We are halfway towards the end of 2023, with many films breaking box office records and many more that have made the cinephiles impatient to witness something great on the big screens. In between that, there are many underrated and remarkable gems that go unnoticed by audiences around the world, solely because they don’t carry household names in the cast.
While the cinema-goers were torn between Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie‘, there were many underrated motion pictures with exceptional plotlines that have gone under the radar. Here’s the list of the 10 most underrated films of 2023 that no one should miss.
Related: 10 Most Underrated Marvel Comics That Should Be Made Into Movies
10. Magic Mike: The Last Dance
The last part of the trilogy silently came and went without leaving much of a pop-culture impact at the beginning of 2023. Despite being a part of a franchise that earlier made nearly $300 million worldwide with just two movies, ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ would make up for a perfect end for a memorable trilogy. The climax of the film depicted a variety of lavish strip routines that were enough to boost the quality of the entire feature up a couple of notches.
Starring Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum, the film manages to capture detailed elements of friendship, heartbreak, romance, and journey toward self-actualization, which the previous two films failed to showcase.
9. Blackberry
Directed by Matt Johnson, ‘BlackBerry’ is loosely adapted from Sean Silcoff’s and Jacquie McNish’s book ‘Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry‘. The film unfolds the real-life exploits of BlackBerry creator Mike Lazaridis and his associates who started the company from extreme debts only to make it worse.
Matt Johnson did amazing work making the snowballing chaos of this company incredibly compelling, particularly when it comes to the moral decay of Mike Lazaridis. Also, the film is packed with a strong cast starring Jay Baruchel as Lazaridis, Glen Howerton as Jim Balsillie along with Matt Johnson and Rich Sommers.
8. Blue Jeans
‘Blue Jeans’ follows a compelling narrative based on the story of a closeted lesbian P.E. teacher whose life is flipped when a new student from her school begins to visit the gay bar that is frequently visited by her. Directed by Georgia Oakley, ‘Blue Jeans‘ is a cinematic representation of how systemically normalized bigotry can help turn members of marginalized groups on one another.
Georgia Oakley effortlessly takes the audience through the life of the protagonist and creatively makes the viewers feel the intolerance that creeps into Jean’s world. This is an underrated gem that should be on every cinephile’s must-watch list.
7. Every Body
‘Every Body’ is the most moving film of 2023, which follows the life of three intersex individuals, taking the audience along with their journey of secrecy and struggles. Basically in medical terms, intersex is a term used to describe individuals who are born with physical, chromosomal, or hormonal characteristics that are consistent with both male and female sex traits. So in the contemporary world, they belong to I in LGBTQIA+.
Engaging in political activism to put an end to such medically unnecessary surgeries, is one of the best and underrated works of Julie Cohen.
In case you missed: Saltburn: Plot, Cast, Trailer, And Release Date Of Jacob Elordi’s Psychological Thriller Film
6. The League
‘The League’ directed by Sam Pollard explores the issue of civil rights advocacy across centuries spread into multiple fields, including the world of baseball through the lens of the Negro Baseball League. Black players were forbidden from joining teams with white baseball players in the late 1800s which prompted the creation of the League.
‘The League’, inspired by history, shares the unknown story of lesser-known figures whose stories are much worth telling. Interview segments with modern-day figures like Andrea Williams and archival footage of anecdotes delivered by the likes of Maya Angelou made the story quite engaging and intimidating.
5. Kokomo City
‘Kokomo City’ directed by D. Smith features a glorious monochromatic color palette. The documentary film narrates the story of four transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia through candid interviews.
‘Kokomo City’ is one of the most essential pieces of 2023 as each frame of the documentary film screams humanity.
4. Nimona
Directed by Nick Bruno, ‘Nimona’ is a computer-animated sci-fi film adapted from the graphic novel designed by N.D.Stevenson. It follows the story of a shape-shifting teenager who helps the Knight prove his innocence after the latter was wrongfully framed. Nimona is not just another animated movie, instead, it has a unique and aesthetic 2D style.
‘Nimona’ also represents mental health issues, LGBTQ relationships among characters, diversity, and corruption in a religion-like government so accurately and amazingly that, this film is hard to miss.
3. Dry Ground Burning
‘Dry Ground Burning’ directed by Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós puts lesbian ex-convicts at the forefront of its narrative. The film unfolds the lives of half-siblings Léa and Chitara as they lead an all-ladies group determined to enact a political revolution and secretly sell gasoline to motorcyclists.
What makes ‘Dry Ground Burning’ an interesting watch is its numerous references to former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonar and a chilling depiction of a group of cops preparing to hurt citizens by engaging in a nationalistic salute that more or less looks like a Nazi salute.
2. Rye Lane
‘Rye Lane’ is not a film to be missed. It is such a delightful and immensely enjoyable romantic comedy. Directed by Raine Allen Miller and starring David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, follows the story of two unfortunate strangers stumbling onto each other and proceeding to spend the day together.
It is a must-watch for its striking visuals and funny personal politics of heartbreak and hope. It dives into the desperation of the characters by portraying empathy with reality and not fantasy.
1. A Thousand And One
Directed by A.V. Rockwell, the story is set over more than a decade in Harlem. It follows Inez de la Pa snatching her son, Terry from his foster home surroundings and trying to make a life for the two of them.
The film is an incredibly rich depiction of a mother/child dynamic that would register as impressive under any given circumstances.
You would also like to read: Top 10 Most Unexpected Oscar Winners Of All Time
