Epic Western beats Barbie as best film for 2023 – find out if your favourite is on the list

Those that claim to know – the critics – say it is Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon.

But they also liked the curiously twinned ‘Barbenheimer’ movies Barbie and Oppenheimer, which appropriately came joint fifth in a new poll.

The BFI international film magazine Sight and Sound’s end of year poll is considered important as it is voted for by 100 of the world’s top film critics.

It is also a nod and a wink to the Oscars as many of those voting in this survey will also have a say when the Academy shortlist is revealed next year.

Scorsese clearly sees the significance. He said he was “moved” that Killers Of The Flower Moon came top.

The epic Western crime saga stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.

The film is based on the non-fiction book of the same name about the murders of the Osage Native American tribe after oil is found on their land, and had its UK premiere during the BFI London Film Festival in October.

“I’ve been so heartened by the response to Killers Of The Flower Moon,” Scorsese said.

“To have been able to make this picture, at this time in my life, and to see it so appreciated by so many, and by the Osage community in particular.. . for me, it’s grace.

“When I was told that it had topped the critics’ poll at Sight and Sound, I have to say that I was moved. The magazine has been so important to me, for such a long time.”

Scorsese said for as long as he can remember the cinema has been ridiculed in many different ways, but over the last few years “the ridicule has reached a new level”.

The 81-year-old continued: “The cinema has been culturally devalued, from all sides and at a constant pace. Anyone who loves the cinema now needs to stand up for it.

“What I don’t mean is the idea of movies as a kind of cultural messaging delivery service, which can actually play a part in the devaluation. What I do mean is the art of cinema. Period.

“I’ve been subscribing to Sight and Sound for 60 years. And when I look through the pages of the latest issue, it always lifts my spirits. Why? Because it’s made and maintained by people who care. People who love our art form. Please keep it that way.”

Scorsese, who received the BFI Fellowship in 1995, has previously placed third on the poll in 2006 and 2019 with his films The Departed and The Irishman respectively.

The 2023 list see’s Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone Of Interest – depicting the Holocaust – place second, after winning the Grand Prix and Fipresci prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. Meanwhile, third and fourth place went to Celine Song’s directorial debut Past Lives about the immigrant experience and Poor Things from Yorgos Lanthimos starring Emma Stone respectively.

Rounding up the top five saw a suitable tie between Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Oppenheimer from Christopher Nolan, both of which attracted big audiences to the cinema over the summer at a time when numbers can dip.

Ira Sachs’ Passages was at number seven, Anatomy of a Fall directed by Justine Triet at number eight and Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World by Radu Jude at number nine. The top 10 is concluded with Todd Haynes’ film May December.

Sight and Sound editor-in-chief Mike Williams said: “2023 has been huge for cinema. The writers’ and actors’ strikes shone a light on many issues the industry is facing, while the summer box office proved that audiences still have a huge appetite for the theatrical experience.

“It feels apt that in a year in which the very soul of cinema has been in the spotlight Martin Scorsese, one the greatest filmmakers of all time, should top our annual poll.

“Killers Of The Flower Moon, a story of greed and murder that cuts to the heart of American identity, is a towering achievement deserving of its many plaudits, not least for the powerful central performance of Lily Gladstone.

“Scorsese has been eloquently advocating for the art and history of cinema for five decades, and in Killers Of The Flower Moon he’s added another masterpiece to the canon.”

Sight and Sound’s winter 23/24 issue is available digitally on December 11 and on newsstands from December 14.