10 Shocking Movie Picks for 2024: Are These Really the Best?

This has been a difficult year. It feels as though the world has been swaying under the weight of confusion, anger, and a barrage of misinformation—not to mention the looming shadow of AI that promises both convenience and unease.

In a time when soullessness often seems to be the order of the day, movies remain a medium where human emotion, artistry, and connection thrive. Despite the challenges, the best films of 2024 have offered not only an escape but also profound reflections on who we are and what we value. Here are the ten films that stood out to me, each carrying its own conversation, its own heartbeat.

10. DogMan

Luc Besson’s DogMan is unlike anything he’s done before.

It’s tender and deeply humane, a meditation on trauma and the families we choose. Caleb Landry Jones shines as Douglas, a man who’s endured unspeakable abuse but finds solace in his community of dogs. This film isn’t just for dog lovers; it’s for anyone who’s ever sought refuge in unlikely places.

Watching it felt like witnessing the resilience of the human spirit, even in the most fractured forms.

9. Flow

Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow is a wordless animated marvel. Following a cat navigating a flooded world alongside a quirky group of companions, this environmental parable whispers its message rather than shouts.

Its beauty is understated, its storytelling minimalist yet profound. As I watched, I felt an ache—a longing for the simplicity of coexistence and a reminder of the fragile wonders of our world.

8. Emilia Pérez

Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez is extravagant, emotional, and wildly inventive.

Zoe Saldaña plays Rita, a lawyer tasked with helping a drug lord transition into a new identity—literally and figuratively. Karla Sofía Gascón’s dual performance as Manitas and Emilia is breathtaking.

This film celebrates transformation not as an ending but a beginning, urging us to leave the world better than we found it. Watching it felt like an embrace of possibility.

7. Green Border

Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border tackles the refugee crisis with a depth of empathy that’s both shattering and uplifting. It’s hard to watch but impossible to forget, a reminder of the humanity too often overlooked in global crises.

I left the film feeling heavier but also more galvanized, more connected to the world’s shared struggles.

6. Hard Truths 

Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths is as raw as it gets. Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivers a gut-wrenching performance as Pansy, a woman consumed by bitterness. There’s no redemption arc here, no tidy resolution—just an unflinching look at pain and anger.

It’s uncomfortable yet oddly cathartic, a reminder that even the most difficult emotions deserve to be seen.

5. A Complete Unknown

James Mangold’s take on Bob Dylan’s early years isn’t a biopic; it’s a myth, a ballad of its own. Timothée Chalamet captures Dylan’s enigmatic spirit, but the real stars are the women in his orbit. Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning bring layers to their roles, grounding Dylan’s mythos in the grit of real lives. This film reminded me that legends are shaped not just by their deeds but by the people who witness them.

4. Anora

Sean Baker’s Anora is part romantic comedy, part fractured fairy tale. Mikey Madison’s portrayal of Ani, a sex worker navigating an unlikely romance, is both luminous and heart-wrenching.

Baker’s humanist touch transforms a story that could have been cynical into something tender and quietly profound. This film stayed with me, like a warm memory you’re reluctant to let go of.

3. The Seed of the Sacred Fig 

Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig is nothing short of revolutionary. Filmed under immense personal risk, it explores the tightening grip of authoritarian control over women’s lives. This is a family drama, a thriller, and a call to arms rolled into one.

Watching it felt like bearing witness to courage—a defiance of silence and oppression.

2. All We Imagine as Light

Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light captures the struggles of three women in modern Mumbai with poetic precision. Their lives are messy, their paths uncertain, yet their resilience shines.

This film felt like a window into lives both distant and familiar, a reminder of the universal threads of ambition, love, and survival.

1. Babygirl 

Halina Reijn’s Babygirl is bold, provocative, and brimming with life. Nicole Kidman’s performance as Romy, a woman rediscovering herself, is electric.

The film’s centerpiece, set to George Michael’s “Father Figure,” is pure cinematic rapture. It’s rare to see a film explore desire and self-discovery in such an unflinching yet celebratory way. Watching it felt like a revelation, a reminder that it’s never too late to truly know yourself.

These films are not just stories; they’re conversations, emotional landscapes, and invitations to reflect. In a year that has felt disconnected in many ways, these movies reminded me of the power of art to connect, heal, and inspire.

I hope you find your way to them—and that they find a way into you.

101 best films of all time that you must see