NIGHTLY FLIX — There was more than enough to keep keen political observers entertained this year outside of the cinema. The election year shaped up as one for the ages, with assassination attempts, a calamitous presidential debate and a midstream switch of candidates that felt ripped from Hollywood. But beyond the campaign trail headlines, even the most voracious news consumers can sometimes use some alternative entertainment. Great art is not only a healthy supplement to the media diet, it can often unearth deeper or more interesting political truths of our era than the constant churn of news and reaction cycles. This year, no one film pierced through the national discourse like the dual slate of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ last year. And yet, looking under the hood at the year in movies reveals that once again, a slate of committed directors, writers, actors and other artists have made work that made all of us smarter about politics. Here is Nightly’s list of movies that said something new about our politics and values — and, of course, kept us entertained. The Brutalist: The 3.5 hour runtime, intermission and VistaVision format (a high resolution filmmaking format not used regularly since the mid-20th century) make this film sound like catnip for film nerds. But its ideas and scale place it much more naturally within the canon of popular American epics like ‘There Will Be Blood’ or ‘The Godfather: Part II.’And while it’s not as unimpeachable as those movies, ‘The Brutalist’ — which follows architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody) as he navigates life in mid-century America after surviving a concentration camp — asks big questions about the nature of immigration, belonging and trauma. Nickel Boys: RaMell Ross’ adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2019 novel The Nickel Boys is fairly faithful to the plot — following two young, Black boys (Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson) stuck in a reform school called Nickel, one of whom is there thanks to a racially motivated prosecution. The school itself is segregated as well, and functions in many ways as a telling of the story of Jim Crow era America in miniature. Ross adds fascinating, innovative filmmaking techniques onto the story, shooting it in first-person point of view, which makes the viewer feel even closer to the story. Anora: Sean Baker’s latest feature is held up by strong performances from Mikey Madison, who plays the titular Anora, and Mark Eydelshteyn, who serves as her love interest, Vanya. But it also has political elements that are large and small. Anora is a young sex worker who is taken on a wild romance by Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch who’s doing his best not to go home and work for his family. It’s a merging of class that comes with disastrous consequences. In addition to those larger themes, though, the film is a picture perfect depiction of the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, an ethnic enclave that’s governed by its own social hierarchy. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat: Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the documentary ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ tells the story of the murder of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in 1961 and the subsequent decision by American musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach to interrupt a UN Security Council meeting. It’s a Cold War-era film that depicts the ways in which the U.S. government used the cultural cache of jazz musicians to project an image abroad — even while plotting to assassinate Lumumba. Image versus reality, and how governments understand and use art to their own benefit, are important themes that run throughout this film, directed by Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez. Hit Man: ‘Hit Man,’ despite its title, is among the lighter fare on this list. It follows an undercover police contractor (Glen Powell) who poses as a hit man in order to arrest people who are motivated to kill their enemies. Complicating the plot, Powell’s character Gary Johnson is also a college psychology professor by day who falls in love with one of the women who he’s supposed to arrest, Madison Figueroa Masters (Adria Arjona). Richard Linklater’s latest directorial effort includes significant themes of identity and ethics, and what it means to transform oneself, as we see Gary teach his students practical life lessons while also undergoing many of these questions himself during his side gig working for the cops. Conclave: Edward Berger’s film starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rossellini is straightforwardly about an election. The pope is dead — who will take his place? There are factions, dirty backroom dealing and outside influence as the cardinals gather in Rome — meant to be among the most pious individuals in the world — and descend into petty gossip. If that’s not an obvious commentary on our political system in 2024, it’s hard to know what is. As an added bonus, there’s a cardinal who vapes. Dune: Part Two: In the same way ‘Conclave’ centers petty infighting, ‘Dune: Part Two’ is all about another important political phenomenon of our time: messianic worship. The first ‘Dune’ film introduces us to Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as a young, inexperienced boy with visions and power he doesn’t know how to harness. By the end of the second movie [spoilers ahead], he’s transformed himself into a charismatic leader who is insistent he will free his followers — but also might plunge the universe into a disastrous war and famine. More than anything, the film is about the dangers of power — and what giving in to the instinct to control means. The Apprentice: ‘The Apprentice’ may have actually been too political for Hollywood. When Sebastian Stan, who plays a young Donald Trump in the film, was selected by Hollywood trade publication Variety to participate in their “Actors on Actors” series — in which often Oscar-contending actors interview one another about their performances on the year — he ran into a problem. No one wanted to participate alongside him, because they didn’t want to wade back into discussing Trump. The movie is not perfect, but Stan and Jeremy Strong (who plays Roy Cohn) deliver two of the best performances of the year. They’re each able to portray their difficult subject accurately without devolving into caricature, and thereby give us a better understanding of the origins of Trump the man. Sing Sing: ‘Sing Sing,’ which technically premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2023 but was released in the United States in July of this year, is based on the true story of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at the Sing Sing maximum security prison in upstate New York. Professional actor Colman Domingo anchors the project, but it also includes many performances from formerly incarcerated men who are alumni of the program — with a standout showing from Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin. It asks questions that are central to art and politics in 2024 — how can art transform, what can it tell us about life and what can it mean to people who take on performance, even in the midst of harrowingly difficult conditions. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at cmchugh@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh. Programming note: Nightly will be off for the holidays between Dec. 25 and Jan. 3. We’ll return to your inboxes on Monday, Jan. 6. | 
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