021) was a psychological precision device aimed at Princess Diana during a tumultuous period in her marriage. It depicted her yearning for personal space and identity as the walls of the royal residence caved in. Pablo Larrain is working on two more biopics, Maria featuring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century and The True American which tells the real-life story of Rais Bhuiyan, a Bangladeshi immigrant who encounters an American white supremacist terrorist out to kill Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11.
30. Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid
Breakthrough horror director Ari Aster is set to tackle a surrealist horror film starring none other than Joaquin Phoenix. The official movie poster and trailer suggest that the lead actor may be portraying his character at different stages of his life. But not much is known except it could be a supernatural malady of sorts centred on a fragmented family. The film is supposedly an extension of the director’s much-earlier endeavour—a 2011 short film titled ‘Beau’. This might be why the project’s name was changed from its previous title Disappointment Blvd. With back-to-back critical hits (Hereditary, Midsommar), will this be a hat-trick for the horror auteur?
29. Ruben Östlund’s The Entertainment System Is Down
The Swedish master of mischief places his next satire on an airplane. Shortly after take-off, the entertainment system breaks down. With no electronic screens to look at, passengers display different behavioural tac(tics) during the next several hours of their long-haul flight. This scenario presents Ruben Östlund the opportunity to carry out his sociological experiment. Judging by his previous works, one can expect an amusing commuter’s tale about human insecurities, personal prejudices, economic bias, political cynicism, and social inequalities that lead to an all-out war between occupants of the economy and business classes aboard a fragile piece of metal box flying around in the sky. The director is known for his back-to-back satire hits Force Majeure (2014), The Square (2017), and Triangle of Sadness (2022).
28. Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist
The Childhood of a Leader, Brady Corbet’s debut film, depicted the formative years of a fascist. His second, Vox Lux, delivered a disorganised outlook on modern celebrity and mass shootings. His third, The Brutalist, brings the story of an emigre whose skills and vision are of interest to a mystery man. An architect and his wife flee Europe to rebuild their legacy in modern America. Their lives are changed when an enigmatic client commissions a grand monument. Brady Corbet chronicles the next 30 years of the artist as he sculpts a masterpiece that would shape the landscape of the country. The talented actor-filmmaker is hard at work, complemented by a grand cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Vanessa Kirby, Marion Cotillard, Mark Rylance, and Sebastian Stan.
27. Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz
Faraaz depicts the events leading to the 2016 Dhaka terror attack and chronicles the lives of those caught in the tragic incident. The title is attributed to Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, one of the hostages who was permitted to leave but refused to abandon his friends. Mehta continues his exploration of real-life characters and incidents—Shahid (2013) exalted the ideas of human rights activist Shahid Azmi, Aligarh (2015) provided a slice into the life of Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a college professor suspended for being gay, Omerta (2018) dramatised the kidnapping of Western tourists and of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Scam 1992 tracked the rise and fall of Harshad Mehta, the prominent stockbroker behind a massive market scam. Faraaz is produced by T-Series and fellow director Anubhav Sinha, whose social drama Bheed starring Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar comes out late in November.
26. Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men
Having been a filmmaker for the better part of the last two decades, Cornish-British director Mark Jenkin made his first full-length feature in 2019. His striking debut Bait, a black-and-white experimental film received rave reviews. For his second feature, the director tackles an ecological horror movie set once again in the mythical grounds of Cornwall. Enys Men follows a female wildlife volunteer’s lone experience on an uninhabited island. Mary Woodvine, Edward Rowe, and John Woodvine come together for the 1970s Cornish folk horror drama.
25. Hayao Miyazaki’s How Do You Live?
The legendary anime filmmaker’s latest full-length feature is said to be inspired from a 1937 novel by Yoshino Genzaburo about a boy who tries to find his place in the world following the demise of his father. Back in 2013, Miyazaki announced retirement after the release of The Wind Rises, citing several reasons, including deteriorating eyesight. But the renowned storyteller returned to make one last beloved film for his grandson. And with that sweet prospect, Studio Ghibli began working on the project in late 2016, aimed at delivering it around the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. But with animation projects, the production can stretch over longer periods and put some in limbo too. A release date was finally confirmed late last year. Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (aka How Do You Live?) will be coming out in Japan on July 14, 2023.
24. Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis
Celebrated American director Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project is in active production and will finally break free from the confines of the creator’s mind. For, an unrealised idea is a burden to an artist. The Godfather and Apocalypse Now director has been working on the film for the last 40 years. Coppola began writing the initial draft in the 1980s and even shot secondary footage in 2001 before the tragic events of the September 11 attacks put a full stop. He returned in 2019 to realise his potential swan song. Megalopolis has been dubbed as an epic science fiction drama centred on a futuristic New York, modelled on the likes of Ancient Rome. There are two variants of plot synopsis floating on the internet regarding the movie. Megalopolis is the story of an architect who wants to rebuild a utopian New York City after a devastating disaster. The second gist goes like this: A woman is divided between loyalties to her father, who has a classical view of society, and her lover, who is more progressive and ready for the future. With a self-financed budget of over $100 million, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Dustin Hoffman.
23. Ellen Kuras’ Lee
Kate Winslet plays Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, a fashion model-turned photographer-turned war correspondent in the first narrative feature from eminent American cinematographer Ellen Kuras. The cast of the biographical drama includes Marion Cotillard, Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, and Josh O’Connor. On a similar note, I would like to recommend the 2018 film A Private War which chronicles the life of reporter Marie Colvin (a personal inspiration of mine) played by Rosamund Pike. Colvin was killed in action during her line of journalistic duty.
22. Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool
After a gap of eight years, David Cronenberg returned to filmmaking with the stunning Crimes of the Future last year, while his son continued to churn out a new type of horror with each of his projects. Brandon Cronenberg arrives with yet another wild movie bordering on science fiction and psychological nightmare. Infinity Pool follows a couple’s vacation trip that descends into madness when they break the rules of their island resort, leading to a world of perversion and immorality. Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth star in the hyper violent thriller from junior Cronenberg whose previous project—the ultra stylish Possessor—meddled with body horror and technology. 2022 was a terrific year for Mia Goth in horror films. With new releases like Infinity Pool and Ti West’s upcoming MaXXXine, fans have more reason to rejoice.
21. Alex Garland’s Civil War
Plot details are still awaited, but Alex’s next is said to be a futuristic action film. The talented director behind well-made science fiction projects Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Devs has roped in Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Cailee Spaeny for the upcoming movie. Before venturing into filmmaking, Alex Garland was involved in writing for video games. His novel ‘The Beach’ was adapted into a film by Danny Boyle with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead. He also wrote the screenplays for 28 Days Later, Dredd, and Sunshine (one of the best genre-mashing space movies). The filmmaker tackled horror in his last outing Men released in 2022.
20. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu
Eggers’ passion project has been finally greenlit for production. Following the visceral Viking epic The Northman, the new-age horror director is set to re-invent vampire depiction on the big screen. Sourced from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Eggers has the superior task of delivering a newer version of the iconic 1922 silent film by FW Murnau, infusing his own ideas and aesthetic sensibilities. The rumoured cast includes Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård (coming off 2022’s sleeper horror hit Barbarian). Coincidentally, Hoult is also part of a similar project. He will appear as Renfield, Dracula’s fatigued servant, in Chris McKay’s upcoming horror comedy alongside Nicolas Cage as…you guessed it right! It is worth noting that in 1979, German great Werner Herzog released his remake Nosferatu the Vampyre.
19. Tarik Saleh’s Boy from Heaven
A mosque-set political thriller from the director of The Nile Hilton Incident surely tingles one’s cinematic cravings. Filmmaker Tarik Saleh takes the audience for a ride through the political machinations of an Islamic institution when death befalls the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar University, considered the highest Sunni authority, leading to a power struggle that exposes conspiracy and religious schism. Boy from Heaven received the Best Screenplay award at last year’s Cannes film festival. The movie is promoted under the title of ‘Cairo Conspiracy’ in some regions. The Arabic language film from the Egyptian-Swedish director is Sweden’s official Oscar submission.
I also recommend Holy Spider, a Persian crime thriller based on the real-life story of an Iranian serial killer who targeted sex workers. Zahra Amir-Ebrahimi received the Best Actress award at Cannes for her role as an investigative journalist. The movie by Ali Abbasi, another director with ties to Sweden, will make for an interesting double feature.
18. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two
November 2023 will see the return of Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s much anticipated Dune sequel. Official synopsis reveals an equal dosage of drama and action as the events of Part One thrust a well-sequestered Atreides on a path towards revenge and fate. We will get to see new characters, given the addition of Léa Seydoux, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and Christopher Walken to the cast. Built on the original writings of Frank Herbert, Part Two will expand the Dune Universe and hopefully satiate the ‘space opera’ appetite of audiences looking for a grand sci-fi spectacle.
Villeneuve’s tryst with science fiction will continue as his future projects include an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s 1973 novel ‘Rendezvous with Rama’, in which a mysterious oblong-shaped interstellar spaceship enters the solar system in the 2130s.
17. Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya
The director’s masterful Shakespearean adaptations are second to none. For Khufiya, Vishal Bhardwaj brings an espionage novel to life with actors Ashish Vidyarthi, Ali Fazal and, of course, Tabu. The story follows an intelligence officer who is tasked with tracking down a mole while juggling her dual lives as a spy and a lover. Vishal Bhardwaj gender-swapped the protagonist, originally a male central character in Amar Bhushan’s book Escape to Nowhere, to reunite with his muse Tabu. Fans expect another stunner from the duo.
16. Justin Kurzel’s Morning
From the Australian director behind gritty dramas The Snowtown Murders, True History of the Kelly Gang, Nitram, Macbeth and the forgettable adaptation of Assassin’s Creed, comes yet another slow-burn thriller. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Laura Dern, Morning is set in a near future where an artificial star shines 24×7 and sleeping has become obsolete thanks to a revolutionary pill. There is no end to daylight, work, and wakefulness. Amongst the younger generation, a rebellion grows (has an Equilibrium vibe to it). Justin Kurzel broke into the international scene with the film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. His eerie portrait of a killer Nitram featuring (a great performance by) Caleb Landry Jones is my most favourite of his works. The director has more projects in his pipeline, including a Nazi revenge drama and a retelling of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
15. Kirill Serebrennikov’s Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie
Like the radical Russian poet and dissident Eduard Limonov whose life the director wishes to bring to the big screen, Serebrennikov is away from his homeland following a lifelong tussle with the Russian establishment which included legal repercussions and prolonged house arrest. Limonov (played by British actor Ben Whishaw) is an outrageous story of a man of many faces—a radical underground Soviet writer who became a poet in New York, a butler to a Manhattan millionaire, a literary sensation in France, returned to Russia as a political antihero, and was jailed by Vladimir Putin. Emmanuel Carrère’s best-selling novel serves as the groundwork for Kirill Serebrennikov’s latest film. The prominent Russian theatre and film director has generated a stellar list of films. All his accessible projects starting from 2012—The Student, Leto, Petrov’s Flu, and Tchaikovsky’s Wife deserve a screening in your local neighbourhood.
14. Pietro Marcello’s Scarlet
The Italian director returns to period drama with a French adaptation of Alexander Grin’s Russian novel ‘Scarlet Sails.’ Set in the intervening years of the World Wars, the story follows a young woman who is unsure of what awaits in her life. She loves music and to sing. She dreams and hopes for a life beyond the confines of her home. One day, she meets a magician who prophesies that a ship with scarlet-coloured sails would come to take her away. Scarlet (aka L’Envol) stars Juliette Jouan, Louis Garrel, Noémie Lvovsky, Yolande Moreau, and Raphaël Thiery. Pietro Marcello is well-known for his documentaries and the recent film version of Jack London’s written word, Martin Eden.
13. Angela Schanelec’s Music
Schanelec, an alum of the Berlin School film movement, follows her award-winning German drama ‘I Was at Home, But’ with a contemporary retelling of the Grecian Oedipus myth. A young man growing up with his step-parents gets a jail term for accidentally killing his male guardian. While serving time, he falls in love and has a child with a woman working at the prison. They are both unaware that she is his biological mother. The story then forwards to twenty years. Music is set for a late March release in France.
12. Steve McQueen’s Blitz
Irish actress Saoirse Ronan leads a group of Londoners, in Steve McQueen’s World War II feature, as they endure the aerial bombing of the city during the German campaign. The British director’s filmography has been nothing short of spectacular. His film Hunger is one of the best debuts in British cinema and provided Michael Fassbender a 17 minute 10 second window to showcase his acting skills. McQueen is also working on a documentary titled Occupied City—another World War related project—which depicts Amsterdam’s experience during the war and under Nazi rule.
11. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
Gladiator duo Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott reunite for a biopic on Napoleon Bonaparte. The epic historical drama examines the French military leader’s rise to power and explores the relationship with his wife Josephine, portrayed by Vanessa Kirby. The towering life and personality of the French conqueror has always been a subject of fascination for filmmakers. Even Stanley Kubrick envisioned making a movie but could not realise it for several reasons. It is now considered one of the best movies never made.
10. David Fincher’s The Killer
The brilliant film tactician returns to the world of neo-noir crime, bringing along Michael Fassbender, as an assassin who develops a conscience and begins to crack, and Tilda Swinton in an untitled role. Sourcing inspiration from Alexis Nolent’s Eisner Award-nominated French graphic novel ‘Le Tueur’, Fincher’s upcoming movie seems like an excellent return to familiar grounds. The project reunites the Zodiac director with Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker and Erik Messerschmidt, the cinematographer behind Mank and Netflix’s Mindhunter series. As always, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails fame are in-charge of elevating the thriller’s soundscape.
9. Shankar’s Indian 2
Indian cinema grandee Kamal Haasan will be back as Senapathy, the freedom fighter-turned aged vigilante in the much-awaited Tamil film which also marks his association with Shankar after 20 years. Cited in media reports, the sequel is set before the events of the original film, Indian (1996), and traces the relationship between Senapathy and his father. It will be interesting to see how the makers tackle the formative years of the anti-corruption crusader. Fans await to see Kamal Hassan flex his acting chops in yet another dual act.
8. Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast
A virtuosic filmmaker of French cinema, Bertrand Bonello’s filmography ranges from transgressive, unsettling dramas to amusing genre mishmash features. His next film The Beast (aka La Bête) is a starry-eyed science fiction story set across the time periods of 1910, 2014, and 2044. Léa Seydoux is a woman from the near-future where emotions have become a threat. She decides to filter her DNA and get rid of all feelings using a machine that will send her into her past lives to begin the synaptic purge. That is, until she meets George MacKay with whom she feels a special connection.
7. Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders
Six years and not a movie in sight, Jeff Nichols has caused a drought in the American South. At the top of my personal list of most-anticipated movies, The Bikeriders follows a motorcycle gang in Midwestern America during the 1960s and explores their perception of the world and the community around them. The director has roped in regular collaborator Michael Shannon alongside Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and Austin Butler for his sixth feature, inspired in part by the non-fiction photography work of Danny Lyon who joined the Chicago Outlaws, a biker club and documented their lifestyle between 1963 and 1967. The critically acclaimed indie auteur whose filmography includes Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special, and Loving will hopefully push out his new film this year. It is also to be noted that Nichols has been quietly developing Yankee Comandante and Alien Nation.
6. Panos Cosmatos’ Nekrokosm
The Canadian-Italian director has made only two films (and an episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) so far but has already amassed a cult following and placed him amongst the finest of genre filmmakers. His debut film Beyond the Black Rainbow was considered inaccessible by many critics. Nevertheless, it received attention in the ensuing years among film aficionados who praised the director’s visual aesthetics, soundtrack style, and genre mishmash (and not to mention the dozens of articles written on the film’s context, themes, and symbolism). Cosmatos followed up with Mandy, a provocative heavy metal revenge drama that fused horror, psychedelia, and a bonkers Nicolas Cage. Very little is known plot-wise regarding Nekrokosm, but it is described as ‘a phantasmagorical fantasy set in a strange galaxy where two lovers are torn apart as they try to survive a malevolent invasion’ (seems like the right way to describe a regular Panos Cosmatos film). Let’s wait and see what kind of neon-dripped cosmic nightmare Cosmatos conjures up in his next!
5. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon
Based on David Grann’s bestselling non-fiction, Killers of the Flower Moon is Scorsese’s latest crime outing with perennial collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The story follows the FBI investigation into the disappearance and murder of Native Americans in the 1920s. De Niro plays William Hale, one of the prime perpetrators in the Osage Indian murders. Jesse Plemons stars as lawman and lead investigator Tom White, a role originally intended for DiCaprio. The latter opted to play Ernest Burkhart, Hale’s nephew. The New Hollywood director worked closely with the Osage Nation to bring authenticity to an insidious chapter of American history rooted in greed, racism and murder.
4. Albert Serra’s Pacifiction
Bonafide actor Benoit Magimel appears as a slick, two-piece suited French bureaucrat with grand plans for the island of Tahiti, a colonised region under French Overseas Territories. His role is to facilitate the creation of a commercial enterprise amidst the tropical allure. The plot is as exotic as the filmmaker’s vision. It involves an imperialist project, a paranoid protagonist, a submarine sighting, and a dubious nuclear testing. Albert Serra returns with yet another unconventional film.
3. Dorota Kobiela’s The Peasants
Next up is an animated adaptation of a Nobel Prize-winning story about a young woman’s struggle, passion, and strength in the Polish countryside in the 1900s. Dorota Kobiela is well known for her previous feature, Loving Vincent, which she co-directed with Hugh Welchman. The impressive animated biopic on the life of celebrated painter Vincent van Gogh became the talk of the town upon release. The team developed the first fully oil-painted film which involved an experimental, painstaking process of converting entire live action footage into thousands of painted frames. It took six years and 100-plus classically trained artists to make 65,000 frames of van Gogh-style paintings resulting in a film beloved by the audience. Hoping to deliver another hand-painted classic, Dorota Kobiela is back, working solo this time, with The Peasants (aka Chłopi), a tragic tale from Wladyslaw Reymont about a peasant girl forced to marry a much older, wealthy farmer, despite her love for his son. With time, she becomes the object of envy and hate of the villagers and must fight to preserve her independence.
2. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Kuru Otlar Üstüne (About Dry Grasses)
Having made some of the finest movies of the 21st century, Ceylan’s next is eagerly anticipated by cinephile groups. The Turkish master storyteller is renowned for exploring the human condition in his films using elements of dialogue, interpersonal relationships, and character isolation interspersed with close-up shots of faces through slow-paced, beautifully lit camerawork. Following The Wild Pear Tree, the Anatolian auteur’s upcoming drama centres on the life of a young teacher who aspires to move to a larger city, away from the gloominess of his small village.
1. Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest
The highlight of the year would be a film release from none other than Mr Glazer. The revered British director who built his talent working on inventive music videos and creative adverts has made three feature films to date; all incredible and striking. His fourth feature sees him tackle a holocaust drama told from different points of view. Adapted from Martin Amis’ 2014 novel, The Zone of Interest explores the social and daily lives of Nazi workers who ran the death camps and focuses on an officer who becomes enamoured with the camp leader’s wife. Jonathan Glazer’s previous films include the stylish Brit gangster hit Sexy Beast (2000), the criminally underrated metaphysical drama Birth (2004), and the acclaimed alien sci-fi tale Under the Skin (2013).
NOTABLE MENTIONS
- Klim Shipenko’s Russian space drama The Challenge, which was actually shot in space (on the International Space Station)
- Natalie Erika James’ Apartment 7A, apparently a prequel to Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic Rosemary’s Baby
- Luc Besson eyes a comeback with DogMan
- Darren Aronofsky’s aquatic horror Adrift with Jared Leto from a short story by Koji Suzuki, the author well-known for ‘The Ring’ series
- Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to his homeland for his next film Monster
- Martin Bourboulon’s two-part adaptation of ‘The Three Musketeers’ starring Eva Green, Vincent Cassel, Vicky Krieps, Louis Garrel
- Karim Ouelhaj’s Belgian horror Megalomaniac reviewed in film festival dispatches as an extremely gore dramatisation of the ‘Butcher of Mons’
- Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil, a Malayalam powerhouse collab featuring Prithviraj and Basil Joseph under Vipin Das (of Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey fame) direction
- Ethan Coen’s untitled lesbian road movie
- Nandita Das’ working class drama Zwigato featuring funny man Kapil Sharma as a struggling family man
- Reclusive raconteur Terrence Malick returns with biblical epiphany The Way of the Wind with Mark Rylance as Satan and Röhrig Géza (of Son of Saul fame) as Jesus Christ
- Kevin Costner’s passion project Horizon, his first directorial venture since Open Range (2003)
- Matthew Vaughn’s spy caper Argylle with Henry Cavill
- Thrill master Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas with Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi
- John Carney brings along Joseph Gordon-Levitt for his new music drama Flora and Son
- Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar—two movies to take you into the whimsical world of Wes Anderson
- Controversial/celebrated director Roman Polanski’s upcoming black comedy The Palace
- Not much is known, but do keep a look out for David Robert Mitchell’s Heroes and Villains
- Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano to hang up his sword (allegedly) after his upcoming film Kubi
- Gareth Edwards’ secret sci-fi feature True Love
- M Night Shyamalan’s end-of-the-world horror Knock at the Cabin
- Radical Romanian New Wave filmmaker Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect too Much of the End of the World
- Polish dramatist Paweł Pawlikowski’s The Island about a couple’s plan to retire from modern civilisation and move to a desert island (featuring real-life couple Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara)
- Aadujeevitham, Blessy’s big-budget survival drama about a Kerala immigrant enslaved in a Saudi Arabian farm
- Hug Chickenpenny, an Elephant Man-esque movie from Craig Zahler, the resurrector of Exploitation Cinema
- A family man struggles under the weight of macho masculinity in The Integrity of Joseph Chambers by Robert Machoian
- All We Imagine as Light, not a film but a documentary by Payal Kapadia
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