On November 28 local time, the renowned French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma announced the list of the top ten films of 2024 selected by its team on their official social media account. Topping the list is the film Miséricorde, directed by French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie.

The French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma has released its list of the top ten films of 2024.

The magazine’s annual top ten is typically determined by a group of over ten French film critics, including the magazine’s editors. Each critic submits their own list of the best films of the year, and the films that receive the most votes are declared the top ten of Cahiers du Cinéma. The detailed voting results will be published in the latest issue of the magazine on December 4.

Poster of Miséricorde

The story of Miséricorde revolves around a baker named Jérôme who returns to his hometown for the funeral of his mentor, only for an accidental event leading to the death of the mentor's son. As Jérôme struggles to conceal his guilt, it seems that the townspeople are secretly supporting him. Director Alain Guiraudie has previously gained acclaim for films like Stranger by the Lake and Stay Vertical. The film premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and quickly garnered positive reviews before officially releasing in France on October 16. Cahiers du Cinéma has shown significant support for the film, featuring extensive coverage in both the October and November issues of the magazine, making its top ranking not too surprising.

Since the films selected for Cahiers du Cinéma’s annual top ten must have officially premiered in French theaters within the past twelve months, this year’s list includes several films from last year, such as Todd Haynes' May December, Hong Sang-soo's In Water, Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, Rodrigo Moreno's The Criminals, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Evil Does Not Exist.

This year, however, three films that received the highest honors at Europe’s top three film festivals made no appearance: the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear winner All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt and the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or winner Anatomy of a Fall failed to impress French critics; the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion winner The Room Next Door will not officially release in France until January next year. Interestingly, Im Imaginary Light, the Grand Jury Prize winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival, secured a spot in the top ten.

Still from Im Imaginary Light

[Cahiers du Cinéma's Top Ten of 2024 (Ranked by Votes)]

1. Miséricorde   Director: Alain Guiraudie (France)

2. May December   Director: Todd Haynes (USA)

3. In Water   Director: Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)

4. The Zone of Interest   Director: Jonathan Glazer (UK)

5. Im Imaginary Light   Director: Payal Kapadia (India)

6. The Criminals   Director: Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina)

7. Evil Does Not Exist   Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)

8. This Life   Director: Sofia Fiorelli (France)

9. Knock at the Cabin   Director: M. Night Shyamalan (USA)

10. The Breakup Party   Director: Jonas Trueba (Spain)