One of those who believes that every year is a good year for movies is myself. In any given year, finding 10 to love is never a challenge. But even within that framework, 2022 was exceptional. Is it conceivable that filmmakers had a communal outburst of energy and creativity after finally being released from some of the restrictions and concerns of early pandemic film production? Or are moviegoers as a whole finally waking up from the sluggishness of their earlier epidemic sleep and becoming more receptive to the possibilities of cinema than they were before? These questions don’t have a clear solution, but that doesn’t take away from how magnificent this year’s crop of films is.
10. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
In order to make the Sackler Family, philanthropists in the art world and owners of Purdue Pharma, face up to their role in the opioid crisis, Nan Goldin, a photographer, founded a group called Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (PAIN) in 2017. She had recently completed a period of rehab for OxyContin addiction. This film, which was directed by Laura Poitras, is a monument to the strength of fervent advocacy as well as a picture of an artist whose gaze has long focused on society’s outliers.
9. The Inspection
As a young gay guy who is homeless and out of alternatives, Jeremy Pope provides an outstanding performance. He joins the Marines, where he encounters abuse and intolerance but also discovers a deep feeling of belonging. The story was inspired by the author-director Elegance Bratton’s own experiences, and rather than seeking out the simple solutions, he explores the difficult issues. No one ever said it would be easy for each of us to discover our place in the universe.
8. Il Buco
Young speleologists traveled to the Calabrian region of southern Italy in 1961 to discover Europe’s deepest cave, which extends 700 meters below the surface of the planet. The trip is recreated by Italian director Michelangelo Frammartino, who juxtaposes the excitement of discovering nature’s deepest secrets with the upheaval of a world that is changing quickly. This movie is magnificent and subtly captivating.
7. EO
Science can only reveal so much about the inner lives of animals since we know so little about them. In his 84-year-old film, the Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski tells the story of EO, a donkey who travels from Poland to Italy and encounters both kindness and a lack of it. Although EO can be difficult to watch at times, it is ultimately breathtakingly beautiful and serves as a warning to take the best possible care of our beloved friends.
6. Tár
Cate Blanchett portrays Lydia Tár, a legendary orchestra conductor who is almost likeable enough to believe she is real. She isn’t: She was conjured from imagination by writer-director Todd Field and Blanchett, and she was despotic and gorgeous. This is an ambitious—and frequently droll—movie about a complex, frequently unlikable lady who strives hard and achieves her goals. However, it’s also about using art as food or fuel to survive in an often cruel world.
5. Happening
Happening, a film by French director Audrey Diwan, would still be suspenseful and subtly revolutionary even if it weren’t so topical. The film, which is based on Annie Ernaux’s 2000 novel and won the Nobel Prize for literature, is both direct and poignant in its examination of what an unintended pregnancy may mean to a woman—in this case, a young student who is played with raw, battered resolve by Anamaria Vartolomei.
4. Elvis
Elvis by Baz Luhrmann is less of a straightforward biopic of Elvis Presley than it is a sequined jumpsuit in motion picture form: unpractical but attractive and designed to permit extremely imaginative leaps of logic. Austin Butler evokes both the sensual majesty and the dreamy sadness of Elvis thanks to his regal cheekbones and eyes that are as gentle as a sigh of love. It’s a crazy movie. It also contains affection for a monarch we didn’t deserve, though.
3. Armageddon Time
In this semi-autobiographical James Gray play, Banks Repeta’s character, Paul, makes friends with Johnny, one of the few Black students in his class, despite the fact that he is unaware of the details of his friend’s life. The memories of the times we failed to act are the most eerie of all, even if people like to boast about the good things they have done in the past. Gray acknowledges his mistakes, but he doesn’t make it simple to forgive himself.
2. Aftersun
When we are young, we have no idea how our feelings toward our parents would develop as we get older. In her breathtaking debut, Scottish writer and director Charlotte Wells explores that ground. During a rare holiday vacation with her father Calum (the remarkable Paul Mescal), eleven-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) learns to accept his shortcomings and his misery. Even after you’ve finished seeing this personal, masterfully crafted film, its tiny tremors linger.
1. The Fabelmans
In many of the films that Steven Spielberg has produced over the past 50 years, autobiographical elements can be found. But The Fabelmans is his most intimate picture to date, one that confronts the sour reality of how families persevere through strain and adversity. Spielberg’s actual parents, Mitzi and Burt Fabelman, are played by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano in the film. Their performances are among the most beautifully detailed and poignant of the year.
Source: Time