What a strange and interesting year in film. It feels like we've turned a new leaf in some ways, coming out of the pandemic and finding the distribution landscape slowly adjusting to a new normal. I found an awful lot of my favorites on streaming services this year, often without much press or awards attention at all. Then again, there were more movies than ever, and it was difficult to stay caught up.
My criteria for eligibility require that a film must have been released in its own home country during 2022, so film festivals and other special screenings don't count. Picks are unranked and listed in no particular order, and previously posted reviews are linked where available. The "Plus One" spot is reserved for the best film of the previous year that I didn't manage to see in time for the last list.
Banshees Of Inisherin - I find Martin McDonagh's work very hit-or-miss, and it's his most Irish projects that tend to come off the best. So I'm not surprised that a film set in a remote Irish island community, with characters that I could barely understand, turned out to be my favorite of his films to date. It's nice to see that he's mellowed on the violence, though it's still there, punctuating some particularly dark humor. Also, I've buried the hatchet with Colin Farrell at last, who is utterly perfect here.
Good Luck to You Leo Grande - I understand the concerns about the portrayal of sex work in this film, with Leo never really being allowed to be a real person. However, I love Emma Thompson's performance, and the film's exploration of how difficult it can be to navigate your own sexuality, even when you're straight, privileged, and well educated. It feels more daring than it actually is, and incredibly intimate. Frills are few, but sometimes all you need is two great actors and a hotel room.
Everything Everywhere All at Once - While I wouldn't have picked this for Best Picture, it's so heartening to see the stodgy Academy embrace a film this wild and silly and experimental. I admit that I've been influenced by the awards season narratives around the film, cheering on Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh finally getting the leading roles they've always deserved. However, my enthusiasm is tempered a bit by the overlong second half, and that somehow I still feel that the Daniels are capable of better.
Athena - This is a very flawed film with a poor ending, muddled story, and not much by way of characters. The filmmaking, however, is awe-inspiring. That incredible opening shot of the riot at the police station turning into a chase sequence, and the big reveal of the Athena housing project puts every big budget action film of the past few years to shame. What the film lacks in polish, it makes up for in passion, intensity, and scope. Director Romain Gavras will be one to watch going forward.
Dinner in America - I love a film that can get me to change my attitude toward subject matter I'd previously written off. "Dinner in America" looks like so many other indie films about disaffected youth in suburbia dreaming about joining bands. However, what Adam Carter Rehmeier does is to remind us of what the punks were rebelling against, and make a strong case for music being a transformative force. Watching Emily Skeggs' Beth come out of her shell was one of the most thrilling things I saw all year.
The Fabelmans - I resisted for as long as I could, but there are simply too many scenes in this film that I can't stop thinking about - the confrontation with the bully, the announcement of the divorce, and that ending - the closest Spielberg has ever come to breaking the fourth wall. Best of all, I like that ultimately, this may be a trip down memory lane, but Spielberg's attitude is that being a filmmaker comes with serious responsibilities, and while the movies have their magic, they have their dark side too.
Armageddon Time - I don't know why this is the James Gray film that I finally connected with. Maybe it's because it feels like a dark echo of "The Fabelmans," and is so mean to its young protagonist - a stand-in for Gray himself. Maybe it's because this is simultaneously a story about white guilt and being part of an immigrant group trying to assimilate in America. Maybe it's because it's about growing up in the '80s and having no nostalgia for the time period. Maybe I just loved the cast, especially Jeremy Strong.
Close - Another story about boys, the betrayal of friendship, and the loss of innocence. This one comes from Belgium and filmmaker Lukas Dhont, who shows us the idyllic world and interior lives of a pair of thirteen year-olds. Despite the heavy subject matter, this is a very gentle film that doesn't place blame or try to give us answers. Instead, its concern is with the emotions felt in the moment - the way that a tragedy plays out and takes its toll. It's a beautiful take on some devastating material.
The Quiet Girl - A rare Irish language film, about a neglected foster child who comes into the lives of an older couple. I keep wanting to compare this to "Close," because filmmaker Colm Bairead is so good at getting into the head of his young heroine and showing us the world from her intensely private point of view. But instead of depicting a relationship falling apart, this story is about relationships and family ties being formed. It's such a small film, but one that's able to stir big emotions.
Catherine Called Birdy - Finally, Bella Ramsay may have gotten much more attention for "The Last of Us," but her best performance so far may be as the title character in this delightful medieval coming-of-age-comedy. Written and directed by Lena Dunham, the film follows Birdy through the absurdities of becoming a woman in the 13th century. I suspect this is a film that could not have been made with such frankness before 2022, and it's incredibly timely and vital for its young audience.
Honorable Mentions
Argentina 1985
Bones and All
Glass Onion
Matilda the Musical
No Bears
Nope
Tár
Utama
The Woman King
Women Talking
Plus One
Ascension
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