Best Movies of 2013

A ranking of the year's most rewarding films across intimate drama, comic music-making, animation and more demanding experiments. The order favours precise direction and performances that give ambitious ideas a lived texture. Begin with Inside Llewyn Davis for dry musical comedy, The Lunchbox for quiet connection or We Are the Best! for an energetic friendship. Years follow first public screenings, including festivals: Under the Skin and Locke qualify through their 2013 premieres despite wider releases in 2014. Several choices involve severe violence or explicit adult material, with the differences in tone and viewing effort explained in the notes.