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Best and Worst Films from February 2023

Best Films from February 2023:

3. To Leslie

This wasn’t a great month for me, but I did see a couple of excellent films nonetheless. The best indie of 2022, To Leslie is one of the best hidden gems of the year. It’s a beautiful movie that features a rare optimistic and happy ending in this cynical era, which was a breath of fresh air. This character-driven drama benefits from an absolutely superb performance from Andrea Riseborough.

2. Asterix and Cleopatra

Asterix and Cleopatra is a wonderful adaptation of one of the best volumes in this comic book series. It is faithful to the original story while still having its own additional touches that are different and unique, the foremost being the musical elements with a couple of very entertaining and charming songs.

1. Hit the Road

Another hidden gem of 2022, Hit the Road is one of the best movies of the year. This Iranian road trip dramedy features superb cinematography, a wonderful soundtrack and incredible directing from first-time director Panah Panahi. Beautifully written and acted, it is a film that makes you smile and cry simultaneously in one gorgeous feat of storytelling and impressive cinematic qualities. It deserves more attention from regular moviegoers.

Worst Films from February 2023:

3. Athena

Romain Gavras’ Athena is a crime action movie that is worth seeing only for its staggeringly strong cinematography. While technically superb, the movie is so monotonous in its endless, repetitive action that it becomes tiresome very quickly. It has nothing meaningful to say about civil unrest as it only focused on assaulting your senses and nothing more than that.

2. The Eternal Daughter

This movie failed as a Gothic mystery due to the almost total absence of strong atmosphere. It also did not succeed as a drama owing to its sluggish pacing and an unconvincing Tilda Swinton performance in a dual role, which was a poor casting choice that simply did not work. It’s a shame because the premise was so cool and it had so much potential.

1. R.M.N.

And the worst movie I saw all month is the new movie from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. I adore the guy, but what he did here was inexcusable. He made this politically motivated bullshit that failed to deal with the issue of migration in any meaningful way. Instead, it portrayed the other side in a highly caricaturist manner. Couple that with a ridiculous plot overall and you’ve got one of the worst movies released in this year.