Continuing my countdown of last year’s best films…
Best Films of 2023
#18. Wonka
I didn’t go into this musical prequel to Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with high expectations, which is part of why I came out so charmed. I should have put more faith in writer/director Paul King, who worked similar unlikely magic in the Paddington films.
Timothée Chalamet added musical comedy to his growing bag of tricks, fully committing to the whimsy. If his kinder and gentler version of Willy Wonka seems a far cry from the mischievous crank of the original film — a common criticism — that just makes me curious to see a follow-up movie exploring his character development.
On a side note, today’s SOTD comes from a delightful scene that just missed my list of favorite 2023 musical moments.
#17. Past Lives
Celine Song’s lyrical drama about a Korean-American woman reunited with a childhood boyfriend was the breakout indie hit of the year. It’s a quietly devastating work, rich with emotion but executed with a tremendous amount of reserve.
Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are excellent as the reunited couple, while John Magaro works wonders in the tricky role of the white husband trying to give them their space.
I appreciated this movie a lot, but I wanted to be devastated by it. I know many people are, so I see that more as my failing than the movie’s. Maybe “failing” isn’t the right word — some things just work in different ways on different people.
Regardless, I highly recommend Past Lives, one of the most impressive debuts in years.
Close your eyes and count to ten
Make a wish, now open them
Here’s a store that’s like no other
If it were, I wouldn’t bother[Verse 1]
Chocolate bushes, chocolate trees
Chocolate flowers and chocolate bees
Chocolate memories that a boy once saved
Before they melted away
[Chorus]
A world of your own
A place to escape to
A world of your own
Where you can be free
Wherever you go
Wherevеr life takes you
This is your home
A world of your own
[Verse 2]
Hеre is the child that you left behind
Here is the kid with the curious mind
Here is the wonder we used to feel
Back when the magic was real
[Chorus]
A world of your own
A place to go when you’re
Feeling alone
Feeling unsure
Embrace the unknown
Enjoy the adventure
[Bridge]
Let’s go strolling in the clouds
Grab a handful, it’s allowed
Clouds are made of cotton candy
Just keep your umbrella handy
‘Cause there’s a hard rain gonna fall
Humbugs, gumdrops, and aniseed balls
Fireworks bring sugar string
To chew
All the colors of the rainbow
And some others too
[Chorus]
A world of our own (A world of our own)
A place to escape to (A place to escape to)
The world of our own (A world of our own)
Where we can be free (Where we can be free)
Wherever you go (Wherever you go)
Wherever life takes you (Wherever life takes you)
This is our home (Ooh)
A world of our own
Meet Me In Montauk 
It seems odd to me that you “wanted to be devastated” by Past Lives, and that you would be disappointed or appreciate the film less for not being so. I definitely felt it was one of the best movies of the year, and would probably rank in my personal top 10.
Wonka was also a delight and pleasant surprise for me.
Have you ever watched a well-made comedy and wished you found it funnier? This was similar for me but on the other end of the spectrum.
Sure, but a well-made comedy’s objective is to be funny, so if you didn’t find it so funny, that is an understandable reason to like it less. I don’t think the objective of Past Lives was to devastate the viewer like Schindler’s List or Sophie’s Choice.
For me, Past Lives set out to tell a unique, sad and touching story and succeeded in its vision.
I don’t mean devastated in a Schindler’s List way. Maybe a poor choice of words. I wanted to be deeply moved.
Thank you for reminding me about this song from WONKA. I, too, went in with low expectations and came out very happy that I saw it.
haven’t seen Wonka yet might catch up with it on streaming. I was looking forward to Past Lives because it was so well reviewed and apparently loved. I was able to stream it recently and found it to be a lovely film. I must say I loved the husband (Arthur) and was touched by his character the most.
Both of these films took me by surprise, which surely added to how much I loved them.
I found Past Lives perfect. The opening scene brilliantly makes the viewer a witness – and unwitting judge – of these relationships we know nothing about. As the film unfolds and we discover we’re watching a film about how the paths we never chose shape our lives in a million ways, a theme explored with far more bombast in a hundred other films, I was, indeed, deeply moved.
I’m sure Arthur was the character many viewers gravitated towards, myself included, who don’t have our own first or even second generation immigration story. His aching desire to love and support his wife however he best could – and should – without intuitively knowing what that was and without her being able to give him any clear direction… not sure if devastating is the word, but it sure comes close.