2013 was a year alive with cultural milestones and global attention. From the viral sensation of the Harlem Shake to record-breaking streaming hits and landmark events like the Pope’s resignation and the Boston Marathon bombing, the world was captivated by stories that inspired, shocked, and united audiences. Cinema rose to meet the moment, offering the 30 Best Films of 2013 – bold, inventive, and unforgettable works that thrilled, moved, and challenged viewers.
From the gripping survival of Gravity, a breathtaking dance between isolation and resilience, to the poignant elegance of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which brought a timeless folktale to ethereal life, 2013 celebrated both technological marvels and delicate artistry. Her explored love and connection in a near-future world, while 12 Years a Slave confronted history with unflinching power. Elsewhere, Inside Llewyn Davis captured the quiet struggles of an artist on the margins, and Blue is the Warmest Colour painted love in raw, unforgettable strokes. So, where will your favorite film of 2013 land?
These rankings reflect a thoughtful blend of critical acclaim, audience impact, and cultural significance. They shine a light on films that sparked conversation, expanded horizons, and reminded audiences of cinema’s boundless potential. Together, these 30 films show that 2013 was a year when movies dared to be bold, beautiful, and deeply heartfelt.
Click below to delve deeper into our rating system and learn all about the inner workings of our algorithm.
Top10nerScore70.682 / 100
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DIRECTOR: David Mackenzie
WRITERS: Jonathan Asser
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Michael McDonough
STARRING: Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, David Ajala, Peter Ferdinando, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, Anthony Welsh, David Avery, Sam Spruell
GENRE: Drama
THEME: Prison Film
The teenage criminal Eric Love seems street-smart enough to navigate the corruption of the British prison system. But after his violent streak sends him to an adult prison, Eric comes face to face with Nev, a career criminal, and his long-lost father.
Starred Up delivers a bruising portrait of inherited violence, following a volatile young inmate and his estranged father inside a brutal UK prison system. Gritty performances, especially Jack O’Connell’s, pair with David Mackenzie’s tense direction to craft a searing study of rage, vulnerability, and fragile attempts at redemption.
Top10nerScore71.044 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Lav Diaz
WRITERS: Lav Diaz, Rody Vera
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Larry Manda
STARRING: Sid Lucero, Angeli Bayani, Archie Alemania, Mailes Kanapi, Soliman Cruz, Hazel Orencio
GENRE: Drama, Slow Cinema, Crime
A man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free. The murderer is an intellectual frustrated with his country’s never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy. The convict is a simple man who finds life in prison more tolerable when something mysterious starts happening to him.
Lav Diaz’s Norte, The End of History reframes Crime and Punishment through the lens of post-Marcos Philippines, weaving a tale of fractured dreams and systemic decay. Its four-hour sprawl, striking visuals, and patient rhythms create a haunting portrait of guilt, suffering, and the impossible quest for redemption.
Top10nerScore71.335 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Richard Curtis
WRITERS: Richard Curtis
CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Guleserian
STARRING: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan
GENRE: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
SUB-GENRE: Romantic Comedy, Low Fantasy
THEME: Time Travel
At the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think.
About Time turns time travel into a tender meditation on love, family, and the beauty of everyday moments. Richard Curtis crafts a heartfelt story where laughter, mistakes, and loss intertwine, and Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams share a chemistry that makes the film glow with quiet, enduring charm and emotional resonance.
Top10nerScore71.395 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Bong Joon Ho
WRITERS: Bong Joon Ho, Kelly Masterson
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hong Kyung-pyo
STARRING: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, Ewen Bremner, Ko Ah-sung, Ed Harris, Alison Pill
GENRE: Thriller, Science Fiction, Action
THEME: Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Train Movie
In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
Snowpiercer propels viewers through a frozen dystopia with relentless tension, dark satire, and moral complexity. Bong Joon-ho layers sharp social commentary on class, survival, and human nature atop striking visuals and inventive action, turning a single train into a claustrophobic microcosm that challenges and mesmerizes.
Top10nerScore71.452 / 100
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DIRECTOR: James Ward Byrkit
WRITERS: James Ward Byrkit
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Nic Sadler
STARRING: Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria, Elizabeth Gracen, Lauren Maher, Hugo Armstrong, Alex Manugian
GENRE: Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery
SUB-GENRE: Psychological Thriller, Portal Fantasy
THEME: Chamber Film
Eight friends get together for dinner while a comet is passing overhead. After a power blackout across the neighborhood strange events start occurring. Venturing out to investigate why a particular house has lights, the friends experience a troubling chain of reality bending events.
Coherence twists the fabric of reality with a dinner party gone cosmically wrong, where quantum theory meets fractured trust. Through low-budget ingenuity, razor-sharp dialogue, and escalating paranoia, it crafts a tense puzzle that lingers long after the credits, daring viewers to question every choice they’ve made.
Top10nerScore71.708 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Asghar Farhadi
WRITERS: Massoumeh Lahidji, Asghar Farhadi
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mahmoud Kalari
STARRING: Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Jeanne Jestin, Sabrina Ouazani, Babak Karimi
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Family Drama
After four years apart, Ahmad returns to his wife Marie in Paris in order to progress their divorce. During his brief stay, he cannot help noticing the strained relationship between Marie and her daughter Lucie. As he attempts to improve matters between mother and daughter Ahmad unwittingly lifts the lid on a long buried secret…
The Past is a delicately staged chamber of secrets, where Farhadi examines memory, responsibility, and the emotional cost of moving on. Through intricate character interplay, subtle tension, and compassionate detail, it transforms an ordinary divorce into a haunting exploration of human frailty and the burdens we leave behind.
Top10nerScore71.907 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
WRITERS: Billy Ray
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Barry Ackroyd
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali
GENRE: Thriller, Drama
THEME: Siege Film, Pirate
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
Captain Phillips delivers a white-knuckle hostage thriller anchored by Hanks’ commanding performance. Greengrass’ taut direction, documentary-like realism, and meticulous attention to the unfolding hijacking turn a true story into a relentless study of fear, courage, and human survival, keeping viewers perched on the edge of their seats.
Top10nerScore72.613 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Jonathan Glazer
WRITERS: Walter Campbell, Jonathan Glazer, Milo Addica
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Daniel Landin
STARRING: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell
GENRE: Drama, Science Fiction
SUB-GENRE: Psychological Drama
THEME: Extraterrestrial
A seductive stranger prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell.
Under the Skin transforms a sci-fi premise into a haunting meditation on empathy and alienation. Johansson’s performance is both seductive and inscrutable, while the film’s subtle visual distortions and ambient score craft an unsettling rhythm that probes the fragile boundaries between human and outsider with quiet intensity.
Top10nerScore72.679 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Jim Jarmusch
WRITERS: Jim Jarmusch
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Yorick Le Saux
STARRING: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, John Hurt, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright
GENRE: Romance, Drama, Postmodernism
THEME: Vampire, Gothic
A depressed musician reunites with his lover. However, their romance, already played over several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister.
Only Lovers Left Alive drifts through time like a languid, nocturnal symphony. Jim Jarmusch’s vampires are cultured, world-weary romantics whose eternal love pulses through shadowed cities. Slow, hypnotic visuals, jazz-infused moods, and witty, melancholy dialogue craft a vampiric tale both stylish and haunting.
Top10nerScore73.094 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Jay Oliva
WRITERS: Bob Goodman
STARRING: Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, Michael Emerson, David Selby, Mark Valley, Michael McKean, Grey DeLisle, Frank Welker, Dee Bradley Baker
GENRE: Animation, Action
THEME: Superhero
Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman.
Part 2 of The Dark Knight Returns deepens the saga of Gotham’s aging protector, fusing Frank Miller’s noir aesthetic with psychological complexity. Batman’s tactical brilliance, coupled with the city’s oppressive darkness, transforms familiar conflicts into a thrilling, thoughtful meditation on justice, morality, and mortality.
Top10nerScore73.740 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
WRITERS: Peter Morgan
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Anthony Dod Mantle
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Pierfrancesco Favino, David Calder, Stephen Mangan, Natalie Dormer
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Biopic, Period Drama
THEME: Sports, Motorsports
In the 1970s, a rivalry propels race car drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt to fame and glory — until a horrible accident threatens to end it all.
Rush transforms the world of Formula 1 into a study of contrasting ambition. Hunt’s charisma and Lauda’s discipline collide under Howard’s meticulous direction, where every lap and glance communicates obsession, risk, and glory. The film is a thrilling, character-driven journey that celebrates human endurance and competitive spirit.
Top10nerScore74.022 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Ritesh Batra
WRITERS: Ritesh Batra
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Michael Simmonds
STARRING: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Lillete Dubey, Nakul Vaid, Bharati Achrekar, Yashvi Punneet Nagar
GENRE: Drama, Romance
SUB-GENRE: Biopic
THEME: Food
A mistaken delivery in Mumbai’s famous lunchbox delivery system connects Ila, a neglected housewife, to Saajan, a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Through a series of exchanged notes that they pass back and forth through the lunches, Saajan and Ila find comfort in their unexpected friendship.
The Lunchbox delicately stirs the soul, turning Mumbai’s lunchbox delivery system into a vessel for longing, connection, and quiet humor. Ritesh Batra’s tender direction and the magnetic chemistry between Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur transform simple notes and meals into an intimate, bittersweet exploration of love and second chances.
Top10nerScore74.331 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler
WRITERS: Ryan Coogler
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rachel Morrison
STARRING: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Díaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, Ariana Neal
GENRE: Drama
22-year-old Oscar wakes up on the last day of 2008 deciding to get a head start on his resolutions. He crosses paths with friends, family, and strangers, but it would be his final encounter of the day, with police officers at the Fruitvale BART station that would shake the Bay Area to its core.
Fruitvale Station captures the final day of Oscar Grant’s life with quiet urgency and emotional clarity. Ryan Coogler’s debut blends raw intimacy and social awareness, as Michael B. Jordan delivers a performance both tender and electric, illuminating the humanity behind headlines and the tragedy of systemic injustice.
Top10nerScore74.649 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuarón
WRITERS: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki
STARRING: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris
GENRE: Thriller, Drama, Science Fiction
THEME: Survival, Space Exploration
After debris destroys their space shuttle, a veteran astronaut and a brilliant medical engineer on her first mission drift in space while desperately trying to return to Earth.
Gravity orbits between spectacle and intimacy, with pioneering cinematography and enveloping sound design pulling viewers into the void. Cuarón’s tense, fluid direction and Bullock’s determined lead transform a minimalist premise into a weightless meditation on survival, rebirth, and the fragile beauty of human existence.
Top10nerScore74.737 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Zaza Urushadze
WRITERS: Zaza Urushadze
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rein Kotov
STARRING: Lembit Ulfsak, Giorgi Nakashidze, Elmo Nüganen, Misha Meskhi, Raivo Trass
GENRE: Drama
THEME: War, Chamber Film
War in Abkhazia, 1992. An Estonian man Ivo has stayed behind to harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo is forced to take him in.
Tangerines quietly captures the human cost of war in Abkhazia, where a humble farmer’s orchard becomes a sanctuary of compassion. Zaza Urushadze blends understated tension with tender humor, showing how small acts of kindness and shared labor can bridge enmity, revealing the fragile beauty of empathy in fractured lands.
Top10nerScore75.798 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Hirokazu Kore-eda
WRITERS: Hirokazu Kore-eda
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mikiya Takimoto
STARRING: Masaharu Fukuyama, Machiko Ono, Yoko Maki, Lily Franky, Keita Ninomiya, Shôgen Hwan, Jun Fubuki, Isao Natsuyagi
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Family Drama
Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own.
Like Father, Like Son offers a quietly powerful exploration of fatherhood, morality, and family ties. Kore-eda’s subtle storytelling and restrained pacing allow complex emotions to surface naturally, while the film’s layered performances invite reflection on what truly makes a parent, crafting an affecting, humane cinematic experience.
Top10nerScore75.862 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Abdellatif Kechiche
WRITERS: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalya Lacroix
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sofian El Fani
STARRING: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux, Salim Kéchiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou
GENRE: Romance, Drama
THEME: Coming-of-Age, LGBTQ+
Adèle’s life is changed when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair, who will allow her to discover desire, to assert herself as a woman and as an adult. In front of others, Adele grows, seeks herself, loses herself, finds herself.
Blue Is the Warmest Color immerses viewers in a raw, intimate journey of love and self-discovery. Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos radiate authenticity as their passionate connection unfolds. Abdellatif Kechiche’s unflinching direction captures desire, heartbreak, and the tender chaos of first love with stunning realism.
Top10nerScore76.050 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
WRITERS: Bob Nelson
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Phedon Papamichael
STARRING: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, Mary Louise Wilson, Rance Howard
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Family Drama
THEME: Road Movie
An aging, booze-addled father takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim what he believes to be a million-dollar sweepstakes prize.
Nebraska blends understated humor with aching realism, as a father-son road trip uncovers nostalgia, disappointment, and fleeting hope. Payne’s restrained direction and stunning monochrome cinematography elevate a simple tale of family, ambition, and mortality into an intimate exploration of humanity’s gentle complexities.
Top10nerScore76.345 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Jean-Marc Vallée
WRITERS: Melisa Wallack, Craig Borten
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Yves Bélanger
STARRING: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn, Michael O’Neill, Dallas Roberts
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Biopic, Period Drama
Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.
Dallas Buyers Club chronicles the grit and ingenuity of Ron Woodroof, turning desperation into activism during the AIDS crisis. With McConaughey and Leto embodying vulnerability and rage, Jean-Marc Vallée crafts a poignant drama where survival meets resistance, challenging authority through compassion and relentless drive.
Top10nerScore78.498 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Hayao Miyazaki
WRITERS: Hayao Miyazaki
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Atsushi Okui
STARRING: Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert, Morio Kazama, Mansai Nomura, Jun Kunimura
STARRING (ENGLISH): Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Martin Short, Stephen Alpert, Werner Herzog, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin
GENRE: Animation, Drama, Romance
SUB-GENRE: Anime, Period Drama, Romance, Melodrama, Biopic
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
The Wind Rises soars as Hayao Miyazaki’s most bittersweet flight, blending historical drama with dreamlike reverie. Through Jiro’s pursuit of aviation beauty amid war’s shadow, Studio Ghibli crafts a delicate meditation on love, ambition, and the costs of creation, rendered in sweeping, hand-painted elegance.
Top10nerScore78.595 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Destin Daniel Cretton
WRITERS: Destin Daniel Cretton
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Brett Pawlak
STARRING: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Frantz Turner
GENRE: Drama
THEME: Slice of Life
Grace, a compassionate young supervisor at a foster care facility, helps at-risk teens. But when a new charge dredges up memories of her own troubled past, Grace’s tough exterior begins eroding.
Short Term 12 captures the fragile beauty of healing within a foster care home, where trauma and hope quietly coexist. Destin Daniel Cretton’s tender direction, paired with breakout turns from Brie Larson and Lakeith Stanfield, crafts a raw yet compassionate portrait of resilience, connection, and hard-earned trust.
Top10nerScore78.751 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Paweł Pawlikowski
WRITERS: Paweł Pawlikowski, Rebecca Lenkiewicz
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ryszard Lenczewski, Łukasz Żal
STARRING: Agata Trzebuchowska, Agata Kulesza, Dawid Ogrodnik, Jerzy Trela
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Period Drama
In 1960s Poland, young novitiate Anna is on the verge of taking her vows when she discovers a family secret dating back to the years of the German occupation.
Ida unfolds with spare elegance, capturing post-war Poland in stark black-and-white frames. Pawlikowski’s measured pace mirrors Anna’s quiet search for identity and truth. Subtle performances, haunting compositions, and restrained storytelling combine to create a meditation on faith, family, and the weight of history.
Top10nerScore80.655 / 100
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DIRECTORS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
WRITERS: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Bruno Delbonnel
STARRING: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Ethan Phillips, Robin Bartlett
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Period Drama
THEME: Music
In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.
Inside Llewyn Davis is a finely tuned portrait of artistic struggle, where humor and heartbreak coexist in equal measure. The Coen brothers balance sardonic wit, atmospheric 1960s New York, and Isaac’s introspective brilliance, delivering a resonant tale of perseverance, fleeting luck, and the loneliness behind the music.
Top10nerScore80.775 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve
WRITERS: Aaron Guzikowski
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins
STARRING: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Dylan Minnette
GENRE: Thriller, Mystery, Drama, Crime
SUB-GENRE: Psychological Thriller, Psychological Drama
THEME: Police Procedural
Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street.
Prisoners plunges viewers into a morally complex nightmare, where desperation, obsession, and fear collide. Denis Villeneuve orchestrates every shadow and frame with precision, while Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal deliver searing performances. This thriller grips like a vice, haunting long after the screen goes dark.
Top10nerScore80.927 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
WRITERS: Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Christos Voudouris
STARRING: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Ariane Labed, Jennifer Prior
GENRE: Romance, Drama
THEME: Slice of Life
Almost two decades after they met by chance on a Vienna-bound train, Jesse and Celine are married and spending the summer in Greece with their two daughters. Over the course of one evening, the two examine the state of their relationship.
Before Midnight captures love in its raw, unvarnished form. Jesse and Celine navigate middle-aged intimacy with sharp, heartfelt dialogue and unflinching honesty. Richard Linklater’s direction balances humor, tension, and tenderness, turning everyday arguments and small joys into a profoundly relatable meditation on enduring love.
Top10nerScore81.461 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Paolo Sorrentino
WRITERS: Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Luca Bigazzi
STARRING: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi
GENRE: Drama, Satire
Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
The Great Beauty is a decadent waltz through Rome, where Paolo Sorrentino paints melancholy and excess with cinematic brushstrokes. Toni Servillo’s introspective wanderings uncover beauty, emptiness, and the fleeting pulse of life, blending sumptuous visuals, sharp satire, and meditative reflections on art, love, and aging.
Top10nerScore81.876 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
WRITERS: Terence Winter
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Rodrigo Prieto
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal
GENRE: Black Comedy, Crime, Drama
SUB-GENRE: Biopic
An adaptation of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort’s memoir chronicling his rise and fall on Wall Street. From the American dream to corporate greed, he went from penny stocks and righteousness to IPOs and and an addiction fueled life of corruption in the late 80s.
The Wolf of Wall Street detonates with Scorsese’s manic energy, plunging into excess, greed, and lust for power. DiCaprio electrifies as Jordan Belfort, a charismatic hurricane of ambition and vice, while razor-sharp humor, chaotic set pieces, and biting social satire make this a dizzying, unforgettable financial thrill ride.
Top10nerScore82.579 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Spike Jonze
WRITERS: Spike Jonze
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hoyte van Hoytema
STARRING: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde
GENRE: Romance, Science Fiction, Drama
THEME: Artificial Intelligence
A heartbroken writer falls in love with an operating system that evolves into a unique entity during their union. Things become complicated as Theodore’s complex emotions are exacerbated by ’Samantha’s’ inability to provide physical comfort.
Her blends sci-fi and romance into a perceptive study of emotion and technology. Jonze’s meticulous direction, paired with a delicate score and immersive cinematography, frames a near-future society where intimacy is redefined, highlighting loneliness, desire, and the evolving boundaries between human and machine.
Top10nerScore83.749 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen
WRITERS: John Ridley
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sean Bobbitt
STARRING: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Adepero Oduye, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt
GENRE: Drama
SUB-GENRE: Biopic, Period Drama
In the pre-Civil War U.S., Solomon Northup, a free Black man from New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Solomon struggles to stay alive and retain his dignity, facing cruelty and unexpected instances of kindness. But his chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
12 Years a Slave marries historical fidelity with cinematic artistry, as McQueen crafts a searing portrait of oppression. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s central performance anchors a narrative of endurance, while stark visuals and precise pacing confront audiences with brutality, hope, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Top10nerScore84.418 / 100
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DIRECTOR: Isao Takahata
WRITERS: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Keisuke Nakamura
STARRING: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Shinosuke Tatekawa, Takaya Kamikawa, Hikaru Ijūin
STARRING (ENGLISH): Chloë Grace Moretz, Darren Criss, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Lucy Liu, Hynden Walch, George Segal, James Marsden, Oliver Platt
GENRE: Fantasy, Animation, Drama
SUB-GENRE: Fairy Tale, Anime
THEME: Coming-of-Age
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya drifts like delicate brushstrokes come to life, with Takahata’s watercolor animation capturing fleeting beauty and fragile humanity. Every frame hums with emotion, transforming a timeless folktale into a bittersweet meditation on desire, impermanence, and joy, standing proudly as…
The Best Film of 2013
| A Touch of Sin | 2013 |
| An Adventure in Space and Time | 2013 |
| Blue Jasmine | 2013 |
| Blue Ruin | 2013 |
| Boy & the World | 2013 |
| Enemy | 2013 |
| Frozen | 2013 |
| Hard to Be a God | 2013 |
| Home from Home – Chronicle of a Vision | 2013 |
| Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox | 2013 |
| Locke | 2013 |
| Philomena | 2013 |
| Stranger by the Lake | 2013 |
| The Conjuring | 2013 |
| The Dance of Reality | 2013 |
| The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | 2013 |
| The Selfish Giant | 2013 |
| The Way Way Back | 2013 |
| The World’s End | 2013 |
| Upstream Color | 2013 |
| RANK | TITLE |
| 1 | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya ✶ ✦ |
| 2 | 12 Years a Slave ✶ ✦ |
| 3 | Her ✶ ✦ |
| 4 | The Wolf of Wall Street ✶ ✦ |
| 5 | The Great Beauty ✶ ✦ |
| 6 | Before Midnight ✦ |
| 7 | Prisoners ✦ |
| 8 | Inside Llewyn Davis ✦ |
| 9 | Ida ✦ |
| 10 | Short Term 12 ✦ |
| 11 | The Wind Rises ✦ |
| 12 | Dallas Buyers Club ✦ |
| 13 | Nebraska ✦ |
| 14 | Like Father, Like Son |
| 15 | Blue Is the Warmest Color |
| 16 | Tangerines |
| 17 | Gravity |
| 18 | Fruitvale Station |
| 19 | The Lunchbox |
| 20 | Rush |
| 21 | Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 |
| 22 | Only Lovers Left Alive |
| 23 | Under the Skin |
| 24 | Captain Phillips |
| 25 | The Past |
| 26 | Coherence |
| 27 | Snowpiercer |
| 28 | About Time |
| 29 | Norte, The End of History |
| 30 | Starred Up |
We hope you enjoyed the list and discovered some inspiration for your next movie night.
Happy watching! And make sure to check out our other lists.
But, before you go, don’t forget to…
Agree with our list? Disagree? We want to hear from you!
Share your favorite films, suggest additions to the list, or let us know which films you think should be ranked differently.
