We’ve just experienced one of the most remarkable movie years in a long while. From a wide range of genres, many 2024 films stood out with their brilliance, vitality, and complete realization. They will be remembered and revisited long after. Just imagine sharing an Uber with the characters from these movies as your fellow passengers! Your journey home might be a bit complicated, but you’ll arrive happy in the end, and you might even be inclined to give the driver five stars.

Discover the Cinematic Gems of 2024 That Will Leave You Mesmerized

Challengers

Tennis enthusiasts, listen up! In director Luca Guadagnino’s sexually charged film, the rapid back-and-forth of a fuzzy yellow ball builds to an almost orgasmic frenzy. Zendaya portrays a former tennis prodigy who now manages her husband, a stalled star player (Mike Faist). To revive his mojo, she maneuvers him into a match against his former best friend and rival (Josh O’Connor). But there’s a twist – she alone understands that they all have hidden feelings for each other. This film taps into something richer and messier, about the fluidity of attraction. At times, it has the all-encompassing pansexuality of a D.H. Lawrence novel. Challengers is a dizzying original – an erotic workout.It’s also more successful than Guadagnino’s other 2024 film, Queer. While Daniel Craig is excellent, the movie wanders off into the jungle as he searches for hallucinogenic drugs. Leslie Manville’s appearance adds to the surreal atmosphere. Challengers is now streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.

Conclave

The year’s most satisfying entertainment features Ralph Fiennes as a beleaguered cardinal overseeing a papal election. Although the movie is more about suspense than spirituality, Fiennes’ performance, with his worried eyes and tense lips, feels like a genuine exploration of the soul. The supporting cast, including John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, adds to the intrigue. Conclave is a job that requires a special calling. It’s streaming on Peacock Dec. 13.

Anora

Many years ago, a renowned film critic wrote about Diane Keaton’s performance. Now, we have Mikey Madison’s breakthrough in this comedy-drama about a Manhattan sex worker, Anora. She meets Mark Eydelshteyn’s boy-man, who lives in a large, charmless house on Long Island. Madison’s performance is both tough and vulnerable, leaving us unsure of her feelings. When the boy-child’s mother arrives, it’s clear that the marriage must end. Madison is flawless in the closing scenes, heartbroken and unable to respond. Anora is in theaters now.

Emilia Pérez

This Netflix film is a complete original, a crazy mix of genres. Directed by a Frenchman (Jacques Audiard), it’s a Mexican musical-comedy-melodrama about a drug lord who transitions to a woman (Zoe Saldaña). As Emilia Pérez, she becomes a philanthropist and champion of social justice. Karla Sofía Gascón’s performance as the trans actress has the warmth of an earth mother, but it can’t completely thaw her past cold-bloodedness. The musical numbers are too brief. Emilia Pérez is now streaming on Netflix.

The Outrun

Saoirse Ronan is extraordinary as a young alcoholic woman finding rebirth in remote Scotland. Her relationship with the camera is unique. Whether drunk, troubled, or calmly radiant, she’s magnetic. There are good supporting actors like Saskia Reeves. However, even Ronan can get lost in a production. In Blitz, she starred in a thrilling recreation of the German bombing of London, but the script was weak. The Outrun is available to rent or own on demand.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Anya Taylor-Joy is the feminist hero of this Mad Max prequel. Set in a choking desert with roaring steampunk cars, the film explores Furiosa’s backstory from her near-Edenic childhood to the traumatic loss of her arm. Directed with swift, vivid boldness by George Miller, it’s an epic. Yet, it was met with indifference by moviegoers who preferred Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. But it’s just show business – we move on. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now streaming on Max.

A Real Pain

Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play formerly close cousins on a group tour of Poland. The film reveals depths of sorrowful empathy, about various pains like mental illness (Culkin’s character is crippled by depression) and Jewish history. It’s a more complex film than last year’s Zone of Interest. A Real Pain is in theaters now.

Hit Man

Glen Powell gets a leading-man role in this larky comedy from Richard Linklater. He plays a philosophy professor who becomes an assassin-for-hire. The issue of entrapment is interesting, but the movie is too playful to dwell on it. Powell’s performance is sexy and gracious. He has a romance with Adria Arjona, adding to the charm. Hit Man is now streaming on Netflix.

Nickel Boys

Novelist Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys has been adapted into an uncompromising yet lyrical film. When a Black teen (Ethan Herisse) is unjustly sent to a reform school, his life is derailed. The camera’s shifts deepen the hurt and complicate the question of overcoming racism. It’s probably the year’s most haunting film. Nickel Boys is in select New York theaters Dec. 13 and select Los Angeles theaters Dec. 20 before expanding nationwide.

Inside Out 2

The most successful cartoon in history, this sequel to Pixar’s 2015 hit focuses on adolescence. Heroine Riley’s mind makes room for new feelings like Anxiety, Embarrassment, and Ennui. In compiling this list for PEOPLE, I chose Inside Out 2 over The Wild Robot. My decision was based on personal preference. Later, I saw Flow, a Latvian animated feature that’s superior. Inside Out 2 is now streaming on Disney+.