2023 has the potential to be a great year for movies. From the recently released experimental horror film Skinamarink, to Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie, there’s plenty to be excited for. Based on past work by directors and actors, there are a few movies in particular that have made their way to the top of my watchlist. I’m an avid movie-watcher and Annoying Person, so naturally I use Letterboxd; that is where I’ve found plot synopses and cast/crew information for this list.
Bottoms, dir. Emma Seligman
Bottoms follows two queer high schoolers — played by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri — who organize a fight club for hooking up with cheerleaders before graduation. Writer and director Emma Seligman teams up once again with Rachel Sennott — they previously collaborated for Seligman’s debut feature film, Shiva Baby (2020). Shiva Baby’s screenplay is sharp, and Sennott’s performance is stellar. If Bottoms shares similar qualities, I’m already a fan. As a current lesbian and former high schooler, I love the premise. I frequently seek out media with queer characters, and specifically lesbian relationships. Many lesbian movies are period pieces with little dialogue, gratuitous longing gazes, and heartbreaking endings; though I love some of these (I’m looking at you, Carol), it’s overdone. I’m thrilled for queer stories that are hopefully more fun, chaotic, and contemporary.
Poor Things, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Based on the novel of the same name, Poor Things is a Frankenstein-ish tale of a woman whose brain is replaced with the brain of a baby. Emma Stone stars as the woman, alongside Willem Dafoe as the “eccentric scientist” who performs this operation. It sounds dark, disturbing, and wildly weird. Lanthimos’s four previous major releases: Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), and The Favourite (2018) are total bangers. Lanthimos stands out to me as a director because he walks the line between accessible and offbeat. His movies are odd, but I appreciate his writing and visual style — and dare I say, he’s my favorite director. I’m excited, and slightly scared to see where Lanthimos takes Poor Things.
Beau is Afraid, dir. Ari Aster
Beau is Afraid is the 2023 watchlist addition I know the least about. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, the movie follows the titular Beau’s journey home to reach his mother (I write this cautiously because I’ve found varying plot descriptions online). Beau is Afraid is described by director Ari Aster as a “zonky nightmare comedy” and an “odyssey” with an initially four hour long script. “Zonky nightmare comedy” piques my interest. Aster’s previous releases, Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) are both impressively freaky, and I hope this project follows suit. The ‘Beau is Afraid’ backdrop image on Letterboxd (usually a movie still) is a colorful mixed-media landscape of rolling hills, which suggests a surreal and dreamy (or nightmarish) aspect to the storytelling. Hopefully, though, the final cut is not quite an odyssey in its run time, because I rarely have the patience for movies exceeding two hours.
Though I’m not sure on exact dates, it’s looking like these three films will be released before summer: Bottoms is reportedly opening in a limited release in March; Poor Things is supposedly premiering at Cannes in May; and Beau is Afraid is to be released in April. I will definitely be hitting the theaters this spring to cross these movies off my watchlist.