2022 was the year that it felt like movies were well and truly back. Not necessarily in terms of box office numbers, but for many, it was the first time the big tentpole movies were worth venturing back to watch on the silver screen. While the battle between streamers and movie theatres still rages on, there were some long-awaited and much-anticipated sequels that ended up being even better than the originals (Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Way of Water), creative indies (Everything Everywhere All at Once and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) as well as stunning foreign action flicks (Athena and RRR). In many ways, 2022 was the year of the blockbuster, giving us that indescribable feeling that we get when the lights begin to dim, not just entertained but somehow reborn together.
As always, there are a lot of great year-end lists out there. Of all the films that received either a streaming or wide theatrical release in the U.S. in 2022, here are my favorites:
Honorable Mentions (In Order)
Stutz; Everything Everywhere All at Once; Aftersun; Prey; The Menu; Weird: The Al Yankovic Story; Stars at Noon; Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Crimes of the Future; Tár; The Woman King; Untold: The Rise and Fall of AND1; Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; Hustle; Nope; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Did Not See
Armageddon Time; EO; All the Beauty and the Bloodshed; Babylon; X; The Eternal Daughter; Happening; Till; The Pale Blue Eyes; White Noise; Both Sides of the Blade; Pinocchio; Living; Mad God; Funny Pages; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; All Quiet on the Western Front
20. Missing Home
Directed by Bene Dion Rajagukguk; starring Arswendi Nasution and Tika Panggabean
Indonesian cinema has largely been known for its genre films, particularly folklore based horror and some mind bendingly-good action flicks. But Missing Home (in Indonesian: Ngeri Ngeri Sedap) is the complete opposite: a big-hearted family dramedy. Because the Domu parents miss their adult children and can’t convince them to return home from their busy lives for the traditional Batak Thanksgiving, they decide to pretend that they’re fighting and want to divorce, so that their children will return home and help try to mend the family. This kind of reverse-Farewell plot sets itself up for some comedy hijinks and is earnest and relatable, both from the perspective of the lonely empty-nester parents, as well as the independent-minded grown children. It’s hardly a spoiler to say that this ruse in the movie can only be kept up for so long, and while the movie gets a little saccharine, sometimes a little extra syrup tastes good.
Streaming now on Netflix.
19. Barbarian
Directed by Zach Cregger; starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard and Justin Long
More and more, it seems like the horror genre is the last refuge of the box office. With a string of scary hits, 2022 was no exception. Barbarian exemplifies just why this works: it’s an original, creative, funny, smart, and twisted movie whose appeal isn’t just limited to horror aficionados. Like most horror filmmakers, Cregger isn’t overly concerned with world building or character backstory, and instead tells a tightly contained story that focuses on the visceral. Campbell plays an out-of-towner who arrives at her Airbnb on a rainy night only to discover that there’s already another guest staying there and it’s been double booked. From there, Cregger takes you on a thrilling ride that may have you avoiding Airbnbs for a while.
Streaming now on HBO Max.
18. Turning Red
Directed by Domee Shi; starring Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh
I never met nobody… like Meilin. Pixar has a stellar track record for almost 30 years, but in recent years has been branching out into more diverse fare. In Turning Red, Meilin Li is a 13 year old Chinese-Canadian girl living in 2003 Toronto, who helps her parents with their small business and is obsessed with boy bands. One day she suddenly discovers a tendency to spontaneously turn into a giant red panda. Meilin is Pixar’s most fully realized character Pixar to date, a real teenager with friends and a complicated relationship with her parents, from whom she hides her transformations. Shi, who had memorably made the popular short Bao, gets to expand on some of the similar themes she’s tackled before in a culturally authentic way – the struggle for independence, repression, and immigrant family dynamics – with a hefty dose of Millennial nostalgia. It’s also the best menstrual movie since Carrie. Turning Red is fun, inventive and energetic, you won’t be able to get the 4*Town songs out of your head.
Streaming now on Disney+.
17. Avatar: The Way of Water
Directed by James Cameron; starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang
Big Jim, the master of the sequel, has done it again. His latest film is grander, more spectacular, and just plain better than the original. The Way of Water doesn’t even require much familiarity with the first to be enjoyable, and the 3 hour and 9 minute runtime flies by – you won’t even be looking at your watch. Cameron’s obsession with water here is justified. We’d all heard a lot about the behind-the-scenes stories and the groundbreaking filmmaking techniques, but the results were truly magical. Go see this on the biggest screen possible – Cameron actually makes 3D look good. Even when projected properly in theatres, there are some distractions with the frame rate but large portions of the movie will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. There are some serious flaws and underwritten characters, but the third act has some phenomenal action set pieces that alone are worth the price of admission. If Spielberg is the godfather of the blockbuster, Cameron is the undisputed reigning champion, and he has defended his title successfully yet again.
Now playing in theatres.
16. Athena
Directed by Romaine Gavras; starring Dali Benssalah and Sami Slimane
You hear the term “muscular filmmaking” thrown around a lot, but that doesn’t quite do justice to how steroidally jacked Athena is. This French film is the Schwarzenegger of muscular filmmaking. Athena has by far the best opening scene in recent memory, and then from there, Gavras (and co-writer Ladj Ly, director of the similarly themed 2019 film Les Miserables) doesn’t take his foot off the pedal. In this day and age, the unending string of showy long takes can feel a dime-a-dozen, showy, unnecessary and even a little wearisome. Narratively, it’s a little lacking: Athena ends up like the thousands of roman candle fireworks being set off in the film – loud, noisy, awe-inspiring, and ultimately transient. But that almost doesn’t matter because for most of the time you’ll be too busy wondering “how did they do that???” and marveling at the kinetic and immersive action unfurling in front of your eyes. Flip on Netflix if you haven’t seen this already, but you might want to have your blood pressure medication handy first.
Streaming now on Netflix.
15. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Directed by Anthony Fabian; starring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Baptista and Lucas Bravo
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who build others up, and those who tear others down. Mrs. Harris, the latest adaptation of the 1958 British novel of the same name, draws this distinction clearly, and then makes a pretty persuasive argument that you should be a good person. Manville is as stellar as she always is, and the film is hardly just a moralistic story, or about social inequality and classist prejudice (though it is about those things too). It is one of the most delightful and charming films of the year: a wholesome, Paddington style fish-out-of-water story. Nevertheless, it’s not so idealized as to brush away the challenges and the bad people that you inevitably run into in life, but it’s just hopeful enough that you’ll overcome them. As Mrs. Harris reminds us, “We need our dreams. Now more than ever.”
Now available to rent.
14. The Whale
Directed by Darren Aronofsky; starring Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, and Sadie Sink
The Whale, an adaptation of a stage play about Charlie, a reclusive and obese English professor, is a bracing, emotionally taut, clenched-fist drama that is world-weary and hopelessly optimistic at the same time. Like most Aronofsky films, it’s literary, deeply allegorical, and often heavy-handed. The reception to this film so far has been a little divisive. But what’s not controversial are the phenomenal performances, especially by Fraser and Chau. Like a number of movies on this list, The Whale was shot during COVID, which made it quite ideal for a bottle movie with just a handful of characters. Charlie, like everyone else involved in this film, is chasing the kind of searing honesty that will either brand you forever or set you free.
Now playing in theatres.
13. Cha Cha Real Smooth
Directed by Cooper Raiff; starring Raiff, Dakota Johnson, and Vanessa Burghardt
Raiff is basically the wunderkind cousin your mom always goes on and on about. He made his debut feature film, Shithouse, as a college student for $15,000 and won the SXSW Grand Jury prize. His second film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, was a big hit at this year’s Sundance film festival, winning the Audience Award and getting picked up by Apple. With big names like Johnson, Leslie Mann, and Brad Garrett in the cast and produced by Paul Feig and Johnson, this sophomore effort feels more mainstream than Shithouse but no less authentic. Raiff is still the main act here – he writes, directs and stars – and he imbues an insane amount of charm into the lead role as a recent college grad who returns to his hometown to look for work and picks up a gig as a “party-starter” at local bar- and bat-mitzvahs. Extraordinarily well-written, Raiff’s script delves into the messiness and quirks of real families and real relationships. Cha Cha Real Smooth overflows with humor, warmth, and a big-heartedness that will remind you to appreciate the relationships in your life.
Streaming now on AppleTV+
12. The Northman
Directed by Robert Eggers; Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, and Claes Bang
The Northman is a spellbinding period piece, as all Eggers films are: a Viking revenge epic that is gruesome, violent, metal, and bloodthirsty. It is also majestic, moody, refined, and full of mystery, mythos and power. Plot-wise, this is a pretty simple warrior revenge tale (really, it’s just The Lion King/Hamlet reborn). But it is the cinematic flourishes that stand out, along with the constant sense of dread and tension – Eggers seems to be moving farther away from the horror genre with each film but he shows that he can wield that skill anytime he wants. Skarsgard brings a hulking physicality to the role and an insatiable thirst for revenge, with strapping nude fights and testosterone pouring out of every crevice of this film. Somehow, heartbreak does not feel good in a place like this.
Streaming now on Amazon Prime.
11. Hit the Road
Directed by Panah Panahi; starring Hasan Ma’juni, Pantea Panahiha, Rayan Sarlak, and Amin Simiar
Panahi’s directorial debut proves that he has his father’s magic in his blood, and that he shares his worldview too. Hit the Road is a stunning road trip movie that is comical, idiosyncratic, playful and dreadfully somber. The story follows a family of four as they make their journey towards an undisclosed destination: the youngest son is blissfully innocent and carefree, but the other three seem to be carrying a secret with them. This is primarily a dialogue driven film, like an irreverent and plotless Little Miss Sunshine, with clear nods to Iranian classics like Taste of Cherry and Taxi. Panahi also continues in the long, well-established line of precocious, naturalistic child performances, and Simiar is the lifeblood of the movie, providing almost all of its energy and spontaneity. Like life, Panahi’s film is full of curious juxtapositions. He also gives us one of the most beautiful and moving ending sequences of the year.
Now available to rent.
10. Navalny
Directed by Daniel Roher
Navalny is the rare documentary on current events that still manages to astonish. Generally, films about well-known, real life events do better once they’ve had some time to sit on the stove and simmer, so that they can come at audiences with a sense of freshness. Roher’s documentary, which won the Audience Award at Sundance, aided by the in-depth access to Navalny and his team, does the opposite. Roher briefly introduces us to Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist and then takes us through the events of his poisoning in August 2020 and Navalny’s subsequent investigation into what really happened. Navalny himself is a charismatic guy (clearly why he was such an effective political candidate and threat to the Kremlin) and can carry an interesting documentary on his own, but there’s a jaw-dropping, I-can’t-believe-what-I’m seeing moment that every documentarian dreams of. Navalny works whether you’re familiar with Russian politics or not, and it’s especially impactful given the state of affairs today. It is the best documentary I’ve seen this year.
Streaming now on HBO Max.
9. Top Gun: Maverick
Directed by Joseph Kosinski; Starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connolly, and Glen Powell
There are two miracles with Top Gun: Maverick. First, after years of COVID delays and multiple delayed release dates, that it was made to Cruise’s exacting vision, and second, that it was actually good. Top Gun: Maverick is an absolute white-knuckled thrill ride that is impeccable on all fronts, from its writing, acting, direction, storytelling and character development. Kosinski and Cruise took all the elements of an 80s action flick and elevated the whole thing. If James Cameron pushed the limits of moviemaking technology with Avatar, Cruise has taken the opposite extreme, testing the limits of the human body and will. In fact, this is a perfect example of how to make a sequel, and strikes the right balance of nostalgia and easter eggs, while still being focused on the present story and characters. Cruise rewards familiarity with the original film, but doesn’t require it. The film also gets better as it goes along, continually raising the bar until it reaches an all-time great third act. Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best movie sequels ever made, and was well worth the wait.
Streaming now on Paramount+.
8. Petite Maman
Directed by Celine Sciamma; starring Joséphine Sanz and Gabrielle Sanz
Celine Sciamma’s last film was the dazzling and widely acclaimed Portrait of a Lady on Fire in 2019, but she has been quietly making some of the best films in the last decade. There is a certain aspect of Petite Maman that feels like a French Ghibli film come to life – the sound is almost wholly diagetic until the end, which lends a sense of dreamlike surrealism, as well as a constant sense of mystery and fragility. In that way it tracks the paradox of a child’s perspective: what happens when innocence meets grief? Sciamma has shown herself to be masterful when working with children, exploring identities and relationships through the female gaze, and doing it all in a refreshingly succinct way, at a brisk 72 minutes. The ideal approach to watch this film is to go in knowing as little as possible. There will be a moment when everything clicks in your head and you realize what is going on. That alone is satisfying enough, but the movie is pleasurable throughout, filled with delicate moments that clutch on to your heart. By the end, you won’t want to say au revoir.
Streaming now on Hulu.
7. Decision to Leave
Directed by Park Chan-wook: starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il
Effective erotic thrillers are almost extinct these days, a far cry from the titillating era of the 80s and early 90s, but Park shows us what this genre may look like going forward. Park is one of the most accomplished directors in world cinema and is known for his brutal and shocking films, although in recent years, he’s shown a softer side in films such as The Handmaiden. His latest film is about an insomniac police detective who investigates a woman for possible murder and becomes infatuated with her. There are obvious influences to films such as Basic Instinct and Vertigo, but Park puts his own unique wistful touch and displays his innate ability to blend the cerebral with the visceral. It certainly helps that he has Tang Wei, who plays one of the best femme fatales in recent memory. Decision to Leave is not just a romance procedural – it is both fully a detective mystery and fully a romance movie. Park has never been so refined and playful, or unreservedly romantic.
Now playing in theatres and streaming on Mubi.
6. Bones and All
Directed by Luca Guadagnino; starring Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet
Guadagnino’s latest film is the perfect example of why you shouldn’t watch movie trailers. The trailer for this film markets it as a pure horror film. While it has certain genre elements, at its core Bones and All is a breathtaking, ravishingly sensual and violently unconventional gothic romance. Unsurprisingly, Chalamet has electrifying chemistry with Russell. All of the performances are fantastic, and if Rylance doesn’t win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, he receives this website’s unofficial award for movie creep of the year. This is an all-consuming film that is tragic, funny, tender, and horrifying in equal parts. Life is a series of impactful and even traumatic events, and Bones and All urges us to find and cling onto the little moments of happiness that you come across in life. There have been so many vampire romances made, why not a cannibal love story?
Now playing in theatres.
5. After Yang
Directed by Kogonada; starring Colin Farrell, Jodie-Turner-Smith, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaj, and Justin Min
“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” Mesmerizing from its opening title sequence, this sci-fi family drama is, as expected from Kogonada, beautifully composed, with such visually alluring and lingering shots that you can effectively press pause at almost any given moment and have a gorgeous still image worthy of a framed portrait. After Yang is unlike any sci-fi film you’ve ever seen – hauntingly beautiful and meditative, with clear Malick and Ozu influences, about a family dealing with loss and what it means to be human. Most children first learn about death through pets or grandparents. In unfortunate circumstances, it might be a friend, a sibling, or even a parent. In After Yang, it is almost a combination of all these things when a young girl’s android companion breaks down. The plot itself quickly gives way to philosophical montages and fleeting memories. Using his artistry to tap into a certain emotional resonance, Kogonada makes films that he and only he can make. As Farrell himself describes it: “Some films are electric guitars, some are drumkits. This film is all strings.”
Now available to rent.
4. RRR
Directed by S.S. Rajamouli; starring Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
In a year with Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and The Batman, RRR might be the most entertaining blockbuster of the year. This Tollywood movie is a mishmash of genres, at least for most western sensibilities: it is an action/historical/epic/musical/romance/comedy/drama/war movie that even introduces fantasy elements, telling the imagined story of Rama Raju and Komaram Bheem, two real-life Indian revolutionaries at the time of the British Raj. As a pure popcorn flick, RRR is flat-out great, and has almost everything you could want, and more, including an all-time epic dance battle, the coolest goddamn piggyback ride you’ve ever seen, greek-chorus-like narrative songs, and what feels like a nitrous oxide induced meet-cute. The final act starts to look like a superhero movie, but if that’s the case, we need Bheem and Raju to join the Avengers ASAP. In the meantime, smash that play button on Netflix, break out the popcorn and your dancing shoes, and enjoy!
Streaming now on Netflix.
3. Triangle of Sadness
Directed by Ruben Östlund; Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, and Dolly de Leon
Östlund has been a critical darling for a while now, and with Triangle of Sadness, the Swedish director has joined rarefied company in becoming a two-time Palme d’Or winner. Östlund’s newest film is his most accessible yet, but it’s important to go in completely blind. It is incredibly difficult to make a full-length feature film that is an unadulterated satire yet doesn’t feel tiring, and Triangle of Sadness manages this by breaking into three different parts. It’s sometimes subtle and interior and at other times face-mashingly over-the-top and descending into pure farce, force feeding you absurdity upon absurdity. Östlund is one of the masters at capturing the subtleties of human emotion. Where most would shy away awkward and uncomfortable encounters, he revels in them, digging through and exploring the little jealousies and insecurities of our interactions with others in and out of our social class and our complicated relationship with money. In a year that is filled with anti-capitalist, eat-the-rich films, this stands out above the rest.
Now available to rent.
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
Directed by Martin McDonagh; starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Barry Keoghan
Gleeson and Farrell might have the best chemistry of any acting duo right now, though Keoghan threatens to steal the movie. Believe it or not, each of these actors play characters whose names are even more Irish than their real names. Farrell and Gleeson play two best friends who live on the secluded isle of Inisherin, which is so striking that the setting itself becomes one of the proverbial characters of the movie. One day, one of them suddenly decides that he no longer wants to be friends. The stakes are just that exceedingly low, and it is riveting. It is both a bromance movie and a breakup movie. McDonagh’s voice is singular, and his brand of dark comedy is both laugh-out-loud funny and piercingly macabre. Banshees is the best film McDonagh has made since In Bruges, and is one of the best feckin’ movies of the year.
Streaming now on HBO Max.
1. A Hero
Directed by Asghar Farhadi; starring Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, and Sahar Goldoost
There is no shortage of talented, trailblazing, and even transcendent Iranian filmmakers, but arguably none are commercially accessible as the two-time Oscar winner Farhadi. In his latest film, A Hero, winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes, the protagonist Rahim Soltani is a heavily indebted man who finds a bag of gold coins while he’s on leave from debtor’s prison. The essential elements will feel familiar to those who have seen Farhadi’s other films: an everyman protagonist, a morality play that rewards the eagle-eyed viewer, peeling back the different layers and perspectives until the mounting internal tension explodes into some kind of physical climax. It’s another masterpiece to be chewed on, rewatched, and relitigated. Farhadi examines what it’s like to tell the same story over and over again, with slightly different versions each time, and how that can rapidly spin out of control. There’s a memorable line when Soltani protests to an accuser: “I didn’t lie!” But the matter-of-fact response to him is: “But you didn’t tell the truth.” A Hero is a movie that exists in the space between those two statements, between right and wrong, truth and deceit, a hero and a villain.
Streaming now on Amazon Prime.
