Here are five widely-praised movies that captivated audiences in 2024 through their exceptional storytelling and visuals.
2024 was a strong year for cinema, with a wide range of delightful movies across genres. Of course, at the end of each year, critics, audiences, and publications gather to create their lists of must-watch movies that, to them, truly made the year extraordinary. So we’ve narrowed down the common entries from trusted sources like Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, The Guardian, Forbes, The New Yorker, and The New York Times to give you a roster of films that will kick off your 2025 to-watch list on a high note.
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Conclave (2024)
At first glance, Conclave might not be a movie for everyone with its focus on a group of cardinals. But thanks to gorgeous cinematography, sharp script, and compelling performances from some of the most talented cast members alive today (Ralph Fiennes, in particular, truly stands out), the film is more than meets the eye. It also happens to make an appearance in almost all the aforementioned movie lists, and for good reason.
Conclave is an intriguing whodunnit mystery-drama centered on one of the most enigmatic rituals in the world: the selection of a new pope. As the characters gather to vote on the next supreme pontiff, their actions and relationships pose questions on the nature of faith (and its inextricable link with doubt), as well as the complex politics and hierarchies that surround the Roman Catholic church—with a surprising twist ending that leaves a lot of food for thought for those open enough to venture beyond their fixed notions on religion and devotion.
All We Imagine as Light (2024)
Indian director Payal Kapadia’s debut film All We Imagine as Light also made it to most of the lists mentioned. The film is an exploration of the lives of working-class women in Mumbai, capturing the spirit of modern India with sensitivity and nuance. At its core are three co-workers, Anu, Prabha, and Parvaty, who all work in the same city hospital and face a variety of challenges—from an eviction to a star-crossed romance. Yet what holds the narrative, and their friendship, together is a tender bond of sisterhood, explored in vibrant, moving detail.
Anora (2024)
Anora has also been mentioned in many of the lists, a tour de force drama-comedy from the mind of Sean Baker (who worked on the equally-acclaimed The Florida Project released in 2017). The story follows a New York stripper who, on impulse, decides to marry the son of a Russian oligarch—which serves as a catalyst for the series of events that follow, namely his father’s attempts at ending their marriage.
What ensues is a journey that’s equal parts funny, romantic, and tragic, disassembling and pondering on the concept of the “American Dream,” as Baker often does in his works. Actress Mikey Madison, who plays the titular Anora, is perhaps the best part of the film—a performance that has been earning her a slew of awards this season.
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
I Saw the TV Glow is not like other horror movies that rely on jumpscares; it’s a work more psychological in nature, slow and subtle in the ways it depicts fears and anxieties. For the most part, it’s a piece of media about media—a dive into its impact and ability to help people both recognize and lose themselves in it.
Ian Foreman and Justice Smith deliver powerful, heart-wrenching performances as the protagonist Owen (through different stages of his life), who grows up in the 1990s watching and loving a mysterious late-night TV series called The Pink Opaque with his classmate Maddie. Both viewers and critics agree that the film perfectly encapsulates the transgender experience in a way no other type of medium can, as the main character grapples with his identity through his relationship with the show.
The Brutalist (2024)
The Brutalist is an expected entry among 2024’s most-lauded movies, as it continues to take home various awards this season. The sweeping, epic film concerns itself with the American Dream, chronicling the life of fictional architect László Toth, a survivor of WWII’s Holocaust who—like many immigrants of the war—moves to the United States to rebuild a life for himself.
Played by Adrien Brody, who is set to claim many “Best Actor” awards in the upcoming months, László meets affluent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (played by the inimitable Guy Pearce), who enlists him to collaborate on an architectural project of gargantuan scale. Yet their combined fixation, egos, and obsession over the project results in its fair share of hopes, joys, and tragedies over the decades that paint a picture of the immigrant experience, one that echoes across generations.
Banner photo from IMDb (The Brutalist).
