One of our favorite traditions in best-of-the-year festivities is a lineup that tends to find a more interesting path than any guilds or critics groups. The wonderfully eccentric John Waters, whose tastes always includes a mix of the unexpected and underseen, hasn’t let us down with his top 10 films of 2023.
Published at Vulture, where one should click over to read thoughts on each, his top 10 is capped by Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid. Other selections include Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, plus the latest from Pedro Almodóvar, Aki Kaurismäki, Radu Jude, and Catherine Breillat, as well as the overlooked Full Time.
Check out the list below, along with our reviews where available.
1. Beau Is Afraid (Ari Aster)
2. A Prince (Pierre Creton)
3. Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)
4. Full Time (Éric Gravel)
5. Last Summer (Catherine Breillat)
6. Sparta (Ulrich Seidl)
7. Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki)
8. Strange Way of Life (Pedro Almodóvar)
9. Opppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
10. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude)