Barack Obama Reveals Favorite Movies of 2023

Former US President Barack Obama has shared his favorite films of 2023, and there are some truly leftfield picks in there.

As he does every year, Obama took to social media to post a rundown of his most-liked movies, songs, and books.

He wrote on Instagram: “As I usually do during this time of year, I wanted to share my favorite books, movies, and music of 2023.”

He wasn’t able to pick just one film, however, with three making the joint claim for first place. These are Rustin, American Symphony, and Leave the World Behind. But they come with some controversy: Obama’s own production company produced them.

“I’m biased since these movies were produced by Higher Ground, but these were in fact three of the best films I saw this year,” Obama wrote.

His other 2023 favorites were The Holdovers, Blackberry, Oppenheimer, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Monster, Past Lives, Air, Polite Society and A Thousand and One.

Obama might have spoken too soon, though. After posting, he added an update, writing: “I just saw The Color Purple and loved it. I'm adding it to this list as one of my favorite movies of the year.”

In his Instagram post, Obama also commented on the writers and actors strikes. “Earlier this year, writers and actors went on strike to advocate for better working conditions and protections. It led to important changes that will transform the industry for the better. Here are some films that reflect their hard work over the last year.”

Thankfully, that whole saga is concluded, with SAG-AFTRA announcing the strike is over in November 2023.