The (global) best (and worst) of 2022
One could say the same thing about the state of cinema as last year - there's still a struggle for direction in the post-pandemic world. Only now we are in the midst of a war of attrition. That will definitely shape the way we see the world through film, but hasn't filtered through yet. Europe has come back a bit with character driven relationship dramas, led by two wonderful films from Ireland. South India has continued to deliver mature and entertaining stories, while Hindu nationalism weighs ever heavier on Bollywood. But for the first time in a decade, the film of the year comes from Hollywood of all places.
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- DirectorDaniel KwanDaniel ScheinertStarsMichelle YeohStephanie HsuJamie Lee CurtisA middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.Yes, its a boring choice. It's going to swamp the Academy Awards. But not only does one of the most neglected actresses finally show her full range (well two actually, Jamie Lee Curtis is just as insane as Michelle Yeoh). It's also a much overdue parody of "Asian-ness", in that it tears all the stereotypes about family and humility to shreds. All that with a dash of queerness. Lets hope its success urges more US film makers to escape from PC prison.
- DirectorM. ManikandanStarsNallandiVijay SethupathiYogi BabuThe last active farmer in a remote village tries to hold out against a property developer.While Western climate activists glue themselves to paintings for reasons that elude me, Malayalam cinema gives us this practical lesson in learning to live with the land we're walking on. This is actually better than "Everything" but I can't always have a favorite film of the year from Kerala, can I? This is as close to perfect as a film can get.
- DirectorColm BairéadStarsCarrie CrowleyAndrew BennettCatherine ClinchIn rural Ireland, a quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer where she blossoms and learns what it is to be loved.A pure gem of subdued emotions, this is an instant classic that will quite likely propel its director Colm Bairéad to stardom, but I hope he doesn't follow Neil Jordan's commercial footsteps. It's one of those rare films that prove there are still ways to tell familiar stories in different ways.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellBrendan GleesonKerry CondonTwo lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.The other gem from Ireland albeit a little more polished and complex, this has the best double male lead performances in at least a decade. Farrell past his prime really shines, and Gleeson turns a hard-to-believe persona into an unforgettable experience. I prefer "Quiet Girl" for its impact, but these are both masterpieces in a year the UK hasn't come up with any.
- DirectorSaim SadiqStarsAli JunejoRasti FarooqAlina KhanThe youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show.The director will have to wear a bullet-proof vest for the rest of his life, although he just portrayed the reality of queer life in the majority of the Muslim world. It reveals how strangely accepted trans women are as opposed to gay men, and what a burden to wives their husband's closet becomes.
- DirectorRuben ÖstlundStarsThobias ThorwidHarris DickinsonCharlbi DeanA fashion model celebrity couple join an eventful cruise for the super-rich.Winner of the Palme d'Or, this high society satire packs more punch than his previous winner "The Square". Full of great observations, it goes a tad overboard, but then again we live in the most absurd times in living memory.
- DirectorRodrigo SorogoyenStarsMarina FoïsDenis MénochetLuis ZaheraAn expatriate French couple operate an organic farm in the Spanish countryside but clash with villagers.Best psychological film of the year but hard to stomach, this is a distinctly European take on xenophobia and the perils of social isolation, very well cast and written, but a tad too long.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.Norway has produced a number of satirical self-observatory accounts, but this is the best one by far,. and also Joachim Trier's masterpiece. Apart from Michelle Yeoh, Renate Reinsve's Julie is the greatest performance of the year.
- DirectorTeemu NikkiStarsPetri PoikolainenMarjaana MaijalaSamuli JaskioJaakko and Sirpa have never met face to face but they talk on the phone every day. When he hears about her declining health, he decides to go meet her in another city; a challenge if you can't see and are paralyzed from the chest down.Another great performance by Petri Poikolainen in this melodrama / thriller from Finland, but the star is the camerawork by Sari Aaltonen.
- DirectorEdward BergerStarsFelix KammererAlbrecht SchuchAaron HilmerA young German soldier's terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War I.I expected to dislike a remake of one of the best anti-war movies ever, but it's an altogether different adaptation of Remarque's book which adds some details about the closing days of World War I. Not as phenomenal as "1917" but still very well done.
- DirectorSonja TarokicStarsMarina RedzepovicStojan MatavuljNives IvankovicA new school counsellor tries to stay out of power dynamics imposed by the Headmistress, teachers and parents.My favorite Eastern European film of the year, it's a convoluted yet realistic story of teacher's lounge intrigue, a microcosm of misogyny and mental mishaps. To be sure, it'll be way too serious for some.
- DirectorVolodymyr TykhyyStarsDmitriy TuboltsevStanislav BzhezinskyiPetro MykytyukIn 2014 Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine turns hot. An engineer, actor, soccer coach and florist volunteer to fight on the front line. Unaware of the pivotal role they will play in the war, they discover the meaning of true leadership.As for the country and topic of the year, this satire available on Youtube shows Ukrainian black humor at its finest while also delivering a Patriotic context. Unlike most war films from the country, this one gives you a pretty good idea what's going on and how we got there.
- DirectorAntonio LukichStarsAndriy LidagovskiyIrma VitovskaIryna OstrovskaA sound engineer tries to record the song of a rare bird that dwells in the Ukrainian mountains.Another belated Ukrainian discovery, this is also Transcarpatian black humor albeit a bit more cryptic. It's perhaps the best recent Ukrainian film to give you an idea about the national psyche.
- DirectorOmar El ZohairyStarsDemyana NassarSamy BassiounyFady Mina FawzyA family is forced into a period of self-discovery after its authoritarian patriarch is accidentally turned into a chicken by a magician during a children's birthday partyMoving over to the Muslim World, this Egyptian low-budget satire is probably the weirdest film I've seen this year. It's best to not read anything about it and just sit it through. You can try to figure out what means afterwards.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.It's not Farhadi's best and the lead's teeth are to perfect and shiny, but it's still a complex mature relationship drama exceeding any US or European effort in that domain.
- DirectorMohammad KartStarsJavad EzatiTannaz TabatabaeiAmir AghaeeA film of a woman swimming in a pool is distributed through the internet. Now her husband and her brother are after finding the one who is responsible for that and taking revenge on him.A thriller by newcomer Mohammad Kart, it's social critique masked as crime drama, underscoring the weird coexistence of continuously daring film makers in one of the world's most oppressive regimes.
- DirectorSaeed RoustayiStarsPayman MaadiNavid MohammadzadehParinaz IzadyarThe police are after a drug lord named Naser Khakzad, but when they finally manage to catch him, he tries whatever he can think of to escape and save his family.In the same vein is this police procedure drama with social critique disguised as a moral lesson. Roustayi is definitely the best Iranian director right now, although the constant screaming will be a challenge for many.
- DirectorSaeed RoustayiStarsSaeed PoursamimiTaraneh AlidoostiNavid MohammadzadehLeila, who has spent her entire life caring for her family, makes a plan as her brothers are struggling to make ends meet.His latest monumental family drama pales in comparison to lead Taraneh Alidoosti, who deserves an Audacity Award if there was such a thing. As of now she's in jail for posting a photo of herself without a headscarf supporting the Mahsa Amini protests.
- DirectorMaryam MoghadamBehtash SanaeehaStarsMaryam MoghadamAlireza Sani FarPourya Rahimi SamMina's life is turned upside down when she learns that her husband was innocent of the crime for which he was executed, so she starts a silent battle against a cynical system for her own and her daughter's sake.If that's still not enough Iran for you and if you are curious about the dire long-term consequences of capital punishment, this psychological drama will (up)set you (up).
- DirectorVenkat PrabhuStarsSilambarasan RajendarS.J. SuryahKalyani PriyadarshanOn the day of a public conference by the state's Chief Minister, his bodyguard and a police officer are stuck in a time loop.As for entertainment, I can't help but observe that India still rules, mainly because the US can't kick the boring superhero habit. This political thriller in a Groundhog Day scenario which both the hero and the villain must complete is both highly original and thoroughly enjoyable.
- DirectorBasil JosephStarsTovino ThomasGuru SomasundaramAju VargheseA tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning, but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown needs.Yet India is also able to gave us a superhero movie that is not boring and repetitive, with two losers hit by the same phenomenon going into completely opposite directions. Ever noticed that US superheros are never from villages or poor? This one develops a fairly different dynamic thanks to that premise.
- DirectorMahesh NarayananStarsFahadh FaasilRoshan MathewDarshana RajendranA software engineer, living in Kerala, is prompted by his family to look for his cousin's missing fiancee. As they stumble upon her video-based suicide note, he races against time to find her.Social media thriller of the year no. 1 was shot on an iPhone during the pandemic and once again proves the creative edge Malayalam film has over Bollywood. Anyone else could have had the idea but didn't.
- DirectorMuhammed MusthafaStarsAnna BenSreenath BhasiRoshan MathewSet in the village areas of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kannur, Kappela revolves around an ordinary, innocent girl who comes to Kozhikode city from a high range area called Poovarmala.Social media thriller no. 2 is another creative film in Malayalam which lures you into a false sense of anticipation and has three truly impressive leads, first and foremost shooting star Anna Ben.
- DirectorPan NalinStarsBhavin RabariRicha MeenaBhavesh ShrimaliSamay fights heaven and earth to find light. He wants to catch, control, cut and project that light to tell stories. Now to pursue that dream he must leave everything he loves and take a flight to find the light.Director Pan Nalin's autobiographic retelling of his rural childhood is actually more interesting than Spielberg's disjointed "The Fabelmans". Beautifully photographed, it is a bit too polished for its own good (like most of Nalin's work).
- DirectorBhaskar HazarikaStarsLima DasArghadeep BaruahNeetali DasTwo chaste lovers bow down to social taboos and repress their feelings, but doing so pushes them towards a horrific crime.Best horror / romance film I've seen this year, and the first in Assamese. Indian regional cinema continues to produce surprises like this one. Think "Bones and all" without fantasy. The final frame is one of those stuck-in-your-mind-forever images.
- DirectorArden Rod CondezStarsMeryll SorianoJansen MagpusaoSunshine TeodoroA 14-year-old farm boy's life is suddenly upended when a video of him brutally attacking a classmate goes viral.Best belated discovery of the year for me is this harsh examination of bullying. Pinoy film is 80% rom coms and 15% festival bait, but every once in a while there's a small no-budget miracle where everything falls into the right - or in this case, terrifying - place. Deserves to be seen by more people.
- DirectorWregas BhanutejaStarsShenina CinnamonDea PanendraGiulio ParengkuanAfter losing her scholarship when photos of her at a party surface online, a student pairs with a photocopy worker to piece together what happened.Another neglected Asian take on digital exploitation, this will probably be too far out for many unfamiliar with Indonesia and its massive social divide, but it provides some insight into one of the largest and yet most unknown cities of the world.
- DirectorEmma KawawadaStarsLina ArashiTakashi FujiiSei HiraizumiA Kurdish family is trying to navigate their lives in Japan while facing the difficulties of getting their visa approved and seeking refuge in a foreign country. A story, beautifully told, about who you are and how deep your roots run.Unusual for Japanese film which generally chooses to ignore its foreign population, this is a simple yet effective coming-of-age drama about a teenager faced with her fathers' deportation. It's about creating awareness so the lead is a bit too saintly and her friends a bit too supportive but still an important trailblazer.
- DirectorAbner BenaimStarsIlse SalasFernando Xavier De CastaManolo CardonaThe 42-year-old Alicia is a grief-stricken woman, a grief that has caused her to be estranged from society. Her world is turned upside down when a 14-year-old boy who looks after people's cars, stumbles into her house, bleeding.Moving over to Latin America, this teen delinquency drama from Panama is very much worth seeing just for the fact that its teenage lead - cast from the streets - was killed in a shooting after filming ended.
- DirectorSantiago MitreStarsRicardo DarínGina MastronicolaFrancisco BertínA team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time.Historical drama number one reenacts the trial against the military junta that made tens of thousands of citizens disappear, and while the film demands an interest in Argentine history, it features another brilliant performance by the country's best actor Ricardo Damian.
- DirectorAlexandre MorattoStarsChristian MalheirosRodrigo SantoroLucas OranmianTo provide a better life for his family in the country, 18-year-old Mateus accepts a job in a junkyard in São Paulo for his new boss, Luca, but becomes trapped in the dangerous world of human trafficking.Historical drama number two is about another military dictatorship which operated with similar ruthlessness. It recounts in fairly detailed manner the escape of randomly arrested students from an uncomfortably realistic interrogation facility.
- DirectorAly MuritibaStarsAntonio SaboiaPedro FasanaroThomas AquinoDaniel is an exemplary policeman, but he ends up making a mistake and becoming suspended. With nothing keeping him in his hometown, he goes to visit his online love interest.Staying in Brazil but moving to queer interest, this noir road movie creates a quiet mysterious atmosphere with shades, accentuating the characters' ambiguity. Pure low budget elegance.
- DirectorSebastian MeiseStarsFranz RogowskiGeorg FriedrichAnton von LuckeIn post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Over the decades, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor.Perhaps the best queer film of the year, this prison romance centered on the continued use of §200 in post-war Germany permits Austrian Franz Rogowski to deliver his best peformance to date.
- DirectorTodd FieldStarsCate BlanchettNoémie MerlantNina HossSet in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra.Not so great while having all ingredients for greatness, this Lesbian character study fails to leave an impact owing to excessive runtime and murky storytelling. Nina Hoss, who will hopefully earn a support actress nod at the Academy Awards, is brilliant as Cate Blanchett's companion.
- DirectorMatt CarterStarsAlexander LincolnAlexander KingWilliam HearleFollowing a drunken encounter, two equally attached men from a cash strapped and divided gay rugby club unwittingly sleepwalk into an adulterous affair but must conceal their growing feelings or risk destroying the club they love.The worst queer film of the year is this sports film which fails to show sports, or sex for that matter, but rather insists on tiresome unrealistic jealousy conundrums. A horrible yawnfest.
- DirectorSergey LoznitsaStarsAlgirdas BrazauskasMikhail GorbachevVytautas LandsbergisDocumentary about Lithuania in the years 1989 to 1991, when the Baltic country broke away from the Soviet Union. Because of the peaceful protests with much singing, this period was later also called the 'singing revolution'. As one of the founders of the independence movement, Vytautas Landsbergis was at the heart of the historical upheaval. His incisive reflections are complemented by extensive archive footage of demonstrations, party congresses and the Soviet military intervention.Documentary of the year by Ukrainian Sergei Loznitsa, whose fiction lacks coherence but who has a real gift for exploring (post) Sovet history. This long, but gripping examination of Lithuania's growing independence movement is THE film to understand the war in Ukraine.
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsEnnio MorriconeSilvano AgostiAlessandro AlessandroniA documentary on the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone.A three-hour homage to the greatest film composer of all time, it's never boring owing to the extraordinary volume of Morricone's work, although I would have appreciated more about his orchestral pieces and less praise from celebrities. One does not need to be told that the man was a genius.
- DirectorCatarina VasconcelosStarsManuel RosaJoão MóraAna VasconcelosThe passing away of their mothers makes Catarina and her own father meet in an emotional place that is different from the one most fathers and daughters know.Usually I consider film essays about the director's parents vanity projects, but this one really starts with the images and only then adds comment. It manages to combine visual lyricism with genuine candor which makes it very relatable.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.An animated documentary using voiceover testimony, this is perhaps the most poignant film about refugees of late, as it refrains from adding anything to the truth, or reinterpreting in any way. Coming from Denmark, it's also a comment on that country's shift to restrictive policies.
- DirectorFlorence MiailheStarsEmilie Lan DürrFlorence MiailheMaxime GeminAn animated feature film following the dramatic journey of two siblings, Kyona and her brother Adriel, who are running away, because they are being pursued by an unspecified Eastern European country.Another animated take on refugees, but highly symbolic and fairy-tale gruesome, is this reinterpretation (?) of Hansel and Gretel for the present age. At least that's what it reminds me of. Not for everyone as the imagery is like a stream of paintings, which makes for strenuous viewing, but both creative and relevant.
- DirectorDean Fleischer CampStarsJenny SlateDean Fleischer CampIsabella RosselliniA cash-strapped documentary maker decides to make his newest documentary about a mollusk shell he finds living in his Airbnb with his friends.If this counts as an animated film, it's the year's best as it tries a new approach in combining CGI with mockumentary. On the one hand, that goes to show how stale animation has become (same old anthropomorphic animals doing human stuff). On the other hand, this could set a trend to move outside of the box (or shell in this case).
- DirectorAyumu WatanabeStarsShinobu ÔtakeCocomiNatsuki HanaeA heartwarming comedy-drama about the bonds shared by an unconventional mother and daughter in a sleepy seaside town.Anime is in a bit of a treadmill of late, with the majority of releases adaptations of popular series following the success of "Demon Slayer Mugen Train". Among the originals, this is the most charming this year, although its visuals cannot remotely compare to Ghibli.
- DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsKaho NakamuraRyo NaritaShôta SometaniSuzu is a shy high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer.This one however, has the most impressive visuals in animation this year, but the story is rather weak and has been done multiple times before. Hosoda's weakest film so far, but with the widest international release.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSam WorthingtonZoe SaldanaSigourney WeaverJake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.Which brings us to the meh films of the year, first and foremost the long awaited sequel of the most successful film ever (again after re-release). It's too long, offers almost zero story, and its visual brilliance is suffocated by sappy dialogue. Still, one has to watch it in cinemas, as it will be unbearable on home screen.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroMark GustafsonStarsEwan McGregorDavid BradleyGregory MannA father's wish magically brings a wooden boy to life in Italy, giving him a chance to care for the child.Most meh film of the year. Del Toro has two problems: he's not Tim Burton, and he has already shot his masterpiece (Pan's Labyrinth). Compared with Burton's, his animation is less engaging. The aesthetics are rehashed from previous works. The story pacing is too jumpy. Not bad, but missable.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsTilda SwintonIdris ElbaErdil YasarogluA lonely scholar, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.This strangely uninvolving romantic fantasy has all the elements for greatness, but somehow fails to impress. Neither great cinematography by John Seale nor the Swinton-Elba combo can alter the impression of a telenovela storyline.
- DirectorMariano CohnGastón DupratStarsPenélope CruzAntonio BanderasOscar MartínezA wealthy businessman hires a famous filmmaker to help make a smash hit film.A triumvirate of brilliant aging thespians who make too much money by telling the story of brilliant aging thespians who make too much money. One of the many European It's-OK-but-could-have-been-better movies this year.
- DirectorCharlotte WellsStarsPaul MescalFrankie CorioCelia Rowlson-HallSophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't...My what's-there-to-love-film of the year. Critics love its simplicity, but to me it's just simple. It's like "Metamorphosis of Birds", a director's love letter to a parent, but this time strikes me indeed as a vanity project because of its lack of substance.
- DirectorAnisia UzeymanSaul WilliamsStarsCheryl IshejaElvis NgaboDiogène NtarindwaAn intersex African hacker, a coltan miner and the virtual marvel born as a result of their union.Worst art film of the year. I do get what Afrofuturism is trying to achieve, but this mishmash of ticking all the boxes for cultural relevance is hostile to genuine viewers. Then again, why should pretentious BS be a white film makers prerogative? Still, call a spade a spade, people.
- DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsTom CruiseJennifer ConnellyMiles TellerAfter thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.Worst Jingoist America-saves-the-day blockbuster ever. What is wrong with the American psyche? Tom Cruise is a creepy Peter Pan, and the US bowed out of Afghanistan under disgraceful circumstances. Few propaganda efforts have been more distateful.