Last year I got to see way more movies than I've seen in years. It also, not coincidentally, was one of my favorite years for movies in a while, too. With the Oscars happening tonight I figured, hey, why not make a top ten list celebrating my favorite movies of the year?
It should be said that some of these movies I loved for very different reasons, so ordering them was hard. In fact, some of these are so close they're almost interchangeable. Everything from my ninth to sixth choice, for example, are all within a hair of each other; their order could change tomorrow. So don't take the order I put this in very seriously.
10. Prey
This movie is a prequel to Predator. It takes place in the 1700s, where a predator finds its way to Earth. A young Comanche woman, Naru, ends up in a battle of life and death against it. There's not too much more to say about this movie, other than that it's well-acted by its lead and is just a cool, enjoyable time. The buildup throughout is so well-excuted that the final battle feels truly exciting. This isn't the deepest movie, but it's an excellent popcorn movie. If "Indigenous woman fighting an alien warrior" sounds like a good time, you won't be disappointed.
9. The Fabelmans
The master himself, Steve Spielberg. This story is about both family and the healing magic of movies, both for those who watch it and make it. It also features a classic sincerity that is vintage Spielberg. Part of that comes from the fact that pretty much everything that happens here actually happened to Spielberg in real life, and he puts it all out there for us to see. Including some truly uncomfortable things. Because of that, we get a portrait of young Spielberg that feels honest and introspective, rather than a vain project in self-important myth-making. It's clear that, while this movie is about young Spielberg, the real star here is the art of film itself.
8. The Quiet Girl
This is a simple, understated Irish movie about a girl whose family doesn't give her the love and connection she needs. She's quiet only because there's no one there to listen to her. That changes, though, when she stays with some extended family for the summer. It may sound like a cheesy Hallmark movie, but the writing, direction, and acting elevate it to something much more than that. The only exception is the very end, but everything up to that point is done with such restraint and beautiful subtly that it feels completely earned.
7. The Banshees of Inisherin
This is probably the second most beloved lower-budget movie on this list after Everything Everywhere All at Once, so I won't talk about it too much. I enjoyed the guiding question the movie asked in the beginning: is it better to focus on your art and have that be your legacy, or is it better to be kind? This all culminates in my favorite scene in the movie, about halfway through, when Collin Farrell's character drunkenly confronts his former best friend. The question gets dropped soon after that, which I was saddened by, but that's not necessarily the director's fault. He had his own vision and I respect that. The movie as a whole is still a funny, clever, tightly crafted black comedy.
6. Broker
This was a touching movie about found family that also raises questions about the adoption system and poverty in Korea, an issue that is very relevant in the US as well. It follows two men who run an illegal adoption system where they take in babies dropped off at adoption centers and try to find wealthy families to directly adopt them out to so they can make a buck. They're certainly not one-dimensional villains, though. In fact, one is an adoptee himself who is angry at the adoption system as it exists, and the other (played by Song Kang-ho, the father from Parasite) genuinely cares about the babies they traffic. They're simply players in a system that puts everyone involved in a tough situation.
The journey this movie goes on starts when they take in a baby who is left at a church's adoption center. The two men take that baby to give him away elsewhere, only for the original mother to come back. This ends up with all of them (as well as a precocious kid from an adoption center who has aged out past his prime "cuteness" years, but still wants a family) going on a trip to try to find a good family for the baby. I found the ending disappointing, or else it would've been toward the very top of my list. That said, overall, it was an affecting story with memorable performances.
5. Argentina 1985
From 1976 to 1983, Argentina had a brutal, US-backed military dictatorship that killed or tortured somewhere between 9,000-30,000 people in a country that had a population of about 28,000,000 at the time. It wasn't the only military dictatorship in the country's history, but it was the most brutal. A lot of the atrocities were carried out in the name of anti-communism, but of course "communist" became a catch-all label for anyone who dared challenge the regime.
This movie is a dramatized account about the trial to hold the leaders of that regime accountable. It's based on real events. Structurally it's a pretty standard courtroom drama, but it's elevated by both the acting and the source material. When you hear the testimonies from the victims, and you see there are still remnants of the dicatorship in the military, you realize you don't need any clever plot twists or inventive story gimmicks. There is enough drama and stakes because of the situation itself. Of all the movies that were around two and a half hours on this list, this was the one that went by the fastest for me.
4. All Quiet on the Western Front
It's been interesting to see World War 1 come back into the public conscience the last few years. Movies like 1917, Wonder Woman, and the documentary They Shall Not Grow Old have revived interest (or maybe reflected interest?) in the war that is often overshadowed by its sequel, World War 2. Perhaps it's a sign of the times. World War 2 was a triumphant victory against fascism; it was the last war where the US was firmly on the right side of history. World War 1, on the other hand, was a senseless, horrifying war that no one walked away from feeling good about. Perhaps in our turbulent times, where everyone feels alienated and there doesn't seem to be a "good" side to take in a lot of geopolitical conflicts, we can relate to senselessness of WW1.
Whatever the reason, as a historian I'm always glad to see a neglected historical event get more attention. Especially when it's in the form of a movie as good as this. I've never seen the original movie or read the novel, but this is a fantastic movie about the horrors of war. There is a certain choice toward the end I don't like because it takes away from its thematic weight, but overall the movie as a whole worked very well for me. There is one scene in particular with a French soldier that is probably the most moving scene of the entire year for me.
3. The Woman King
This movie kicks so much ass.
There's a lot more to be said about The Woman King, which is accurately described as an "epic historical action drama" on Wikipedia. But first I have to reiterate: it kicks so much ass. The story follows the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors who serve the Dahomey Kingdom in Africa. They decide to take on the slave trade, and the African tribes who profit from it. The biggest name here is Viola Davis, who plays the leader of the Agojie. We also get John Boyega, who plays the king of Dahomey. Otherwise, though, it's pretty much all newer or less-known actors.
This movie has all the well-written and well-acted drama you'd need to call it a good piece of ~cinema~ while also kicking enough ass to be just a straight up good time. It's one of those movies that perfectly balances excitement and genuine drama. If I were to recommend any lesser known movie of 2022 to someone whose movie tastes I didn't know, I'd go with this one because I think pretty much anyone would enjoy it. I sincerely think this is a well-written enough action movie that it belongs in the same conversation as well-written action classics like Terminator, Gladiator, and the better-made Star Wars movies.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
What more can be said about this movie? It started off as a huge underdog, an imaginative indie movie with a modest budget that few people paid much attention to. In one of the biggest word of mouth rises a movie has seen in years, however, it has become such a hit that it is now a frontrunner to win best picture. It's the ultimate feel-good story, especially because of all the well-deserved love it's generating for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
This is definitely my favorite movie that hops on the multiverse trend of the last few years. Things eventually get pretty damn chaotic, crowded, and at times almost even convoluted. But what I love about it is that, for all the mess, you're always grounded by the relationships between the three main characters and the earnestness of the movie as a whole. Even when you're not sure what's exactly happening in a given scene, you know exactly how everyone feels and what the movie is trying to convey on a deeper level.
Is it perfectly written? No. Could it have been edited down a little more precisely? Sure. But at the end of the day this movie is ambitious, creative, and full of heart. There really isn't another movie like it. Hardcore film buffs may be tired of how much praise it's gotten at this point, but sometimes a movie captures the public for a reason. Sometimes a movie truly deserves it.
1. Aftersun
Toward the end of last year, both this movie and Everything Everywhere All at Once were my two favorite movies of the year. In my annual end of the year post, I said as much. But having had more time to think about it, Aftersun has stayed more firmly in my heart. So, it becomes my favorite picture of the year.
Aftersun is a short, simple, intimate movie about a thirty one year old father, Calum, and his eleven year old daughter, Sophie, on vacation at a Turkish resort. Calum, played by Paul Mescal (who was also great in the mini-series Normal People, based on an excellent novel of the same name by Sally Rooney) is a bit of a mess. It's implied that he and Sophie don't get to spend much time together because of his own problems. That gives this nice little vacation more dramatic stakes than it would initially appear: they haven't spent much time together, and they may not get to spend much time together after.
In fact, they may not have spent any time together at all after this vacation. The movie has glimpses of Sophie as an adult, who seems to miss her father. It's implied he died shortly after this trip, giving us even more reason to try to cherish their time together. Toward the end of the movie, you realize this peaceful vacation is slipping through both their fingers like sand in an hourglass. It makes every small, relatable, sweet moment between them feel so precious and fleeting. In a year full of so many larger than life, bold cinematic visions, this quiet, intimate little film is the one that stayed with me the most.
