Looking back at 2013, it’s striking how many of my favorite filmmakers delivered works that redefined their careers or marked fascinating shifts in their trajectories. While some of these films might not align with the public consensus about their directors’ greatest achievements, they stand out for the ways they reshaped creative paths or revealed new dimensions to their makers. The year brought late-career triumphs from masters like Martin Scorsese and Hayao Miyazaki, while directors such as Steve McQueen, James Ponsoldt, and Spike Jonze explored uncharted territory or stepped into the spotlight on a larger scale.
What makes 2013 truly remarkable is the diversity of its cinematic landscape. This list celebrates everything from a Studio Ghibli masterpiece and a Seth Rogen comedy to a heartfelt teen romance, a contemplative road movie, and an intense, single-location drama starring Tom Hardy. Each of these 15 films left a lasting impression, showcasing the creative range and depth of the year.
Here are the best movies of 2013:
15. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
14. Stoker
13. Night Moves
12. The Spectacular Now
11. The World’s End
10. The Wolf of Wall Street
9. Nebraska
In classic Alexander Payne fashion, the setup for Nebraska is equal parts funny, sad, and deeply personal. And the payoff is well worth the wait due to remarkably nuanced and layered performances from Bruce Dern and Will Forte as a complicated father-son duo.
Read our review of Nebraska.
8. Locke
7. Her
6. This is the End
5. Enemy
Beyond the immediate impact, Enemy lingers in your mind, prompting introspection and challenging your perception of what the plot ultimately means. Denis Villeneuve directs one of the most beguiling movies of the 2010s.
Read our review of Enemy.
4. The Wind Rises
3. Before Midnight
2. 12 Years a Slave
1. Inside Llewyn Davis
Inside Llewyn Davis is indeed a masterpiece of nuanced character study, where the Coen brothers bring their signature blend of dark humor, existential despair, and offbeat storytelling into a film that feels as emotionally resonant as it is stylistically unique. It’s a film that pulls no punches in portraying the painful, humbling reality of an artist struggling against not just the world, but also his own shortcomings. Llewyn Davis (played perfectly by Oscar Isaac) may be a man adrift, emotionally wounded by the loss of his partner, selfish and hard to like, yet he is also profoundly human, filled with raw talent and unfulfilled potential.
Read our review of Inside Llewyn Davis.
