- 50 best films of 2024: No 50 to No 31
- 50 best films of 2024: No 30 to No 21
- 50 best films of 2024: No 10 to No 1
20
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
Directed by Elene Naveriani. Etero (Eka Chavleishvili), a 48-year-old woman living alone in a small village in Georgia, experiences a late and eventful sexual awakening. Read the full review.
19
Red Island
Directed by Robin Campillo. There was much confusion when Campillo’s tale of growing up in 1970s Madagascar was not accepted to Cannes. His revenge was universal acclaim. Read the full review.
18
Crossing
Directed by Levan Akin. A Georgian woman’s search for her estranged trans niece forms a lively chronicle of life in Istanbul, a compelling odd-couple road trip and a series of intriguing intersections. Read the full review.
17
The Teachers’ Lounge
Directed by İlker Çatak. You could class this drama about a teacher investigating a theft as a thriller, but that doesn’t quite catch its subtle menace. Asks questions it refuses to answer. Read the full review.
‘When these women left home there were rumours that they were sent to Europe to be concubines for black soldiers’
The Order review: This taut, gritty white-supremacist thriller could pass for a rediscovered early-1970s classic
Oscars 2025: Kneecap shortlisted for best international feature film and best original song
16
All of Us Strangers
Directed by Andrew Haigh. Andrew Scott’s screenwriter enters a relationship with a mysterious neighbour (Paul Mescal) and is drawn back to his childhood home, where he finds his late parents, somehow still young. Read the full review.
15
Poor Things
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The film-maker pushed the boat out with his take on Alasdair Gray’s Frankensteinian novel and – would you believe it? – ended up taking more than $100 million and four Oscars. Gives you hope. Read the full review.
14
Strange Darling
Directed by JT Mollner. A fever-pitch dream of serial killers and Americana in which mustachioed Kyle Gallner, exuding 1970s-porn vibes, hooks up with Willa Fitzgerald’s The Lady for a night of sadomasochistic role-play and a wild chase. Read the full review.
13
Robot Dreams
Directed by Pablo Berger. Hugely touching animation about a dog and a robot making friends in 1980s New York City. “An homage to music itself,” Berger said of the soundtrack. Read the full review.
12
Evil Does Not Exist
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. An eight-year-old girl goes missing from a remote Japanese village just as two city slickers arrive with a glamping pitch in this endlessly intriguing mystery. Read the full review.
11
Love Lies Bleeding
Directed by Rose Glass. A wild exercise in high chutzpah starring Kristen Stewart as a gym manager in love with a drugged-up bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian). Features first-rate grimy Americana. Ends on another planet. Read the full review.
