Tolu's very important list of favorite first watches in 2023

Limited by capitalism to 25

Compiling a list of my favorite first watches this year has proven to be nearly impossible because I watched so many for the first time! From David Lynch to Apichatpong Weerasethakul, John Carpenter, Chantal Akerman, and Youssef Chahine, there’s so much to choose from! But I have promised a list of my favorite first watches, and to be honest, I really want to do it. The next problem is choosing a limit (insert crying emoji). I thought about ten but immediately dismissed it as that would be so cruel on me and everyone who reads this post. 15? Too small. 20? Too small. We could have this article go on forever, no? Sadly, we can’t, so I must settle for a reasonable limit. Considering the fact that I have watched 200 movies this year, as my Letterboxd can confirm, I think choosing a limit of 25 is reasonable.  25 it is!

I want to mention that this is in no way a film criticism article. Film criticism is a nuanced subject I haven’t even begun to grasp. This is just a favorites list, so it’s best not to read too much into omissions and whatnot! Thank you! 😊

25. Past Lives – 2023

I watched Celine Song’s Past Lives during an emotionally chaotic period of my life. I had seen a lot of good reviews about the movie and was even more impressed by the fact that it is Celine Song’s directorial debut, but all my expectations were blown away on viewing! The film is a diamond! From its brilliant score to some truly incredible pieces of dialogue in its screenplay, Celine Song proved that the career ahead of her is indeed a very bright one. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing things about the love we’ve all felt but can’t really describe put to screen. Celine Song, Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro deserve all the critical acclaim they’ve gotten! I wish them luck going into the award season.

24. Cemetery of Splendor – 2015

The first Apichatpong Weerasethakul movie I watched was “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” and while I appreciated the beauty of Apichatpong’s (very) long still shots and on-screen presentation of Thai mythology, I just didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I wanted to watch another Apichatpong film, so I decided to try Cemetery of Splendor, and I really really liked it. Apichatpong forces you to resist your urges and really immerse yourself in the world of magical realism he creates, and I was able to appreciate his style with this film. The storyline was beautiful, and I love that Jenjira Pongpass had a more prominent role than she did in Uncle Boonmee because she is an incredible actress. I’m glad I gave Apichatpong another chance! Who knows, I might give Uncle Boonmee another watch!

23. Oppenheimer – 2023

Watching Oppenheimer on digital is cool, as Nolan is a big appreciator of the physical format and ensures that his films are treated for the different physical formats they’ll be released in, but the feeling of seeing this for the first time in theaters was epic and one of my best cinema experiences ever. Jennifer Lame, editor, and Ludwig Goransson, score composer, delivered at a level I am still blown away by and elevated what is Nolan’s best script by an incredible distance. I disagree with many of Nolan’s politics, but this was such a brilliant movie, and I’m very excited to see how it does during award season.

22. The Wind Rises – 2013

In what is supposed to be Hayao Miyazaki’s last movie, he takes us on a journey through the mind of a boy, via dreams, who becomes a man willing to risk lives for the love of innovation! The brilliant thing about this movie is how raw and grounded it is compared to Miyazaki’s other films. You’re placed in a fantastical dream world and follow the ambition of the protagonist through a romantic lens until reality hits you like a fucking truck, and you realize that this isn’t a romantic film and what it’s telling you is that the cost of ambition is sometimes too great for the reward it’ll give you. Excellent movie. I would watch this every day if I could.

21. Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – 2014

This movie was so personal to me because I watched it at one of my lowest points of the year, facing multiple crises, but most importantly, experiencing so much anxiety about how much I didn’t know about filmmaking. This movie reminded me that I need to get out of my head and actually do stuff, so it is on this list. I think the performances were great, and the direction was good, but the message it successfully delivered to me is more important than any criticism I can give it.

20. Heat – 1995

Electrifying! A 3-hour rush of pure fucking adrenaline! So fucking good! Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, and De Niro are incredible in this! Michael Mann is a crazy motherfucker! Not much else to say!

19. Killers of the Flower Moon – 2023

Scorsese’s latest picture left me contemplating the guilt he too felt while making this film about the destruction of a group of people by the machinations of evil. Why are we so excited to watch films or documentaries of people who were alive and went through such heinous crimes? And what are we doing about it now? What are we doing to make sure we don’t have to make films about another ethnic group cleansed off the earth? In the face of the Palestinian genocide, this question could not escape my mind and will continue to haunt me as life goes on.

18. The Lobster – 2015

My first Yorgos Lanthimos movie, and honestly, this film was the perfect introduction to such a weird and intriguing guy. “I will gauge out my eyes for you” love. “I will risk getting turned into an animal for you” love. It doesn’t get better than that, sorry.

17. The Trial – 1962

The Trial, based on the book by Franz Kafka, was my first Orson Welles picture, and it did not disappoint! A visual treat and a story that was perfect for Welles’ style. An excellent introduction to a brilliant and revolutionary filmmaker.

16. Mami Wata – 2023

Mami Wata, a story about culture and divinity and its struggle with modernity and Western influence told through the bond between two sisters, is one of my favorite 2023 released movies. The use of black and white in this movie is so visually stunning; watching this twice in theaters was a divine experience. I haven’t stopped talking about it since I first watched it, and I won’t stop talking about it for a long time!

15. Titane – 2021

I watched many movies about love told in such unconventional ways this year, and this one was just… I can’t put into words how painfully beautiful this film is. So many subject matters are discussed, but it never seems bloated. In fact, it is impossible to seem bloated. Apologies in advance if you watch it but I was high on edibles (this was my first time taking edibles) when I watched, and you know what? Everyone needs to do that. You can watch it sober and still enjoy how batshit crazy it is but watch it high!

14. Chungking Express – 1994

I will never recover from Wong Kar-Wai’s portrayal of loneliness, forgotten love, desperation, and longing. Watch this if you are prepared to be crushed.

13. Phantom Thread – 2017

Love is life. Don’t judge me for having so many love-centered films on here. This is probably the best of the bunch, though. Paul Thomas Anderson tells us you must do whatever it takes to protect your love through the tumultuous relationship between a perfectionist seamster and his age-gap foreign love. Sometimes, love is impatient. Sometimes, it’s endearing. Sometimes, it’s so fucking frustrating. But you most certainly cannot deny its truth!

12. Ordinary People – 1980

This left me in a river of tears. The pain of watching a character lose their brother to a death they internalized as their fault, lose a dear friend and recovery buddy to suicide, watch their parents go through divorce because their marriage cannot take the trauma anymore while simultaneously enduring a deteriorating relationship with their mother, and have to deal with suicidal ideation was just too much. Only watch this when you’re mentally stable.

11. Boogie Nights – 1997

I will never get over the fact that Paul Thomas Anderson was 27 (TWENTY-SEVEN!!) when he made this. First off, a lot of filmmakers don’t make films this good ever. Secondly, a 27-year-old having the guts to pitch a movie about a teenager getting into the porn industry and actually getting it approved is some feat. Thirdly, Dirk Diggler is among the best guys ever to grace our screens. PTA is a nepo baby, but that doesn’t matter when you’re so fucking good! The boy was destined to be the greatest of all time.

10. Atlantics – 2019

I watched this film three times in the same week after watching it the first time!! I was in love with so many things – the decision to shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, the use of the ocean as a character in the film, the score, the beauty of African mythology and how it was used to deconstruct capitalist oppression and corruption – and I’m very excited to see what else Mati Diop throws at us.

9. Synecdoche, New York – 2008

Charlie Kaufman, I will find you and give you a handshake and a long hug. You changed my life. My Letterboxd review says it all, really.

8. The Royal Tenenbaums – 2001

I used to be slightly embarrassed to admit how much I love Wes Anderson movies, but looking back at that makes me cringe because he truly is one of the greatest living auteurs of our time. The Royal Tenenbaums, a film about a dysfunctional family, was so well-crafted and poignant in its themes that you can’t but feel a gaping hole in your heart after watching it. Wes Anderson uses his beautiful style to show us that family remains interconnected, no matter how separated the members are. It is a beautiful movie (don’t mistake it for a feel-good movie; it most certainly is NOT!) that marked the rise of an incredible career.

7. A Metamorfose Dos Passaros – 2021

Like I’ve said before, Catarina Vasconcelos should be given how much she wants to make movies forever. It is incredible that this is just her second film, and she decided to make it a personal inquisition into the nature of separation, boundless love, grief, and acceptance. Imagine a documentary about your life told with poetic lines and striking imagery; that is what this wonderful piece of art is.

6. Mulholland Drive – 2001

David Lynch tells a tale of the danger of romanticizing Hollywood through the dream, where each character in the dream is a manifestation of the protagonist’s life, of a heartbroken actress who has lost the love of her life, her co-actress, to the director of their film and has fallen into moral depravity. Brilliant! David Lynch remains one of my favorite directors ever!

5. Nowhere – 1997

Gregg Araki pioneered an era of homosexual, homoerotic, raunchy, and very fucking sexy cinema called the “New Queer Cinema” movement in the 90s. He did the Lord’s work. Nowhere, the third film of the legendary “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy,” is just so good. With highly stylized and incredibly well-designed rooms, religious satire, random alien adoptions, lots of GAY, and a rendition of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Gregg Araki paints a beautiful picture of young people just trying to survive and be horny, but mostly not be bored, in an absurd world – much like real life.

4. Autumn Sonata – 1978

I’ve written about this before; it’s a tragic symphony, and I could relate it to a very different dynamic, which I will not be discussing, that really hit home. Many people have spoken about Bergman’s use of close-ups and the lack of space he creates on screen, which is such a unique way to look at film art and one I will be exploring. This film has cemented its place in my heart and mind as one of my favorite movies ever.

3. Frances Ha – 2012

Do Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig know what they did to me?? Why would you make this?? It felt so scary because I am graduating next year, and uncertainty is just something I do not like, but life is reaching a point where uncertainty can’t be avoided, and I honestly don’t know how I’ll be able to survive with it. Frances was able to find her feet, and I know it took so long, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe things just don’t move fast for everybody, and maybe it’s best to keep pushing and doing what you love without compromising, like Frances. Maybe that’s why this is in my top 3 for this year.

2. Asteroid City – 2023

Have I said how much I love Wes Anderson? Yes. Will I say it again? Yes. Will it annoy you? I don’t think that matters. I LOVE WES ANDERSON. This movie is a criticism of his process and an exploration of grief and the absurdity that follows, but beyond that, it is an inquiry into why we’re all doing this. “I still don’t understand the play.” “Doesn’t matter, just keep playing the part.” Sometimes, that’s the best you can do. Sometimes, all you need is the wife to your actress.

1. Aftersun – 2022

The first time I watched this was on the way back to school for the start of my final year of university. I knew I loved it, but I didn’t fully understand what it was trying to say. In subsequent weeks, I frequently thought back to what I watched and tried to break down certain elements of the film I might have missed. After a weak attempt to explain my thoughts on the film, I rewatched it, which proved to be one of the best decisions I've made this year. I fell in love with it. I fell in love with its symbolic use of color and water. I fell in love with the little behaviors Calum (the protagonist’s father) showed that alluded to depression and suicidal ideation that you would overlook on first watch. I love that Charlotte perfectly represented what it is to see your parents through different lenses as you grow older and how tragic it is to realize that they were pushing through mental health issues so that you could be happy. I fell in love with the screenplay (I have it open anytime I’m writing) and the soul-crushing use of music (I know this is cliché, but I truly can’t listen to Under Pressure the same way). The fact that this film is Charlotte’s debut is even more incredible; the future of cinema is in very safe hands. 11/10 movie.

That brings us to the end of Tolu’s very important 2023 first watch list. This was fun to write, and I will do this every year. You can find the full list of my favorite first watches this year here. Thank you for being on Mother Died Today with me this year; I can’t wait to see you in 2024!