My theatrical experience in 2022 was a bit of a let down. Many of the films I had eagerly anticipated were not all that I hoped they would be. The blockbuster machine held the same tired old tunes and some of the indies failed to strike a real chord. I ended up skipping more theatrically released films than I ever have before because I just couldn’t stand to see yet another soulless, CGI spectacle. However, the gems I did find filled me with that sense of wonder and yearning I want from film. They brought me to tears, opened my mind, and stoked my passion for this beautiful art form. Here are the ten films of 2022 I couldn’t stop thinking of, replaying, and talking about.
- Neptune Frost
From the first frame, I knew I was hooked on Neptune Frost. This cyberpunk and afro-futurism musical is astounding. Its meditations on class struggle, gender politics, and sex are thought provoking and much more mature than other films that have tried the same themes. What the filmmakers lack in computer generated effects, they make up for in lovingly rendered practical effects, sets, costumes, and makeup. A beautiful film.
- Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Have you ever cried so hard at a film you worried you were making your seat neighbors uncomfortable? You better believe I have and it was watching this film. The thing is, yes, I did cry at the short scenes of sadness, but more than that I cried at the purity and optimism of this tiny, beautiful creature. It’s a movie filled with hope that never lacks the problems you encountered as the pessimism of the universe threatens to envelop us. Marcel makes me want to hope again even in the face of everything that wants to bring me down and that’s a feeling I want to chase.
- After Yang
There’s something shockingly beautiful in Kogonada’s film. After Yang is a visual feast. While it has a narrative pull, it is so much more about the feelings the images invoke about being human. Kogonada’s ideas are visually arresting and with After Yang he takes your breath away. It doesn’t even matter what the story is, even though it is very intriguing, because Kogonada evokes such intense feelings with small clips of memories. I will be thinking about this film for a long time to come.
- RRR
I wasn’t sure I was on board for this film when the hype machine was in full swing, but my goodness what a #@!&-ing ride! It literally has everything; hunky men, incredible action, music, romance. What else can you ask for? An absolute sumptuous feast for the senses.
- Glass Onion
It’s difficult to make a really good, original mystery film, but to do it twice, within three years of each other? Incredible. Glass Onion doesn’t top the original, but expands what we know about Benoit Blanc and lets us experience his genius in a totally new way. There are no annoying callbacks or rehashing of story, it’s just something wholly new, but welcomingly familiar. It’s something I pray we can get on physical media because it is one to dissect over and over again.
- Nope
Jordan Peele’s mind is astonishing. He takes such large concepts and layers them upon each other, building out a metaphorical journey that only deepens with each viewing. With Nope, the technical mastery is the MVP. Sound, visuals, music, cinematography, it’s a masterclass in technique and tension. Just a terrifically built cinematic experience.
- The Batman
Yes, I wrote my introduction against the behemoth conglomerates and their soulless cash grabs, but The Batman is something else entirely. Like Christopher Nolan ahead of him, Matt Reeves has built a Gotham City that oozes grime and graft in the darkened, rain soaked streets. This film is beautifully gritty and simply a great detective story. It takes Batman to his roots and acknowledges the silliness of a sad, orphan boy in a rubber suit.
- The Bob’s Burgers Movie
When a TV show makes the leap to the big screen it can be a little like a supersized episode. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when the show is as good as Bob’s Burgers. The music, the laughs,and the incredible family dynamic is all there with the added bonus of exceptional animation and a depth to the established canon of the characters. I saw this one three times in a theater, once on a streamer, and once with my super special blu-ray copy. Every time it brings me joy and has me humming along to every song.
- Everything Everywhere All At Once
This film comes to the idea of high concept and turns that dial past all the way up. It not only brings that complicated, convoluted concept into a wonderful cohesive unit, EEAAO becomes something more than just a multiversal jaunt. It has multiple, awe-inspiring catharsis points and a beating, aching heart. It’s so very funny, sweet, and gross in the best ways. There simply isn’t anything else like it.
- Tár
The scope and scale of Tár is grand. Even though the film is a tight focus on a character with very few scenes that aren’t from her POV, the film is genuinely epic in what it attempts to tackle. After watching it, if you didn’t know Lydia Tár was a fictional character you would suspect she is real. With an alchemy of story and performance, she is real. Lydia Tár is a larger than life figure who completely jumps off the screen, who gets under our skin, who we hate and love. This film is so brilliant because every aspect of it is so perfect, so well crafted and honed into that perfection. What an absolute marvel this film is.
