30 Essential Films from 2013

A young woman pursuing a dance career relocates to New York City and finds herself surrounded by unreliable acquaintances, declining prospects, and disappointing professional opportunities.

Newly released from prison, a man called The Rambler finds himself drawn into an unsettling mystery during a perilous road trip. He's traveling through remote areas and small towns, hoping to find his long-lost brother.

In Kenya, European women are known as "Sugar Mamas," seeking out African boys to buy affection for money. Teresa, a 50-year-old Austrian woman with a daughter approaching adolescence, visits this tropical destination, traveling from one beach to the next.

Two teenagers escaping difficult home lives find solace in each other, leading them down a path of exploring profound questions about life, hopelessness, and the fragility of people.

In the Mexican countryside, Juan and his family live a life both idyllic and isolated. Their existence is distinct from the outside world, and it's unclear whether these two worlds coexist peacefully or are in constant conflict.

Crystal and her boyfriend Leo take a strained and puzzling road trip across the empty, yet strangely beautiful countryside of central Florida.

During a raid, a powerful drug cartel leader is captured and pressured into cooperating with authorities. He agrees to provide information and turn on his former associates as part of a covert operation.

Four separate stories from contemporary China depict sudden, unexpected acts of violence.

Jason Osder recounts the events that led to and unfolded during the 1985 confrontation between the radical African-American group MOVE and Philadelphia police. The intense clash resulted in eleven deaths and widespread destruction within a neighborhood.

Medieval Europe was captivated by bestiaries – illustrated books describing real and imagined animals, filled with supposed facts and old stories. This documentary presents these books as a visual journey, showing both people and creatures. The animals seem to watch…

Five friends reconnect after twenty years, aiming to recreate a memorable pub crawl from their past. Unbeknownst to them, their reunion positions them as humanity's last chance.

The American Computer Chess Convention brings together fans to compete. Programs face off against each other and human players in a tournament with a $7500 prize for the winner.

Medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone accompanies veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski on what's supposed to be his final Shuttle mission. During a routine spacewalk, disaster occurs when the Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski adrift in space, tethered only to…

Sarah Polley, a Canadian actress and filmmaker, explores hidden aspects of her mother's past. She interviews family and friends, but their accounts differ depending on their connection to the events. This creates a series of unanswered questions, as memory is…

Two best friends begin making a movie about getting revenge on their tormentors, and the line between what's real and what's not starts to fade.

This film offers an experimental look at the North American commercial fishing industry. The story is told entirely through footage captured by GoPro cameras mounted on a fishing boat working off the coast of New England.

Max moves from his lakeside hometown to live with his father in the outskirts of suburban Arizona. *Pavilion* presents a dreamlike yet understated journey, building a profound and otherworldly atmosphere. It depicts a seemingly idyllic childhood unraveling, creating a lasting…

This disturbing documentary features former Indonesian death squad leaders performing dramatizations of their past mass killings, using different film styles. The reenactments create a confusing mix of reality and fiction, revealing the lasting effects of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist violence and…

Four college students decide to rob a restaurant to pay for their spring break trip to Florida. Their actions lead them to become involved with an eccentric man who has his own criminal plans.

Everything is Terrible! Presents a chaotic and relentlessly inventive exploration of appropriated trends. This film combines a history of co-opted cool into a multimedia experience designed to engage both the auditory and visual senses. It playfully reimagines hip-hop's origins, featuring…

A graduate student directing a university theatre group adapts a popular 1980s young adult novel, leading to surprising transformations for everyone involved.

This documentary examines different interpretations of Stanley Kubrick’s film *The Shining*, exploring various theories about hidden meanings within the story. It presents five distinct perspectives, using narration, film excerpts, animation, and dramatized scenes to illustrate each viewpoint.

In the United States before the Civil War, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from New York, is kidnapped and forced into slavery. He endures cruelty and kindness while fighting to survive and maintain his self-respect. During his twelfth year…

A man and a woman find themselves connected to the long life cycle of a being that doesn't age. As they navigate this strange existence, their sense of self begins to dissolve, and they try to piece together the remnants…

While rehearsing Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," a group of actresses become entangled in a complicated series of romantic relationships.

A ruthless loan shark's life takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious woman appears, claiming to be his mother from the past. This forces him to confront his violent existence and question his future.

Dolph Springer wakes up one morning to discover his dog, Paul – the love of his life – is missing. In his desperate search to find Paul and reclaim his life, Dolph unexpectedly and profoundly impacts the lives of those…

Two teenage boys discover a fugitive hiding on an island in the Mississippi River. They assist him in reuniting with his partner and escaping a vengeful family and their armed group.

When aliens invade from the Pacific, Earth's last hope rests on giant piloted robots. Facing overwhelming odds, humanity relies on two unlikely heroes to fight back against the encroaching apocalypse.

Nine years after meeting on a train in Vienna, Jesse and Celine, a French-American couple, now live in Paris with their twin daughters. They spend a summer in Greece at the invitation of a colleague of Jesse's. As the vacation…