As I have gotten older, I am not afraid of having a good old-fashioned ugly cry in the cinemas when the time calls for it, and hell, I probably got emotional just writing this list (Spoiler: I did). Sometimes, they are tears of grief or tears of joy, and even still, sometimes, they are tears of anger. 

Emotion is a core part of the cinema experience. If you can’t get us to respond emotionally to your characters and/or the situation, I am sorry you failed to make a great film.

Our Highly Commended in 2023 are The Boy and the Heron, Crater, Creed III, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Oppenheimer, Spoiler Alert, Till & Uproar
Our Best TV Emotions in 2023 are The Last of Us: Season 1, Loki: Season 2, Silo: Season 1, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 2 & Ted Lasso: Season 3

So, without further ado, these are the films of 2023 that emotionally wrecked us. Be warned that there will be significant spoilers for the films in question.

The Nominees Are –

Aftersun

A film that sneaks up on you as the curtain of grief slowly reveals, and we see through the façade that parents put up for their children.

The Creator

A film that hit me hard when I watched it the first time. A story of love in the darkest place and how you can work through it.

The Eight Mountains (Le Otto Montagne)

An exploration of male friendship and comradery on a mountain that both defined them and became an anchor around their necks.

Killers of the Flower Moon

No betrayal cuts deeper than one that comes from under your own roof.

Women Talking

It is confronting when you expose the hard truths of a society that does not want to hear them when your own support structures are the ones that fail you.

And the Winner is!!!!!

Aftersun

Directed by – Charlotte Wells
Written by – Charlotte Wells

Aftersun was a hard film to watch at times because it is fundamentally beautiful but in a bittersweet kind of way. It is that look back at nostalgia, a last connection with your youth. But it also is a deceit, a mascaraed, hiding real emotions behind a shield of parenthood. No film has provoked discussions like this one, where I talked through the ending with people to see how they felt. Also, no film has broken me with a single cut like this one did. It is actually difficult to write about it because I can feel myself tearing up just walking into its space again. A Beautiful film, and a haunting one as well.              

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

What are your favourite cinematic moments from 2023 ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images used were created by the respective studios and artist of each films