Top Films of 2022

Top Films of 2022

Honorable Mentions

Elvis - Dir. Baz Luhrmann

The rise and fall of the King of Rock 'n Roll is a story fit for the extravagant vision of Baz Luhrmann. In the beginning, the rise is sweet. The quick editing, the stylish montages, and lush visuals convey the excitement of being swept away by the fame and glory. However, the flash from the beginning starts to grow tiring, as you begin to feel the story stagnate and become overbloated. You begin to mirror Elvis's exhaustion by it all, wanting to get back to the original feeling of making his audiences roar with excitement. Luhrmann demonstrates through Elvis Presley how the entertainment industry uses and abuses. He also showcases, through Elvis's relationship with Colonel Tom Parker, the divide between art and commerce. Elvis is not just the story of Elvis Presley, but also the story of fame, the music industry, and the very human desire of reaching the top of Mount Enternity. 

Avatar: The Way of Water - Dir. James Cameron

Does being a technical marvel inherently make a movie great? Of course not. But it certainly has my admiration and respect. And to be quite frank, James Cameron's latest entry in the "Avatar" franchise is both a technical marvel and a great film. The film demonstrates how treating things and people as 'other' will inherently lead to destruction. During a time with so much war and chaos going on in the world, it only makes sense that people would flock to a visual spectacle to escape this grim landscape. However, what most wouldn't expect out of a spectacle piece would be a commentary on war, bigotry, and environmentalism.  

Top Gun: Maverick - Dir. Joseph Kosinski

In a world in which human beings are becoming more and more obsolete, "Top Gun: Maverick" proves that some things require the human touch. When Tom Cruise's Maverick gets reassigned to teaching at Top Gun, he must use his expertise to teach a group of fighter pilots how to push their limits to execute a dangerous and difficult mission. The film also does a lot of reflection, about time missed, things lost, and things broken along the way. The most impressive element of the film is not the story, however, but the aerial shots. Joseph Kosinski straps high-definition cameras to fighter planes to demonstrate the unbelievable visuals you could achieve. With this, the viewers feel as intensely along for the ride alongside the characters. 

Bodies Bodies Bodies - Dir. Halina Reijn

During a hurricane party, young 20-somethings play an innocent game of 'Bodies Bodies Bodies.' The object of the game is to identify who is going around killing everyone. When people actually start being murdered, they must play the game for real. Which one of them is the killer? Fingers begin to point in all directions as these Z'ers find every reason to turn against each other. The film depicts a generation in a frenzied panic trying to protect themselves. Well, what if trying to protect yourself dismantles your entire life and disintegrates every relationship you have?

The Batman - Dir. Matt Reeves

In perhaps the best rendition of the Batman story since the Christopher Nolan series, Matt Reeves delivers a dark and brooding tale of the iconic hero. The film drips with contemporary anxieties about the moral decay of society: from government officials to powerful billionaires, to underground social media terrorists, to even the common citizen. Through Gotham, we see a representation of a collapsing American Babylon. And through Batman's investigation of a psychotic Riddler's serial murder, we too investigate the seething resentment that lies at the heart of a disillusioned everyman. In this violent acting out, Batman (and the viewer) end up seeing themselves. Because of this, Batman in the end realizes that acting out his simmering anger makes him no different than the terrorists acting out their own vengeful retaliation against an amoral world.

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25. Bones and All - Dir. Luca Guadagnino

If the two young lovers from Terrence Malick's "Badlands" were cannibals, you might end up with something like Luca Guadagnino's 2022 film "Bones and All." Starring Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet, "Bones and All" sees two young lovers travel across 1980s America in search of a lost mother. The cannibalism in the film becomes a metaphor for generational trauma and the two lovers find in each other some sort of remedy to this painful malaise. The film is a beautiful meditation on who we are, our past, and most importantly, how to move forward.

24. Joyland - Dir. Saim Sadiq

With his 2022 debut "Joyland," Saim Sadid carries over his thematic storylines from his previous short films. Namely, how conservative traditionalism within the Pakistani culture creates internal resentment and inherently limits the natural, true desires of its residents. This, of course, is not solely a matter for Pakistan, but his home with the rest of the world, too. In "Joyland," when a young, married man becomes a backup dancer for a dreamy Bollywood-style burlesque dancer, his desires begin to unravel the tightly-held conservatism of his family. It is not just our protagonist, however, as all of the characters have secret, unsaid desires bubbling under the surface of their tightly restricted and controlled environment.

23. The Northman - Dir. Robert Eggers

In his follow-up to "The Lighthouse," Robert Eggers flips the script and decides to go much bigger. In this historical epic based on the Viking folk story of Amleth, a prince is on the hunt for vengeance against an uncle who killed his father. Dripped in Viking lore, this cinematic experience takes you headlong into the subjective ideology of Viking culture. The film seems to constantly carry its forward momentum toward a certain, bloody future, as it continuously prophesizes the inevitable fate of our protagonist - led by rage, revenge, and destiny.

22. R.M.N. - Dir. Cristian Mungiu

In Cristian Mungui's 2022 film, "R.M.N.," a baker hires two foreigners for a global outreach progam in her small Romanian village. However, unrest ensues as many of the small town folk become disgruntled and even violent over the happening. The film dissects the conflicts emerging in Eastern Europe in it's conforming to Western globalization. Mingui has taken a larger issue dealing with integration, racism, cultural resentment, and other current issues and focuses them on the microscopic level by having it take place in a small village. The film is a slice of life that deals with the troubling issues taking place in our modern global society.

21. Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - Dir. Alejandro G. Inarritu

A surrealist journey through the subconsious of an aging Mexican journalist, "Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth" seems to be an "8 1/2" inspired self-musing by famed Mexican writer/director Alejandro G. Inarritu. The film sees Alejandro and his fictional stand-in disconnected from his Mexican roots, trying desperately to re-evalute his place in the world. The film is a visually stunning search for some sense of meaning and the attempt to reconnect to your family, your nation, and yourself.

20. The Beasts - Dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Inspired by real events involving a Dutch couple moving to the Spanish countryside, "The Beasts" explores contemporary issues involving xenophobia, class resentment, and the increasing pressures modern industrial corporations are placing on lower economic citizens, forcing them into conflicts within the lower classes. This film takes a 'thriller' genre approach to place you right in the middle of conflicts involving everyday people and the deep divides between different people globally.

19. Pearl - Dir. Ti West

Taking its cues from "The Wizard of Oz," Ti West's "Pearl" tells the story of a lonely farm girl who desires a life beyond the one she's currently living. However, what separates the two films is the protagonist's mental unwellness. Where Dorothy suffers a concussed hallucination of scarecrows and talking lions which teaches her to appreciate what she has, Pearl descends into a murderous acting out until she too learns to make do with what she has. Not only does the film borrow "Oz's" central theme, but also showcases technicolor beauty through the cinematography. "Pearl" acts as a great B horror movie of our time. Its depiction of a young woman's growing resentment of being trapped by an authoritarian parental figure, the mass fear of the 1918 plague, and the resentful realization of one's own lack of potential has created a visceral connection to contemporary viewers.

18. The Wonder - Dir. Sebastian Lelio

With his 2022 effort, "The Wonder," Sebastian Lelio takes on the nature of stories. When a young English nurse is tasked with watching a little girl who claims to not have eaten in four months, she begins to unravel a mystery that no one can seem to explain. Played by Florence Pugh, the young nurse tries to uncover what is true. But what is the nature of truth? Does the truth we tell ourselves every day align with the truth of others? Through the film's exploration of narrative and truth, be begin to uncover the nature of one's life. What must we tell ourselves to manage the horror and depravity of our world? Stories are all we have. Stories we tell others and stories we tell ourselves to make sense of it all.

17. Nope - Dir. Jordan Peele

The newest horror flick from acclaimed director Jordan Peele, "Nope," tells the story of a group of horse trainers trying to battle an unknown presence. Peele has stated that the film's themes center on our society's unhealthy obsession with spectacle. Well, that is certainly the case in this spectacle-filled sci-fi neo-western. In our modern world, economics become tied deeper and deeper to the extravaganza of exhibition, especially for those who are on the edges of society. All because we are pulled by the deep desire to be awed and amused. The question then becomes, "will society grow out of its need to be entertained?" The short answer is 'nope'.

16. Stars at Noon - Dir. Claire Denis

Claire Denis' new film makes me think of a Josef von Sternberg film. Two lovers, each representative of their respective English-speaking nationality, are caught in a foreign land. They both are cogs in the machine of their industrialized nation - a nation that's actively oppressing the people in this foreign landscape. Set during the COVID pandemic, Margaret Qualley plays a blog writer and wanna-be investigative journalist who is trying to write a story about election interference in Nicaragua. She falls into a passionate romance with an English businessman who represents a mysterious company wanting to invest in the political climate. As they soon find out, dangerous political forces begin to close in around them. The only place to turn from the fatally constricting presence is into each other's arms and away from their stark reality. Through each other, they find hope in escaping their fates. The film is full of awkward conversations, sexual escapades, and paranoia from impending doom. In the end, these privileged English speakers become as trapped by their own governments as the Nicaraguan people. 

15. Klondike - Dir. Maryna Er Gorbach

Despite being about the 2014 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the release of "Klondike" at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2022 was tragically too coincidental. Only one month later, Russia invaded Ukraine once again. The film depicts a husband and his pregnant wife dealing with the onset of the invasion. It just goes to show that not much has changed for Ukrainian citizens in the last decade. Internal bickering, property damage, and most importantly, the loss of life creates nothing but devestion for people just trying to create something stable for themselves. Alas, as we continue to find both in the film and in the stark reality of actual life, there doesn't appear to be any stability on the horizon.

14. The Fabelmans - Dir. Steven Spielberg

"The Fabelmans" is an autobiographical piece by legendary director Steven Spielberg. In the film, we see a (fictional version) of young Steven grow up. With an expert hand, Spielberg directs his own coming-of-age story. In the film, a young Steven uses film and his camera to understand and control the chaos of the world happening around him. In order to understand his confusing family dynamics, our young protagonist must face the complexity of life and all its misfortunes. In growing up, you begin to learn the fallibility of everyone around you, including your own parents. Through "The Fabelmans," Steven must use the lens of film to understand his evaluate his own life, and in a sense, to make sense of himself.

13. RRR - Dir. S.S. Rajamouli

In this sprawling action epic, two warrior heroes' goals become intertwined as they fight to save their homeland from the oppressive English colonial empire in 1920s India. Action, humor, dance, and drama converge with absurd sequences to weave a tapestry of the Indian spirit. At over 3 hours in length, the film pulls the viewer into its intricacies of friendships that are forged, broken, and forged again, emotionally powerful backstories, dramatic sacrifices, intense suffering, and joyful heroism unlike anything seen before. The film asks its Indian viewer whether their philosophical differences should cast a dark shadow over their shared collective goals of independence. The answer of course lies in unity and friendship.  "RRR" is an exuberant thrill ride that should not be missed. 

12. Everything Everywhere All At Once - Dir. Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

Having the sporadic energy to catch the attention of a generation with a short attention span, "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is a fast-paced, wacky, and completely original story. The film features a family trying to save reality from collapsing by connecting with multiversal versions of themselves. However, hidden in this thrill ride of carnivalesque escapades lies a story about a family trying to reconnect with each other. The multiverse action is simply a story structure meant to explore characters who are overwhelmed by the state of their reality, much like we are in the world today. In order to combat the craziness and terror of an uncertain life, the characters must find meaning and reason. In doing so, they find each other again.

11. Triangle of Sadness - Dir. Ruben Ostlund

Winning the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, "Triangle on Sadness" is a hilarious critique on our modern world. When wealthy guests of a luxury yacht must fend for themselves on a deserted island, the power dynamics of class begin to change and become evaluated. The sinking of the vessel becomes an indelible snapshot of 2022: both wealthy elites and lower class servants must act their respective part, pretending that everything is all right, while in fact, their ship is going down. All this while a Russian capitalist and American Marxist verbally duel over the intercoms. This is not the only critique of modern life the film offers. Its complex examinations of psychological changes in class dynamics present the viewer with an understanding of our modern economics, stripping them down to their bare essences. "Triangle of Sadness" is bold, hilarious, and most importantly, unabashedly grotesque and irreverent. 

10. Babylon - Dir. Damien Chazelle

In his latest filmmaking venture, Damien Chazelle takes us to 1920s Hollywood with "Babylon." The title of the film seems to give away the main thematic point of the movie - that is, the changing nature of life and more specifically, the film industry. As filmmakers in the 1920s brace for the inclusion of sound pictures, their glorious Babylon begins to crumble beneath them. All of the characters want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. However, they fail to realize that both the film industry and life itself IS more important than any single one of them. They cannot stay in the spotlight forever. The fickle nature of what people want, industry standards, and their own relevance force them to reconcile with what it was all for. How low are you willing to go to entertain people? How much can you sell yourself or conform who you are? Because of the changing nature of what people expect out of you, you're constantly being asked to evolve. Sometimes, evolution isn't enough. Sometimes, nobody cares about you anymore. The characters' imprint on celluloid makes them immortal, which in theory should be enough. However, the cold benevolence of the industry (and life) moves on without them. 

 9. Pacifiction - Dir. Albert Serra

If there's one thing that Albert Serra's 2022 film "Pacifiction" does really well, it conveys the overall existential unease of 2022. The French commission of the island of Tahiti must investigate the chilling rumor that nuclear testing will resume on the island. Not only does this create an imbalance between the local inhabitants and the local government, it also raises concerns for the entire state of the world. The film almost kisses three hours, and much of that time is spent in dark nightclubs, in the magic hour of a beachside setting sun, and in conversation with powerful men. The slow burn of the film creates an atmosphere of anxiety, as we all await the inevitable confirmation of the answer the protagonist is searching for, a question we all know the answer to: yes, nuclear testing will resume, yes, global powers are challenging each other, and yes, the world is on the brink of something catastrophic. 

8. Blonde - Dir. Andrew Dominik

Many critics panned Andrew Dominik's "Blonde" as they believed the film further abused the legendary actress. However, the intention of the film is not to celebrate an icon. Rather, the film intents to make you feel what it was like to be Norma Jean. Because of this, it is abusive, cruel, and unrelenting. Through the almost 3-hour runtime, the viewer is constantly feeling the abuse, torment, and pain felt by Norma Jean throughout her life. Throughout the film, she is constantly searching for meaning and hope amongst this pain. She continually attempts to find something, anything to make the pain worth it. However, behind every bright spotlight of hope lies even more pain and suffering. The existential cruelty found within the film is palpable. Every person Norma finds in life only tries to control or exploit her. While trying to reconcile with the continual torment, the viewer finds themselves unraveling the very meaning of it all. Why must life be so full of pain? Will there ever be an end to this torment? Why is life so full of suffering? And most importantly, can we ever find something to make sense of it all the suffering? For Norma Jean, the answer was bleak.

7. Saint Omer - Dir. Alice Diop

The most fascinating filmmaking element from Alice Diop's "Saint Omer" is how restrained, quiet, and minimal it is. Diop takes us inside the courtroom of a mother on trial for murdering her infant baby. Because the facts of the trial are very cut and dry, the question is not necessarily what happened, but WHY it happened. In the testimony, we find a Senegalese immigrant who travels to France to attend university. Because of her Western affiliations, she is financially abandoned by her family. Because she is a black immigrant, she cannot make her way and must rely on oppressive benefactors. The portrait painted is that of a woman with no way of improving her circumstances, and thereby the circumstances of her child. It's unfathomable why someone would commit this crime, but the answers become all too clear in realizing the inescapable pressures and oppression from the society she exists in. If there is no hope for her, what hope is there for her child? These uncomfortable questions shouldn't make you seek justice against the women, but justice against the circumstances. In the end, we do not blame the woman for her crime, we blame the mechanisms that drove her to it. This is made all the more palpable with Diop's direction. The cold, clinical atmosphere of the trail implies the larger landscape of modern France. In this claustrophobic courtroom where we spend most of the film lies the stuffy implementation of our modern, uncaring world. These notions begin to fester with the viewer, as well as Diop, who uses the protagonist as a stand-in for herself - contemplating her own motherhood and the safety of her child in this harsh world.

6. Aftersun - Dir. Charlotte Wells

With her debut feature film, Charlotte Wells reflects on her childhood. Going through old videos and remembering memories of a vacation trip with her father, we see something typical of a parent-child relationship. There seems to be a lot of longing between the two of them, despite constantly being in each other's company. There is a lot of love, but there is also a lot of mystery. Wells seems to muse about this lost relationship and tries to pin together who this man really was. Through the books on his shelf, the places he would visit, and the mounting suffocation of depression he would exhibit, the despair of her father becomes noticeable to her as an adult looking back. Now with a kid of her own, she does what every parent does - reevaluate your parent as an actual human being.

5. No Bears - Dir. Jafar Panahi

Jafar Panahi's most recent film finds him not only exploring the social dynamics of Iran, but his own personal relationship with those dynamics. He stars in his film, as himself, in a border town working remotely with a crew in Turkey shooting his next film. The film follows a real-life couple who are trying to secure passports to escape the harsh conditions of the country. Meanwhile, Panahi himself is not allowed to leave Iran. What ensues is a dispute with the local village about taking an image of a young couple. Through the development of events, Panahi navigates the ideological beliefs and traditions of the village. Throughout the story, he continuously tests the limits of his courage and whether he can stand up to arbitrary rules and notions. The beliefs of the village represent Iran as a whole. How Panahi interacts with the village becomes the crux of the story, as he examines his own involvement in the complex socio-cultural landscape. Much like with the quasi-documentary he is making with the Turkish couple, he treats everything around him like filming a movie. He is constantly playing with what he can get away with, how much courage he can exude, and how he can play and manipulate situations to his own sense of pride and curiosity. What follows are the consequences of his filmmaking and the realization that life is not like one of his movies. "No Bears" is a complex examination of an artist constantly teetering on the border of conflict and how that teetering affects the actual people he becomes involved with.

4. EO - Dir. Jerzy Skolimowski

One would think that making a contemporary adaptation of Robert Bresson's classic 1966 film "Au Hasard Balthazar" would be unnecessary. However, Jerzy Skolimowski does the impossible. Like "Balthazar," "EO" follows the life of its protagonist donkey. However, "Balthazar" focuses more on the story of the humans while "EO" focuses more exclusively on the donkey. Through the subjective experience of the titular EO, the lines between human and animal become erased. We not only see the life of this donkey, but we see a life for humanity, as well. One similarity between the two films is the utter brutality and violence of the humans. This brutality, paired with the contemporary technologies present in the film, like robot dogs, 5G towers, and laser security systems, presents a terrifying notion about the continuing capabilities of authoritarian control. Through the subjectivity of EO, we find ourselves being trapped by these authoritarian technologies, just as EO is trapped by us. In the end, when EO is among cows being led to the slaughter, it feels as though we too are headed for the same horrible fate. The only solace in the film is the random acts of love and benevolence given to EO; moments he continues to cherish through his terrifying misadventures in our contemporary hellscape. 

3. The Banshees of Inisherin - Dir. Martin McDonagh

What does a film that takes place during the Irish Civil War of the 1920s have to do with contemporary times? You'd be surprised. The basic premise of "The Banshees of Inisherin" is simple: One day, a man's best friend stops talking to him for no real reason at all. What more could extend from this simple premise? Well, as the relationship between these two friends grows more and more complicated, the viewer begins to see a bigger picture taking place. The simpleton, who is extremely kind, doesn't seem to fit in with the aggression and violence taking place all around him. However, after reaching a breaking point, his spirit succumbs to the bitterness of everyone on this small Irish island. What we see is a tapestry of our society: so full of anger and restless stagnation - to the point of trapping oneself in it. The civil war that takes place in the background acts as the thematic motif of the smaller emotional wars taking place between the characters. The mystical banshees that once screamed at their victims to cast curses now only sit and observe, for it is us who curse ourselves now - trapping ourselves in our own isolation and bitterness and destined to tragedy. With the restless stagnation that comes from simply waiting for death, what else is there to do with your time except act out your fears and anxieties onto others? So, what exactly does a movie about dissolving friendships set during the Irish Civil War say about modern times? Well, how could a film that deals with a disgruntled and resentful society that traps itself with its own dissatisfaction to the point of making every person out to be an enemy have to do with today? You tell me.

2. Decision to Leave - Dir. Park Chan-Wook

Part Film-Noir, part romance, part thriller, part...lots of things, "Decision to Leave" is a dizzying insomnia-inducing romantic tragedy. Part of the thrill of the movie is deciding what exactly it is and what it evokes. As a sleep-deprived detective takes on a murder investigation, he falls in love with his prime suspect. Through the twist and turns of the film's perspective and timelines, Park Chan-Wook lures us into the soulful longing of his two protagonists. The mountain and the sea are two repeating motifs in this film, as the idea arrives that the mountain and the sea forever look out at each other and long for one another's presence, never fully able to be together. This not only plays into the storyline of our cat-and-mouse investigation story but also the theme of one's own internal struggle between the hope of living and the despair of death and failure. The images of the mountain and sea drench the film and allow our characters to find an emotional attachment in each other amongst the violence, despair, and cruelty of life. 

1. Tar - Dir. Todd Field

It's been 12 years since Todd Field's last directorial effort, "Little Children." With his latest entry, "Tar," he explores our contemporary world from the inside out. Cate Blanchett plays Lydia Tar, a world-renowned orchestra conductor, who is at the very top of her artistic perch. Her unique and explosive creative vision has many from all over the world clamoring to get in her good graces. However, after a dissatisfied former protegee commits suicide, Lydia's pristine structure atop her career perch begins to unravel. The film then descends into something more akin to gothic horror, as real and imagined begin to converge. The ghosts of Lydia's sins and transgressions begin to lurk behind every corner and fill her dreams with suffocation. As she becomes overwhelmed by the noise against her, her life and career begin to collapse as she becomes swallowed up by the contemporary notion of being 'canceled.' The film does not seem to offer any commentary on this phenomenon. Rather, it examines it through the psychological downfall of a respected artist. Even more so, it examines generational change, both socially and individualistically. Despite trying to communicate cross-generationally, all generations appear to be screaming at each other. Their infective differences create a chasm and a rotten social foundation. Lydia was once an eager youth trying to smash glass ceilings and rebel against the standard.  However, she has now become the very standard that must be toppled over. When a society's values change from underneath you, the fallout becomes radical. With this, the film can also be impressed upon as a vision of contemporary America, with its nestled perches beginning to unravel atop the shifting social foundation it relies upon. The film does not take sides between the varying perspectives. Rather, it conducts sounds of people and perspectives that continue to bash and collide with Lydia's singular, controlled sonic expression, creating an explosive orchestra of broken lives and unfulfilled collaboration.