FILMHOUNDS has come together and voted for our favourite 2024 UK releases and THIS is the ultimate list. From a little under 100 films, we've narrowed it down to 10. In a year that has seen animation step up and challenge the likes of Disney and Pixar, body horror festival favourites make a surprising impact, plenty of sequels and second instalments reach the big screen and no major cinematic release rivalry, unless you consider Gladiator 2 vs the bear from Peru, 2024 has been an interesting year at the movies. There is no doubt it was a competitive list but this is what the editors and writers have voted for.
- THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest is one of those films that will dominate ‘best of' lists but won't be in anyone's ‘favourite' list. A difficult but necessary watch, this Oscar-winner masterfully utilises visual and sonic techniques to reflect on the past but also hold up a mirror in front of us living in the present.
More horror than drama, The Zone of Interest follows the real-life Höss family, led by patriarch Rudolf — the commander of Auschwitz. Shot like a documentary, we observe the Höss' go about their lives in their comfortable home literally next to the walls of the concentration camp. The mundane visuals are juxtaposed with excellent, albeit horrifying, sound design. Screams, gunshots, and machine noises often penetrate the atmosphere of garden parties and family gatherings.
Glazer and his team of incredible creatives don't just confront the atrocities enacted by others decades ago, but they confront us the audience. How many of us have turned a blind eye to the monstrosities in Palestine, Sudan, and Ukraine that play out in front of our eyes on our devices, as we sit comfortably behind our walls? This is uncomfortable, but mandatory cinema for cinephiles and casual moviegoers. The Zone of Interest isn't just the best film of the year, but also the most important piece of filmmaking in the last decade.
By Gavin Spoors
2. ANORA
Since winning the Palme d'Or at 2024's Cannes Film Festival, Sean Baker's Anora has been a front-runner for the impending awards season. Upon viewing Anora it is easy to see its potential. Not only does it feature a mesmeric performance by Mikey Madison as Ani, all other components – story, cinematography, music, costume etc. – sizzle and shine.
The plot follows Madison's sex worker Ani as her life is upended after a whirlwind romance with a Russian billionaire heir. What begins as a neon-soaked, saccharine tale of lust and excess, morphs into something entirely different. As the haze love bubble is popped, Ani finds herself at war with the in-laws from Hell, and Anora's tone changes. Once Anora enters its ‘cold light of day' component, Sean Baker proves himself a master at balancing pathos and humour, with the middle act of Anora a wonderfully entertaining comedy.
As with several other awards contenders, Anora's runtime is long, and yet Baker utilises several tricks to ensure that viewing fatigue does not set in. The ever changing tone and narrative direction keeps the pace punchy, with early montages helping communicate lots of information and experiences in a short space of time. The biggest asset in Baker's arsenal of distraction however is that of Ani herself; Madison makes the audience fall in love with her and her hypnotic personality sees the minutes melt away. Luxuriously intoxicating, Anora has made a star of Mikey Madison, and might just be Sean Baker's best work so far.
By Kat Hughes
3. LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Following up the intense horror of Saint Maud was never going to be an easy task but writer-director Rose Glass has managed it with Love Lies Bleeding. Mixing Coen Brothers with Cronenberg, this blood-soaked southern romance-cum-crime thriller sees body builder Katy O'Brian fall for gym owner Kristen Stewart and come under the wing of Stewart's scary crime boss dad Ed Harris.
Oozing with style and sexual chemistry, the thriller is not for the faint of heart. Featuring scenes of surreal body horror, and horrific bone crunching violence, Glass crafts a film where discomfort is key. O'Brian and Stewart have spectacular chemistry, making the darker aspects of the film feel all the more serious and dramatic. What works is that the film feels like a blend of various genres, it's darkly funny, shockingly violent and yet able to be sweet natured. It helps that Ed Harris gives on of his best performances as a menacing crime figure who runs a gun shooting range. As the film builds to it's finale it's difficult to predict the strange ways the film will resolve itself.
As much as Glass masterfully builds the threads of the film, and allows Stewart to show her range, the film is a showcase for Katy O'Brian. As a breakout role, this should be one that catapults her to the big time with a performance that allows her to break down barriers for how a woman should look on screen. It makes what Rose Glass does next even more exciting, and challenging.
By Paul Klein
4. POOR THINGS
Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things is a steampunk marvel which has given us one of the most memorable female characters for a long time — the fantastically odd, Bella Baxter.
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) has a grown woman's body but a toddler's brain. We see her infantile mind develop fast enough for Bella to take us on her journey of self-discovery and sexual exploration. It's set in a futuristic Victorian-era world, replete with wacky hybrid animals — courtesy of Bella's creator, Dr Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).
Through Bella's enjoyment of the pleasures of life, Poor Things becomes a clever comment on the real world — one that is shaped by centuries of male-centred experiences. Through a lack of preconditioning to look, act and think a certain way as a woman, Bella finds her autonomy quickly. The sleazy Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) who Bella meets, applies double standards to her when it comes to philandering. When he realises that Bella will simply do what she wants, his angry reactions puzzle Bella who matter-of-factly points out, “So you wish to marry me, or kill me? Is that the proposal?”
It's Stone's best performance to date which led her to win Best Actress at the 2024 Oscars — though that was a particularly strong year for women leads. Lanthimos has a reputation for the Gothically weird and this freaky feminist Frankenstein-esque story undoubtedly tops his game. Intricate set and costume design, flamboyant acting and the indelible making of Bella Baxter combine to make Poor Things one of the most inventive, absurd and visually astounding takes on social satire.
By Puja Nandi
5. THE HOLDOVERS
Alexander Payne gave UK audiences a late Christmas treat with The Holdovers, a film that is more christmassy than many of the classic films that people religiously in the Yuletide period. It's not a particularly complicated story, but it's got something that a lot of big budget always forget to include; humanity. Each character is deeply flawed and scarred in their own way and they're all forced together at a time of year that's all about that kind of thing, making a new family along the way.
The Holdovers is such a perfect example of a character study and a human drama, it's clear that the script has had a whole heart and a whole life's worth of experience poured into it and it's doubly obvious how much the actors adored giving life to these characters who will be with them for the rest of their lives. While Paul Giamatti is no stranger to giving good performances in Alexander Payne films, he gives his absolute all as Paul Hunham and he rightfully was nominated for all the acting awards under the sun for it. Similarly with Dominic Sessa who kick started his career with one of the best performances ever seen of an actor who's barely old enough to buy a beer.
The Holdovers has not only earned a spot as one of the best films of the year, but it will be remembered alongside It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street as one of the great Christmas dramas as well.
6. ALL OF US STRANGERS
Few films reach the exquisite melancholy of All of Us Strangers. Written and directed by Andrew Haigh, he examines the isolation faced by many members of the gay community, in a way that is accessible to anyone who has spent a large portion of their life hiding themselves from their parents.
Adam (Andrew Scott) lives in a large but almost empty apartment complex. Without the usual constant noise of the London streets far below him, a knock at the door evokes instant anxiety. Harry (Paul Mescal) asks him how he copes. The quiet, the isolation and the loneliness brings the two men together, and takes Adam back to a time when he wished he could open up to his parents before they died.
Examining the difficulties and ongoing trauma of growing up gay in the 1980s, but not in a way that feels cloying or emotionally exploitative is no mean feat. Haigh lets each scene rest in its own echoing silence, before breaking the tension with beautifully orchestrated ambient music. All of Us Strangers examines the way dreams, memories and fantasy can intersect to create a distorted truth in a way that feels both real but surreal simultaneously. That fantasy each lonely child has of meeting their parents on a level playing field, at the same age, with the same level of growth, and meeting their vulnerabilities face on. Raw humanity builds into the conversations Adam wishes he'd had, before the tragic ending pulls the rug out from under both you, and him.
By Erika Bean
7. THE WILD ROBOT
Just when you think you have DreamWorks figured out, they pull a rabbit out of an animated hat. This has been a strong year for the studio all round, and The Wild Robot is the feather in their cap. This simple but perfectly told story about a robot finding her place in the wilderness feels like all the greatest strengths of DreamWorks' previous films rolled into one.
What strikes you most about The Wild Robot are the gorgeous visuals, with 2D and 3D harmoniously coming together to craft a stunning, moving collage. Rarely do they strain for your attention like in some other animated films. Instead, in the style of Studio Ghibli and early Disney, The Wild Robot invites you to become gently lost in the beauty of its setting so you can appreciate exactly what is at stake. Even the comedy never derails the sense of wonder that The Wild Robot embellished upon you in every scene, from the serene to the dramatic.
For a family film, death has a heavy if not really foreboding presence that helps Chris Sanders' film feel like a story of consequence. Every success, every setback, and every dilemma feels like it matters deeply. At the centre of it all is an outstanding lead performance from Lupita Nyong'o. Her vocal transition from emotionless robot to a fully thinking, feeling being brings a remarkable character arc to life. The Wild Robot has everything it needs to make your heart really sing.
By James Hanton
8. LA CHIMERA
Whether it be mythological Greek monsters or Roman ruins, no history is perhaps as fascinating as that of the Mediterranean. And thus, the trade for plundered loot has given Italy a (relatively) modern headache. Between 1970 and the early 90s, Italian police recovered more than 300,000 antiquities, all obtained through clandestine excavations, with many having made their way into the private collections of the rich and famous.
Borne from the tales of these ‘entrepreneurial' men who sought out Italy's treasure-filled tombs, Alice Rohrwacher's La Chimera follows grieving, linen-clad British tomb-raider Arthur (Josh O'Connor) whose talent for sniffing out these highly valuable Greek and Etruscan artifacts makes him a valuable asset for a rag-tag bunch of tombaroli's seeking to make their fortune.
But what at first seems purely economic is in-fact an exploration of who owns the past. With history literally up for grabs in a game of finders-keepers, what ownership do Italians have over their much-venerated history? Not only does this beautiful film explore our personal connections to the past but it also highlights the tricky legacy of archaeology, where too often archaeologists (professional or otherwise) have done little to foster local interest or redistribute their fortunes for the good of the locale. As the outsider, Arthur is complicit in the plundering of a past that is not his. And so, the film touches on very modern issues of ownership just as much as it does the buried riches of an ancient world. A gem.
9. SING SING
In the wrong hands, Sing Sing could have been a maudlin affair about rehabilitation; instead, whilst it does very much show the importance of prisoners being given a meaningful life both during and after their sentence, the film conducts itself in a subtle and deeply touching manner.
Greg Kwedar's film, which he co-wrote with Clint Bentley, is based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme at Sing Sing prison. Here, incarcerated men create and star in a stage show, with Kwedar and Bentley's layered screenplay perfectly capturing their hopes and dreams that flourish within the programme but also struggle inside their imprisoned setting.
Professional actors Colman Domingo and Paul Raci give two standout performances, but it is also the involvement of real formerly incarcerated men that make Sing Sing that much more special and give it a refreshingly realistic tone. The star from this ensemble cast is Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, whose initially aggressive personality gives way to something much deeper and conflicted. His chemistry with Domingo's character, Divine G, is particularly striking.
As conflicts arise and bonds are formed, Kwedar is aided by an exquisite original score by Bryce Dessner and cinematography by Pat Scola that captures both the beauty of human connection and the pain of imprisonment. When we see the real-life footage of these inmates and others at the end of Sing Sing, the emotional impact of the film resoundingly lands. Via the performing arts, these men are given the second chance they deserve.
By Will Stottor
10. CONCLAVE
Based on a book by the same name by Robert Harris, Conclave follows Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) who is tasked with organising the papal conclave to elect the new pope after the previous one dies of a heart attack. As the various cardinals gather in Vatican City in seclusion, four main candidates emerge for the now vacant papal seat: Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a liberal American whose idea of the Church is in line with that of the late Pope, the social conservative Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) of Nigeria, the Canadian moderate Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) and the far-right Italian traditionalist Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellito). However, things start to get more complicated and the line between religion and politics becomes blurred following Lawrence's investigation of the secrets and scandals that each candidate is desperately trying to hide.
With his latest film, Edward Berger portrays a compelling critique of both the Church as an institution and of our current political climate in a tense thriller that will have audiences on the edge of their seat. Headlined by some brilliant performances, particularly by a riveting Fiennes in the main role, Conclave is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2024 and raised to widespread acclaim following its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival earlier in the year. Despite some criticism from religious newspapers, Conclave has gained a positive reception both critically and commercially. In the next few months, Berger's movie will play a significant part in the upcoming award season.
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