Oscars 2023: The 10 best movie scenes of the year
Sometimes, the very best scenes of any given year appear in the most unlikely places as well as in the most celebrated movies of the past 12 months. Perfectly establishing characters, setting the tone of the film or showing off a masterfully crafted chunk of dialogue, you know when you’ve seen a great scene because you will have realised once it’s over that you have barely breathed at all in the past two minutes or so.
Like every year, 2023 was full of a number of marvellous movie moments, with our list of the ten best scenes of the year collecting the very best down into a definitive group. Inevitably, we had to cut a number of fabulous scenes too, which didn’t quite make the cut, omitting the opening performance from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis as well as the emotional finale to Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
In their place, we’ve tried to pick just one film from some of the best and most overlooked movies of the 2023 Academy Awards. For example, whilst Matt Reeves’ revolutionary Batman movie failed to gain any considerable nominations, we wanted to give it some credit, so we managed to sneak one moment from the film, starring Robert Pattinson and Colin Farrell, on our exclusive list.
Alongside the caped crusader, our list also includes films from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Martin McDonagh, Ruben Östlund and Todd Field.
The 10 best movie scenes of the year:
10. “I Am the Shadows” – The Batman (Matt Reeves)
The DC superhero Batman has been sculpted in various different ways over the years, whether we’re looking at Joel Schumacher’s silly candy-cane version, Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ or Matt Reeves’ most recent gothic take. Arguably far better than Nolan’s beloved take, Reeves’ vision of Batman begins with a spectacular tone-setting sequence in which the title hero is set up as a dark inevitability in downtrodden Gotham city.
Whilst the whole film may not be entirely perfect, the opening ten minutes of The Batman may represent the very best of the caped crusader ever seen on screen, perfectly setting up the fictional city’s eerie tone and the character’s dogged efforts to clean up the streets.
9. Meeting ‘John Ford’ – The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg)
Exploring his early obsession with cinema and his efforts to make it as a filmmaker, Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical ‘Best Picture’ nominee is an extremely personal piece of cinema that tangles with, among other things, the divorce of his parents. Whilst most of the film plays out like a fairly standard coming-of-age drama, the climax sees a young Spielberg meet his childhood hero, John Ford, in a recreation of a real-life event.
Ford is played by none other than fellow filmmaker David Lynch, with Spielberg adding the final scene as a little slice of movie magic, catching the viewer off-guard whilst providing a genuinely charming moment in the process.
8. ‘Raccacoonie’ – Everything, Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
Everything, Everywhere All at Once, from directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is a wild multiverse movie that is stuffed full of memorable moments, with no scene being as hilariously bizarre as the first time we see ‘Raccacoonie’ on screen. A piss-take of the rodent protagonist in Pixar’s 2007 film Ratatouille, Everything, Everywhere All at Once presents an alternate reality where the animated chef wasn’t a rat but a massive raccoon.
Some of the humour in Daniels’ movie is a little hit-and-miss, but we feel like this moment could be appreciated by everyone, perfectly capturing the eccentric comedy present in this fan-favourite Oscar hopeful.
7. Komaram Bheem’s introduction – RRR (S. S. Rajamouli)
Ask any lover of action cinema, and you’ll discover just how criminal it is that S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR was omitted from the ‘Best Picture’ nominations. A modern classic of Indian cinema, RRR is a Telugu film from the south of the country that tells the fictitious story of two revolutionaries who travel away from home before returning to the country in the 1920s, where they engage in several bombastic fights.
Such is perfectly encapsulated during the moment when Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) storms a palace on the back of a truck loaded with wild animals. It’s a hilariously enjoyable moment, backed up by a rousing soundtrack from M. M. Keeravani.
6. By the Lake – The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin is quite unlike his previous movies Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges, in that, it is almost devoid of strong humour, with the Irish filmmaker instead opting for a far more sombre tone. The film follows two lifelong friends, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who fall-out out of nowhere in the midst of the Irish civil war.
Whilst there are several beautiful moments in McDonagh’s movie, for our money, the best part doesn’t involve either of the protagonists, occurring when Barry Keoghan’s Dominic and Kerry Condon’s Siobhán share a conversation beside a remote lake. Announcing his love for Siobhán, the scene is a tender moment performed brilliantly by both actors, who extract the pain and compassion of McDonagh’s spellbinding script
5. Tank assault – All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger)
The task that Edward Berger faced when making his gruelling anti-war movie All Quiet on the Western Front was to make a film that well-reflected the torment and mental hardship of conflict. He surmounts this challenge with fantastic filmmaking skill during one specific scene in which the tanks of the French military approach the German soldiers, forcing them to face an indescribable threat.
Presenting the scene as if it were a sinister nightmare, Volker Bertelmann’s terrifying score goes a great deal in translating the true threat of the situation as soldiers pathetically attempt to fight the army of rolling metal goliaths arising from the mist. The moment kicks off a brutal fight sequence in which Berger perfectly bottles the hellish nature of war.
4. Maverick’s test run – Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
Filmmakers across the world shared their fondness for Top Gun: Maverick when it was released back in 2022, with directors like Quentin Tarantino stating: “I fucking love Top Gun: Maverick. I thought it was fantastic”. There’s a reason for this, too, Joseph Kosinski’s sequel to the 1986 original was created as if it was a 20th-century blockbuster, made with practical effects and a dedication to cinematic spectacle.
Maverick’s test run in the movie is the perfect representation of this ambition, with the scene straining with tension thanks to the astonishing cinematography and clever sound mixing. Top Gun: Maverick is indeed an excellent movie, and Tom Cruise is a special Hollywood talent.
3. Sea sickness – Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
Ruben Östlund, the eclectic jester of contemporary cinema, is a filmmaker who constantly pushes the boundaries of good taste. This was proven in his most recent movie Triangle of Sadness, an exploration of wealth and influencer culture which told the story of a yacht carrying a collection of mega-rich guests whose absurd reality is exposed in one hilarious scene in which they are flung across the boat covered in vomit.
Hitting choppy waters in the middle of dinner service, Östlund has fun with the cinematic form as he slants the camera side to side as if it were on the ship too. Meanwhile, the guests of the yacht find the movement too uncomfortable and proceed to throw-up all over the place, with many sliding across the floor, lubricated by their own bodily fluids. It’s silly, absurd and tremendously enjoyable.
2. Lecture scene – Tár (Todd Field)
A complex, Kubrickian masterpiece, Todd Field’s character study Tár is worthy of the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar award over any other film nominated. Starring Cate Blanchett, the film tells the story of a fictional composer at the top of her game who is forced to confront the makeup of her own character when she is accused of sexual misconduct. Led by a scintillating performance from Blanchett, Tár is an extraordinary piece of cinema.
Whilst the incidents of sexual misconduct are never seen on screen, we do experience a masterful sequence in which the composer teaches a number of students in a lecture theatre. Brimming with tension, the sequence sees Tár get into a debate about cancel culture with her students, speaking passionately about the line between art and artist, a theme that boldly underlines Field’s movie.
1. ‘Under Pressure – Afterlife (Charlotte Wells)
Shockingly snubbed for a ‘Best Picture’ nomination, Charlotte Wells’ movie defines contemporary culture, telling the story of a young father and his struggles with mental health whilst on holiday with his daughter. Struggling to identify with himself as a father and not a liberated teenager, the film swirls with concepts of regret, guilt and true happiness, with Wells’ film being memorable for its gob-smackingly emotional final scene.
Dancing with his daughter to a version of ‘Under Pressure’ by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, the song mutates as the visuals take us into the mind of the young father wrestling with his own identity. It all ends when he bids his daughter farewell at the airport, and he falls back into a fragile mental health space. It’s devastating stuff.