2 Film Critics recently were asked to rank their top 10 films of 2022 (so far…a few to go!) and now we share that list with you.
Like many film lovers, we bemoan the lack of people in the seats in theaters, the relative dearth of good films, and the prospect of even fewer. But let’s celebrate what we DO have.
Getting down to business, the list below is our top 10 of the “2022” films we reviewed, in order (with difficulty, being TWO film critics). Following the list are thumbnail sketches of our reviews, and after those are photos “Nope,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “The Fabelmans” did not make our list, though they each received a respectable 3 Stars (out of 4), as did the last 3 here.
“Decision to Leave” ★★★1/2
“The Banshees of Inisherin” ★★★1/2
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” ★★★1/2
“Funny Pages” ★★★1/2
“Happening” ★★★1/2
“Tár” ★★★1/2
“Living” ★★★1/2
“A Hero” ★★★
“In Our Prime” ★★★
“Kimi” ★★★
1. “Decision to Leave” tops our list, surprisingly even to us. Maybe we are attracted to good old-fashioned sleuthing and film-making. We said about this South Korean gem: “There’s a lot to like in this head-spinning, challenging, sometimes inexplicable, evocatively filmed and edited, tale of a love that struggles to ‘conquer all’—especially if you can follow the cell phones.”
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin” feeds our Irish dark comedy itch (though one of us asked, “where’s the comedy?”). “Beneath the charming, comfortable, and cinematically stunning surface—the majestic beauty of the Aran Islands dwarfs human existence—Inisherin is a dysfunctional and confining place, Irish playwright/director Martin McDonagh’s vehicle for exploring what it means to want more out of life than it seems able to provide.”
3. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” in retrospect appeals to us for its innovation. One of the 2 Film Critics had to be talked into the rating we gave it; it took her some time to get over the excess of martial arts. Once over that she agreed it “rises above the kung fu theatrics and creates the heart—a touch of Hollywood—within this remarkable story.” Performances are great; don’t miss Jamie Lee Curtis, whom we didn’t recognize until the credits rolled.
4. “Funny Pages” appears on no one’s list, except ours. Why? We found director Owen Kline “creatively delved into a young adult’s zeal for life in a small, less-than-90 minute film that is highly entertaining, totally unpredictable, and invariably engrossing—from beginning to end.” It’s in the “Eighth Grade” and “Lady Bird” ambit.
5. “Happening” (L’Événement), about “the disease that strikes only women…and turns them into housewives,” comes at a propitious time, dealing as it does with the criminalization of abortion. A cautionary tale based on a true story from 1960s France.
6. “Tár” is a Cate Blanchet vehicle, and she meets the challenge. It warrants our Top 10 because it’s more than that. “Tár experiences several blows to her exalted existence, most of her own making, though not entirely. The viciousness of social media plays a role. And if she represents the triumph of feminism, then feminism may also be on trial. In Shakespearean fashion, director Todd Field raises the question of the protagonist’s responsibility for what goes awry, while sparing us the Hollywood-satisfying, clear-cut answer.”
7. “Living” – like “Tár,” a vehicle for its main actor Bill Nighy, and more than that: “is a small gem of a film, with compelling (and yet contained) performances, capped by Nighy’s poignant portrayal of a life badly, and barely, lived, and of a man’s belated recognition that there is another way to be in the world.”
8. “A Hero” (Ghahreman) we said is “not an easy watch” but concluded (with pleasure): “Life is messy. People unknowable. The title, ironic.” From one of Iran’s best directors, Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”). Iran was not about to nominate it for Best Foreign Film Oscar.
9. “In Our Prime” we characterized as “The Karate Kid” Meets “Good Will Hunting.” Again, not on anyone’s list, but ours! Another hit (in our book) from South Korea: “Park Dong-hoon’s engaging and deceptively compelling tale deftly explores the struggle for rapprochement between the protagonists of the story: the math student at the highly competitive South Korean Donghun Academy and the watchman and janitor.”
10. “Kimi” is Steven Soderbergh-small, but good: “With ‘Kimi’ he returns to his roots—his ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’ roots, anyway—with a compelling story, briefly and briskly told, again exploring the dangerous reach of modern technology while raising (albeit briefly and somewhat superficially) contemporary issues associated with sexual assault, all held together by a powerful performance by Kravitz. Welcome back, Steven.”
Note, we had recommended 6 for the first half of 2022, but 3 of those – for awards purposes – technically belong in 2021 so they do not appear in the list above. You’ll notice the last two in the list received 3 stars. These 3 in our “first half” list ranked higher. Here they are:
“Petite Maman” ★★★1/2
“Drive My Car” ★★★1/2
“Mass” ★★★1/2