As we step into 2025, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the films that made 2024 so memorable. A huge shoutout to letterboxd for making it easy to compile these year-end lists. I logged an impressive 869 films this year, including 666 first-time watches and 203 re-watches. I saw 84 films in cinemas, with the rest enjoyed at home. Curious to see everything I watched? Check out my Letterboxd profile: cheshellen.
This year was packed with incredible movie moments, themed watch-alongs with the online film communities, and personal projects like #7from74Movies, #ShakespeareAroundTheGlobe, #OTD1984EllenSaw and #JoanFontaineJune. I also joined the online fun for #PreCodeApril, #Hooptober and #Noirvember.
Supporting independent cinemas and film festivals brought new and classic films to life. Huge thanks to venues like Bognor Picturedrome, Chichester Ciema at New Park, Lewes Depot, BFI Southbank, Dukes at Komedia and Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton, Worthing Connaught and The Cinema Museum, as well as festivals like #FemmeFilmFest, Cary Comes Home Festival in Bristol and Kennington Bioscope's silent film screenings and weekends, for championing the magic of the big screen.
Here’s a deep dive into my 2024 film journey—favourite performances, unforgettable re-watches, bonkers delights, LGBTQ+ highlights, and much more. Let me know if your favourites made my list—or if I’ve missed something worth adding to my watchlist.
The Top 5 most logged directors on letterboxd were:
The Top 5 most logged actors on letterboxd were:
I gave 62 films released in UK cinemas or streaming in 2024, 3 ½ - 5 stars.
My Top 10 fave films…
All of Us Strangers (2024, Andrew Haigh) Perfect Days (2024, Wim Wenders) My Favourite Cake (2023, Maryam Moghaddam) Le Chimera (2023, Alice Rohrwacher) The Zone of Interest (2023, Jonathan Glazer) The Teachers’ Lounge (2023, Ilker Çatak) Conclave (2024, Edward Berger) The Holdovers (2023, Alexander Payne) Poor Things (2023, Yorgos Lanthimos) American Fiction (2023, Cord Jefferson)
Top 4 first-time watches this year (pre-2024)…
What a Way to Go! (1964, J. Lee Thompson) Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, Martin Scorsese) Closed Circuit (1978, Giuliano Montaldo ) After Hours (1985, Martin Scorsese)
My Top 4 favourite re-watches in a Cinema...
The Women (1939, George Cukor) Bringing Up Baby (1938, Howard Hawks) The Third Man (1949, Carol Reed) Gremlins (1984, Joe Dante)
Top 4 performances from 2024 releases...
Hugh Grant as Mr Reed in Heretic Andrew Scott as Adam in All Of Us Strangers Riley Keough as Female in Sasquatch Sunset Nadia Tereszkiewicz as Rosalie in Rosalie
Top 4 'they’re not in the film that much, but they can certainly steal every scene they're in' performances...
Helena Bonham Carter as Babi Winton in One Life Kathy Burke as Beryl in Blitz Dennis Quaid as Harvey in The Substance Paul Weller as Gerald in Blitz
2024 was the year of flamboyant bad guys, ranked from least to most villainous:
Samuel Barnett as Cecil Beaton in Lee
Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot in Paddington in Peru
Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher in Megalopolis
Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator II
2024 was a really strong year for new releases of films with significant LGBTQ+ characters/plots. My top four were:
Drive Away Dolls (2024, Ethan Coen)
My Old Ass (2024, Megan Park)
All Of Us Strangers (2024, Andrew Haigh)
Poor Things (2024, Yorgos Lanthimos)
And my top 4 pre-2024 films were:
Arab Blues (2019, Manele Labidi) These Old Broads (2001, Matthew Diamond) Tokyo Godfathers (2003, Satoshi Kon) Swan Song (2021, Todd Stephens)
I watched 144 new-to-me films/TV/Docs #DirectedByWomen, Check out the full list of films #DirectedbyWomen watched in 2024
My top 4 feature films:
My Favourite Cake (2023, Maryam Moghaddam) Priscilla (2023, Sofia Coppola) How to Have Sex (2023, Molly Manning Walker) Birth/ReBirth (2023, Laura Moss)
Top 4 Documentaries:
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012,
Sophie Huber)
The Alcohol Years (2000, Carol Morley)
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (2021, Kier-La Janisse)
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (2023, Lana Wilson)
Short Films: The Irresistible Piano (1907, Alice Guy-Blaché) Caprice (1986, Joanna Hogg) Bad Indian - the Villain Origin Story (2023, Abbey Monteiro) Hysterical Girl (2020, Kate Novack)
Top 4 films that were bonkers, in a brilliant way!
Lisa Frankenstein (2024, Zelda Williams) Megalopolis (2024, Francis Ford Coppola) Sasquatch Sunset (2024, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner) Poor Things (2024, Yorgos Lanthimos)
Top 4 musical moments from films released in 2024...
Rita (Saoirse Ronan) & Marcus (CJ Beckford) dancing in pre-WW2 London jazz bar in Blitz.
The final scene in Perfect Days where Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) drives to work listening to Nina Simone sing 'Feeling Good'.
‘Let's Prepare for Paddington’ from Paddington in Peru, performed by Olivia Colman
Adam (Andrew Scott) reconnects with his parents (Claire Yoy & Jamie Bell) as they sing ‘Always On My Mind’ in All Of Us Strangers.
Top 4 Most Moving Moments…
The That’s Life recreation with Anthony Hopkins in One Life
Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) waiting for Elvis in the montages from Priscilla
Sofia (Danielle Brooks) in jail in The Color Purple
Jamie Bell and Andrew Scott sharing an emotional hug in All of Us Strangers
Some other shout outs!
Most Stressful Film: The Teachers’ Lounge
Most Calming: Perfect Days
Most creatively foul-mouthed and unexpectedly hilarious: Wicked Little Letters Most unexpectedly delightful and surprisingly profound despite its title: My Old Ass
Some other lists on letterboxd...
So that's my year in film! If some of your faves aren't here, let me know on X or BlueSky.
They may not have made my list as either:
a) we have different tastes
b) I've not seen it!
c) It's not been released in the UK
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