As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to celebrate the standout films that defined the year. From visionary directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos and Jonthan Glazer to unforgettable performances from the likes of Andrew Scott and Emma Stone, these are the UPP’s Films of the Year – voted for by our staff, volunteers, and committee members. Whether you’re looking for Oscar-winning dramas, enchanting magical realism, or audacious dystopian sci-fi, our list of the Best Films of 2024 (hopefully!) offers something for every film lover.
Read on to discover our top ten new releases that made 2024 an unforgettable year for cinema at the UPP (including some quotes fresh from our staff/volunteer ballots)…
10th – MY OLD ASS
Starring the ever-brilliant Aubrey Plaza, Megan Park’s time-hopping comedy is an enjoyable and unexpectedly heartfelt drama. While it might win the award for the most awkward title to request at the box office, the film itself is a thoughtful and funny exploration of aging, identity, and destiny.
9th – PERFECT DAYS
Wim Wenders’ gentle and meditative drama Perfect Days unfolds as a tender exploration of a Tokyo toilet cleaner’s journey to reconnect with his estranged daughter and the vibrant city around him. Featuring legendary actor Koji Yakusho in one of the year’s most heartfelt and subtly powerful performances, this tranquil film feels like a cinematic gift. A welcome and soothing balm for the soul.
“Subtly touching, with great music…and toilets”
8th – MY FAVOURITE CAKE
In a year brimming with culinary-themed cinema (Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, The Taste of Things), My Favourite Cake stands out as a heartwarming surprise. This charming tale of a 70-year-old Iranian woman rediscovering her appetite for romance is as sweet and satisfying as its title suggests.
“Great balance of comedy and tragedy, beautifully shot, story about people we don’t hear about often”
7th – THE BEAST
From it’s unsettling, pixel-smeared beginning to the end credits sequence flashing up as single stark QR code, Bertrand Bonello’s eerie dystopian sci-fi felt thrillingly new while paying homage to its cinematic predecessors. A dense, darkly comic, and downright terrifying look our desire to disconnect and disassociate.
“Eerie Lynchian vibes, Léa Seydoux screaming her head off, and George MacKay playing an incel called Louis Lewanski. Tick. Tick. Tick.”
“Weird, creepy”
6th – KNEECAP
Rich Peppiatt’s playful biopic about Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap bursts with rebellious energy and inventive cinematic flair. Blending styles and defying conventions, the film captures the group’s infectious charisma as the band members play themselves with astonishing confidence, despite no prior acting experience. An exhilarating watch from start to finish.
“It’s the film that surprised me the most and that I recommended to the most people!”
“Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom”
5th – THE HOLDOVERS
Nobody does curmudgeonly charm quite like Paul Giamatti, and Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers gives him the perfect stage. Strangely released earlier this year in January, this bittersweet 1970s-set comedy is already being hailed as a future Christmas classic.
“Unexpectedly beautiful, a modern masterpiece which will now be part of my annual Christmas movie watchlist!”
4th – POOR THINGS
After capturing mainstream acclaim with The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimos whipped out his fish-eye lens for another dazzling dark comedy, Poor Things. Featuring Emma Stone in a fearless, career-defining performance and Mark Ruffalo hilariously embracing his inner dork, this visually stunning homage to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a strange and compelling beast.
“Disturbingly funny plus Willem Dafoe on drugs”
3rd – ALL OF US STRANGERS
Paul Mescal may be cementing his reputation as the leading man of his generation (sorry, Timothée), but Andrew Scott stole the spotlight in Andrew Haigh’s deeply emotional and magical romance. All of Us Strangers is a poignant exploration of love and memory, and Scott’s BAFTA snub feels even more unjust as time goes on.
“Incredibly moving for me, expression of a human experience; cinema in its purest form”
2nd – LA CHIMERA
2024 was undoubtedly the year of Josh O’Connor, bolstered by his success in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers and a standout role in the Lee Miller biopic. Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, however, was a crowning moment. Fans of her previous work, Happy as Lazzaro (a must-watch if you haven’t seen it), will find her signature magical realism beautifully expanded here, creating a film with broader appeal and wider recognition. We eagerly await her next work!
“It was a film that was rich, mysterious, and full of LIFE!”
“A joyful, magical neorealismo souffle that nourishes and devastates in equal measure, and a transcendent experience I keep coming back to the cinema to chase again and again. AND: Josh O’Connor.”
1st – THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Jonathan Glazer, one of the UK’s most enigmatic and talented filmmakers, delivered a groundbreaking cinematic experience with The Zone of Interest. Boasting innovative sound design and striking cinematography, this multiple Oscar-winning exploration of life just beyond the walls of Auschwitz already stands as a landmark achievement in 21st-century cinema.
“It as an amazing contrast between what was happening inside the camp compared to immediately outside. I’d never given much thought to where the soldiers and families lived and still cannot believe wives and children did not know what was happening. Photography was very cleverly done.”
“Partly thanks to this film, nowadays the sound design of films immerses me more than any other film form.”
“Was a great cinema experience with a sell out audience.”
