BEST OF 2022 | Thomas's Top Ten Films of 2022
I hope that you have had the chance to read all of the ForReel team’s lists of favorite films in 2022. While we all have our own taste and preferences for movie watching, one thing that’s clear is that 2022 was not short on incredible films to experience.
In the year that audiences returned to theaters and film festivals fully returned to in person events, moviegoers had the chance to enjoy a wide array of great cinema. So great, in fact, that making this top ten list was a major challenge for myself. But alas, I am excited to share where I landed on my favorite films of the year. They are:
10. The Whale
Directed by Darren Aronofski | Adapted from the screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter
You might be familiar with Darren Aronofski’s work like Black Swan or mother!, but don’t go into The Whale bracing for a wild and bizarre finale.
The Whale is a cinematic adaptation of the stage play by Samuel D. Hunter about a recluse and extremely obese English teacher who is visited at his apartment by a revolving set of guests, one of which is his estranged daughter who he is trying to reestablish a relationship with.
It’s possible you have heard about extended standing ovations for lead actor Brenden Fraser when the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. I’m thrilled to say Fraser earns every minute of those ovations, offering a career defining performance as Charlie. The supporting cast includes the incredible talent of Hong Chau (The Menu) and Sadie Sink (Stranger Things, All Too Well).
The Whale might have a limited setting and limited cast, but there is a lot to appreciate with how this story is delivered.
9. The Fabelmans
Director and Writen Steven Spielberg
There’s a magic to movies that is especially powerful at an impressionable age. The Fabelmans begins with its young main character, Sammy Fabelman, discovering this magic and wanting to capture it himself.
The rest of The Fabelmans follows a teenage Sammy, played by Gabriel LaBelle, as he balances the challenges of coming of age with his passion for filmmaking. Through this character, Steven Spielberg recrates his memories of his childhood and the influences that lead him to become the filmmaker that he is today.
The Fabelmans is, itself, magic, telling this story with a wide eyed wonder for life with an engaging perspective on the events and moments that mold a person into who they become. This ensemble, which includes Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Judd Hirsch, and Seth Rogan, is superb at conveying the complexities of the family drama occurring around Sammy. But it’s LaBelle’s breakout performance that truly shines in this film.
All of this comes together to create what I would call another masterpiece from the maestro of filmmaking.
8. Babylon
Directed and Written by Damien Chazelle
Babylon begins at an unhinged party where we meet a set of characters each with their own ambitions to make a mark on the filmmaking industry in 1920’s Hollywood. The film follows the rise and fall of these dreamers as they on their own paths find and revel in success, then eventually learn just how fleeting their places in the industry can be.
The intricacy of these interweaving storylines deserves every minute of Babylon’s 3 hours and 9 minute runtime. This story with these characters - Manny Torres, Nellie LaRoy, and Jack Conrad played by Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, and Brad Pitt respectively - takes audiences on a wild and rambunctious ride.
What’s more, the compatibility of Damien Chazelle filmmaking with composer Justin Hurwitz melds beautifully to once again hit a range of beats with jazzy flair like in Whiplash and La La Land.
Babylon might be a lot for some, but beyond the partying and misbehavior and debauchery, there’s a heart rendering story worth exploring. With a stirring finale, it’s hard to walk away from Babylon without feeling something.
7. You Won’t Be Alone
Directed and Written by Goran Stolevski
The trailer for You Won’t Be Alone is full of creepy vibes and an eerie atmosphere that could pique the interest of most horror film enthusiasts. But while the trailer isn’t entirely misleading, it also doesn’t give the full scope of what you can expect.
I mention this because You Won’t Be Alone is not a conventional gothic horror film. The story follows a young witch who has the ability to shape shift into creatures that have recently died. She uses this gift to live among a simple isolated community, where she learns through the eyes of others what it means to be human.
Yes, there’s witches and menacing sequences and violence. But enmeshed with the horror components is a poetic, atmospheric, and emotionally stirring cinematic experience. You Won’t Be Alone isn’t wonderful - it’s wonder filled, and in his feature writing and directorial debut, Goran Stolevski uses a shape shifting protagonist to shift what we can expect from a dramatic horror film. And the result is utterly magnificent.
6. Close
Directed by Lukas Dhont | Written by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens
Close evaluates themes of friendship, adolescence, social dynamics, and grief through young best friends Leo and Remi. After spending the summer practically inseparable from each other, the boys return to school to face the scrutiny of their peers regarding their closeness. When Leo chooses to begin distancing himself from Remi, something devastating occurs, and the families are left to grapple with the aftermath.
Anchored by incredible performances from the film’s young actors Eden Dambrine and Gustav de Waele, Close is one of the most compelling stories about relationships of the year. My review on the film covers my thoughts on the film thoroughly. I highly recommend reading that to learn more.
5. Official Competition
Directed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat | Written by Written by Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, and Andrés Duprat
When a (billionaire?) decides he wants to commenorate his legacy by financing a film, he enlists famed yet quirky director Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) to make the film. But the two leading actors she chooses for this project, Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and Iván Torres (Oscar Martinez) find themselves and their egos pitted against each other in rehearsals. While Lola attempts to use this competitive energy to fuel their performances, the escalating rivalry between Félix and Iván moves closer and closer to an unexpected finale.
Official Competition is, without a doubt, the best comedy film of the year. Full of laugh out loud moments, an entertaining rivalry, and satire this film is wildly entertaining as these characters - and in turn, the audience - proceeds from one outrageous situation to the next. This relatively limited cast makes the most of the film’s awkward comedy premise by fostering a wonderfully uncomfortable chemistry with each other. Even upon rewatch (which I have gleefully done multiple times), the entertainment value of Official Competition holds up and makes this an easy to recommend film.
4. The Long Walk
Directed by Mattie Do | Written by Christopher Larsen
If you search for The Long Walk, you might notice it’s labeled as a 2019 film. That’s because the film originally premiered at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival and subsequently screened at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. What I would give to have discovered this gem of a film at the beginning of its film festival run back then; to be at an event like the Toronto International Film Festival in a theater to witness this incredible display of filmmaking on the big screen and be a part of the early buzz this film so rightly deserves.
As it is, I feel fortunate just to have even been exposed to The Long Walk. While I’m not aware of the specific details on why a North American release was delayed for so long - the pandemic playing a major role no doubt - it is because of a casual social media connection with this page that I stumbled upon one of the best films of the year.
The Long Walk uses time travel to tell a haunting story, with a boy who exploits this supernatural ability of a ghostly companion in hope of preventing his mother’s suffering from a terminal illness.
Slow, meticulous, and brooding, The Long Walk may not be everyone’s speed, but locking in to what’s going on means treading down the long dark path that the main character takes…a long walk that is devastating and unforgettable.
3. Cha Cha Real Smooth
Directed by Cooper Raiff | Written by Cooper Raiff
Cha Cha Real Smooth is writer and director Cooper Raiff’s sophomore feature. Debuting at Sundance this year, Raiff takes all of the charm and effortless character development that made his debut feature Shithouse so (admirable) and expounds on this natural talent for heartwarming filmmaking.
The movie - what I call a spiritual successor to Shithouse because of Raiff’s lead role transition from college student in Shithouse to post-grad in Cha Cha - follows this aimless post-grad bat mitzvah party starter living at home with his brother, mom, and step father when he falls in love with an engaged mother of an autistic teenage daughter.
As you can see, there is a complexity to the characters and story that Raiff has to tell here - complexity that exposes both the beauty and the flaws of people and interpersonal relationships of all kinds. The authenticity that comes with this style of storytelling is hard not to admire, especially from a young, multitalented writer/director/actor. And with an incredible performances from an endearing supporting cast that includes Dakota Johnson, it’s hard not to like Cha Cha Real Smooth.
2. Everything Everywhere All At Once
Directed and Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Many realities. Many possibilities. Many cinematographic aspect ratios. Everything Everywhere All At Once is 2022’s most fun head trip. And not only does it boast a ton of action, comedy, and twists, but it’s a film that’s also full of heart and powerful themes.
As a powerful force terrorizes the multiverse of realities in search of the Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) who threatens their objectives most, the Evelyn we come to know - a disorganized and impulsive owner of a gradually failing laundromat with her helpless husband and teenage daughter - encounters a reality-jumping version of her husband to warn her of the incoming threat. Learning how to reality-jump herself, Evelyn has to face this force, and in the process, learn how to embrace chaos and prioritize what’s important in an existence where ultimately, nothing matters.
It truly is remarkable how much meaning and purpose The Daniels back into a simultaneously highly entertaining film, leveraging comedy, action, and absurdity to deliver its message. And on top of all of the already great things I’ve mentioned about this film, it’s also filled with fantastic performances from its cast, including from (as of this week) Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Add in the legendary talent of Jamie Lee Curtis in a supporting role, and a stunning breakout performance from Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once is everything one could want in a film - emphasis on “everything”.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
As I compiled my rankings, it donned on me just how challenging this task is in a year that introduced so many great films to the world. In a myriad of genres from all over the globe, I truly feel lucky to have been able to see so much great cinema at film festivals, in theaters, and at home throughout the year.
That said, I’m compelled to offer a shout out to a number of films that didn’t quite make my top ten, but are incredible displays of storytelling and filmmaking none the less.
In the action/blockbuster category, films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Top Gun: Maverick each proved in their own ways that sequels can be fun, thrilling follow ups to movies we deeply cherish. For non-English films, Inu-Oh takes audiences on an incredible rock concert odyssey while Joyland infused enough nuance and complexity into its unique story to earn it a place in the on the Oscars short list and in the Sundance 2023 programming.
2022 also saw a lot of earnest, endearing, heartfelt and heartbreaking storytelling. Films like After Yang and Aftersun, and Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (an eclectic crop of A24 films, as it turns out) all had me welling up by the end of the stories. And although Riceboy Sleeps isn’t widely available yet, it’s a film that earns high praise from me for it’s authentic and heartfelt look at a Vancouver-based immigrant story and that I highly recommend seeking out when it does get a wide release.
Finally, mainstream audiences were treated to astonishing theatrical experiences with films like TÁR and The Menu - two movies I gladly recommend to anyone looking for various types of psychological and dramatic thrillers.
Now, after mentioning no less than a dozen and a half films from 2020, I’m thrilled to share which film - in an admittedly unexpected manner - ended up as my number one film of the year.
1. RRR
Directed by S. S. Rajamouli | Written by S. S. Rajamouli and V. Vijayendra Prasad
I cannot properly describe how rapturous the experience of watching RRR is. Taking place in in 1920’s India during Britain’s rule over the region, RRR follows the fortuitous friendship between Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju as they each pursue their independent objectives, ultimately challenging their bond and eventually, challenging the unjust and racist authority that governs their nation.
RRR arrived on Netflix after months of me toggling between Everything Everywhere All At Once and Cha Cha Real Smooth being my untouchable options as number one film of the year. What we have with this film is a wild and thrilling journey filled with music, action, and cultural values that shapes these characters and their motivations.
The blending of real world social issues with outrageously exciting action sequences and hyper clear, detailed cinematography elevates this film into an echelon of storytelling unlike anything North America has seen in 2022. It’s a movie to laugh with, cheer for, and maybe even shout about. Honestly, movie experiences in 2022 simply do not get more engaging than RRR. This, ladies and gentlemen, is event filmmaking at its finest.