As Martin Scorsese once said, “Music and cinema fit together naturally. Because there’s a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they’re put together. It’s been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that’s true.” Indeed, the right piece of music–whether it’s an original score or a carefully selected song–can do wonders for a sequence, and today we’re looking at the 25 films that best expressed this notion this year.
From seasoned composers to accomplished musicians, as well as a smattering of soundtracks, each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. Check out our rundown of the top 25, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full where available.
25. Game Night (Cliff Martinez)
24. Vox Lux (Scott Walker and Sia)
23. Halloween (John & Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies)
22. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Carter Burwell)
21. Suspiria (Thom Yorke)
20. Hereditary (Colin Stetson)
19. Eighth Grade (Anna Meredith)
18. Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Igorrr)
Note: The score hasn’t been released yet.
17. Blindspotting (Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal)
16. The Green Fog (Jacob Garchik and Kronos Quartet)
Note: The score hasn’t been released yet.
15. Black Panther (Kendrick Lamar & More)
14. The Rider (Nathan Halpern)
13. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)
12. Burning (Mowg)
Note: The score hasn’t been released yet.
11. Isle of Dogs (Alexandre Desplat)
10. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Lorne Balfe)
9. A Star is Born (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
8. Paddington 2 (Dario Marianelli)
7. The Old Man & the Gun (Daniel Hart)
6. Gemini (Keegan DeWitt)
5. First Man (Justin Hurwitz)
4. Mandy (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
3. You Were Never Really Here (Jonny Greenwood)
2. The Other Side of the Wind (Michel Legrand)
Note: The full score hasn’t been released, but one can listen to the soundtrack below.
1. If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell)