Time for a 2024 wrap up. If you’ve been here before, you know this website is dedicated to finding work by women directors and women leading actors to feature. The “best of” lists you see elsewhere don’t match this criteria, so my lists are always different. Here are the top 20 movies and TV shows I watched and rated in 2024.
Nobody Wants This
Nobody Wants This surprised me by being a simply perfect romcom. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody (pictured up top) are fantastic as the odd couple falling in love. There’s also a beautiful subplot between sisters in this funny and heartfelt romance. Romcoms don’t usually make it to my top ratings, although I watch quite a few of them. This one is different.
Origin
Origin, directed by Ava DuVernay, took a scholarly book about the caste system in America and made it into a stunning bit of storytelling starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as a writer and researcher looking into the origins of racism and caste around the world.
We Are Lady Parts
Four Muslim women living in England form a punk rock band in We Are Lady Parts. There have been two seasons of this marvelous series written and directed by Nida Manzoor. It’s funny, heartfelt, and charmingly original.
The Secret of the River
The Mexican series The Secret of the River is a queer masterpiece full of tender and touching portraits of what it is to be transgender, or muxes, in certain parts of Oaxaca.
Wicked Little Letters
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley go head to head in Wicked Little Letters. I loved the raunchy Shakespearean curses, I loved the cast, I loved the humor, I loved the wacky feminine urge to resist the patriarchy. Thea Sharrock directed.
Rez Ball
Written and directed by Native American Sydney Freeland, Rez Ball is about a basketball team from the Navajo reservation. The lives of the people on the reservation are beautifully detailed.
Lee
Director Ellen Kuras made a powerful film about war photographer Lee Miller, simply called Lee. This gritty drama explores the part of Lee’s life as she photographed World War II.
My Old Ass
My Old Ass is a touching story about a bisexual girl coming of age and meeting her older self. It was directed by Megan Park. It carries a powerful theme about appreciating the everyday moments in life.
Emilia Pérez
Emilia Pérez is a wildly different musical about dirty money, transgender kingpins, and love. The four women at the center of this played by Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Adriana Paz were all simply perfect.
A Man on the Inside
Ted Danson leads a cast of delightful women in A Man on the Inside. So many of them are beautiful elders, too. This lovely series is set in a retirement home and is funny and smart.
The Color Purple
This version of The Color Purple is the Broadway musical made into a movie. I’m pretty much a guaranteed fan of any and all versions of this story, and with great music involved it is even more to my liking.
She Came to Me
Rebecca Miller directed She Came to Me. This unusual film brings something unexpected, charming, and completely off center to the screen.
Black Doves
Some of my favorite women actors star in Black Doves, a spy series. It’s a fun romp through action and suspense set in a Christmassy London.
Love Lies Bleeding
Body building, queer love, and grit characterize Love Lies Bleeding. Rose Glass directed this dynamic story about people on the edges of society.
Fancy Dance
Native American director Erica Tremblay brought us Fancy Dance. It’s a heartbreaking tale about missing and murdered indigenous women, taking care of family, and surviving as an indigenous woman in the United States.
Totally Completely Fine
Totally Completely Fine brings Australian dark comedy to a series about a family struggling with grief. Three grown siblings are at the heart of the story.
Will & Harper
Will & Harper is a beautiful documentary about transitioning, friendship, and love. It will make you laugh, cry, and rage.
We Live in Time
A lifelong love story is told in We Live in Time. This story jumps around in a couple’s life telling key parts of their story out of order.
The Holdovers
The Holdovers earned nominations for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. It’s a heartwarming story set in a boys’ boarding school over the Christmas holidays.
Under the Bridge
Under the Bridge is a multi-layered story about the murder of a 14 year old Indian-Canadian girl in the small town of Saanich, a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia.
Best Performance
My top choice for best performance goes to Jodie Comer for her work in National Theatre Live: Prima Facie. For some reason I didn’t write a review of this, but if you ever get a chance to see it, Jodie Comer is astonishing.
Discover more from Old Ain't Dead
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.