The Best Films We Saw at NYFF 2023
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Following Cannes, Venice, and Toronto, the New York Film Festival offered a look at some of the year’s finest films, just as awards chatter is starting to gain steam. There’s Sofia Coppola’s much buzzed-about Priscilla Presley film; Bradley Cooper’s ambitious take on Leonard Bernstein’s illustrious life; as well as epics from Hayao Miyazaki and Yorgos Lanthimos.
After gathering for rainy days and long nights at Lincoln Center, we rounded up the best films we saw at NYFF for your perusal.
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner has the familiar trappings of a courtroom drama—a writer’s husband was mysteriously found dead outside their home; did she kill him or not?—but its execution makes it a unique, thrilling masterpiece that plays with ambiguity and reality. As protagonist Sandra (Sandra Hüller) becomes the main suspect behind her spouse’s death, the trial becomes an acute study of their marriage, weighing both on her and her young son.—Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor
Now playing in theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
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May December
A stickier, more startling film than its tongue-in-cheek title might suggest, Todd Haynes’ May December is less a comedy about scandal than its quiet, haunting aftermath. The story follows Natalie Portman’s Elizabeth, a well-known actress, as she lands in Savannah, Georgia to spend a few weeks with Joe Yoo and his much older wife, Gracie Atherton Yoo—a couple that met when the former was in sixth grade, igniting a national tabloid sensation. Now, Natalie is preparing to take on the role of Gracie in a film adaptation of their story; but getting inside Gracie’s head will necessitate Elizabeth embedding in the family itself, and challenging the simple life Gracie so carefully constructed.—Lauren Puckett-Pope, culture writer
In select theaters November 17 and streaming on Netflix December 1.
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The Boy and the Heron
Miyazaki has done it again. The beloved auteur delivers another enchanting adventure, this time following Mahito, a boy in search of his mother who slips into a fantastical realm somewhere between life and death. In this semi-autobiographical story, Miyazaki challenges the limits of our imagination while subtly reflecting on his own legacy. Even if this doesn’t end up being the director’s last film, it’s one hell of a swan song.—EG
In theaters December 8.
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Maestro
As much a portrait of a marriage as it is a Leonard Bernstein biopic, Bradley Cooper’s sophomore directorial outing is as high-charged as its subject—which, as was the case with Lenny himself, usually works in its favor. Moving from black and white to color, the film traverses decades but veers away from the moments you might already know (say, the creation of West Side Story) in pursuit of a more holistic view of the complicated composer, and of the woman with whom he chose to spend his life.—LPP
In select theaters November 22 and streaming on Netflix December 20.
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Poor Things
An outrageous, indulgent display of the vying instincts that define human autonomy—female autonomy, in particular—Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things far eclipses its pitch as a modern-day Frankenstein. Not only is Emma Stone’s recently resurrected protagonist Bella Baxter hilarious to behold, she’s tantalizing to follow as she confronts social codes that confuse her, tragedies that horrify her, and a freedom that ultimately drives her. Outfitted in gorgeous production and costume design, Stone is joined by a supporting cast—including Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and Mark Ruffalo—that’s more than game to match her wits.—LPP
In theaters December 8.
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Evil Does Not Exist
In Mizubiki Village, outside of Tokyo, handyman Takumi, his daughter Hana, and their fellow residents lead simple lives following the flow of nature. The local noodle shop uses water he gathers from the river; Hana can name all the trees in the forest. But their peaceful way of life is threatened when a corporation imposes a plan to turn their small town into a glamping destination, which will harm the community and its natural resources. In this quiet, contemplative film, the acclaimed director of Drive My Car explores the harmony between humankind and nature, and the violence that persists in spite of it.—EG
Priscilla
A quiet film for such a bold pair of American royals, Priscilla pairs the faces you know—Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley—with the story that, perhaps, you don’t: A 14-year-old girl fell in love with a much older rock star, who proceeded to shape her to his every preference. As Elvis and Priscilla, Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny strike the perfect balance between authentic devotion and toxic insecurity, their jealousies—compounded by age, lack of control, and the whirlwind of fame—never quite eclipsed.—LPP
In theaters November 3.
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All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
An atmospheric, aching masterwork of show-don’t-tell filmmaking, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt traces a nonlinear path through a young Black woman’s childhood in rural Mississippi. In visually entrancing anecdotes, her memories—many beautiful, others heart-wrenching—are stitched slowly together until the pieces merge, wherein we can, at last, grasp the full portrait of her life.—LPP
In theaters November 3.
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Hit Man
Glen Powell is having the time of his life, and it shows. In this comedy he co-wrote with director Richard Linklater, he plays Gary Johnson, a nerdy psychology professor tapped for undercover police work. The gig? Pose as a hit man, meet with potential clients, get their murderous intents on record, then turn them in. But beneath all the goofy disguises and accents, Gary finds himself amid a sultry romance and in a surprisingly philosophical study on death and the self.—EG
Coming soon to Netflix.
All of Us Strangers
All of Us Strangers is a kaleidoscopic queer romance, a ghost story, a coming-of-age tale, and a tearjerker tragedy all under the guise of a simple plot: A man who lost his parents as a kid meets them again, this time as an adult. As he falls in love with his neighbor between visits with these supernatural parents, old wounds are reopened, past prejudices are tested, and a spellbinding tale of grief, forgiveness, and healing is told through the careful lens of filmmaker Andrew Haigh.—LPP
In theaters December 22.
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La Chimera
Arthur (Josh O’Connor), an Englishman living in Italy, has an odd connection to the supernatural. His gift has benefited his rag-tag group of friends who rob graves by night, emerging from tombs with coins, vases, and other riches the dead were buried with. But lovesick Arthur is searching for someone that’s harder to find than these ancient treasures. Isabella Rossellini co-stars.—EG
Green Border
Green Border is a hard watch, but perhaps a necessary one. Agnieszka Holland crafts an unflinching portrait of the refugee crisis at the border between Belarus and Poland, tackling the issue from multiple perspectives: a Syrian family inhumanely flung back and forth between the two countries; a young border guard; a group of activists providing aid; and Julia, a woman who wants to help. It’s poignant and gutting, but also reminds us that sometimes real change starts with an individual’s choice to show compassion.—EG
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Fallen Leaves
Flush with a dark, whimsical charm—and a heavy serving of stylistic nostalgia, as one would expect from an Aki Kaurismäki movie—the Finnish-German dramedy Fallen Leaves is an oddball tale of later-in-life love. Slight and unimposing but with an outsized romanticism, the film follows two working-class Helsinki residents through their dead-end jobs as they find, and lose, and find one another again...with a bit of help from a particularly darling canine co-star.—LPP
In theaters November 17.
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The Zone of Interest
Based on Martin Amis’ book of the same name, this Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin) film is terrifying in its mundanity. It follows Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, his wife Hedwig, and their family as they try to build a perfect life in their home and garden, right next to the camp. Though Zone of Interest isn’t formatted like most WWII films, the searing satire is still deeply unsettling in subtle ways. Atrocities aren’t shown onscreen, but they cloud the family’s life and haunt the viewer, whether through noticeable details and or horrid sounds in the distance.—EG
In select theaters December 15.
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