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A Comprehensive Look at 2022
in Film |
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 (011223)
My top ten lists are never merely qualitative rankings of my favorite
films of that year. They are also reflections of my overall viewing experiences
or how much pleasure I receive from seeing the films. Poor viewing circumstances
might cause me to devalue a film or I might lower a great film or elevate one
that is deeply flawed. Although many (or most) critics preferred Ryusuke
Hamaguchi’s earlier film:
Drive My Car,
I had a much more profound experience watching his next film:
Wheels of Fortune and Fantasy
despite the fact that I
saw
Drive My Car (which I am considering a 2021 film) at the theatre. Perhaps it
has to do with my mental state when I saw the films or maybe I was too tired at
the time to fully digest or engage with a three-hour subtitled film on that
particular day.
Also, I have a confession to make which might get me kicked out of any
self-respecting cinephile society. For the first time ever (I have been doing
top 10 lists since around 1994), the two best experiences I had seeing films
this year were actually on the small screen streaming little films that hardly
any one saw that I did not have the opportunity to see at the theatres. Even on
the small screen, I was utterly enthralled by Joel Coen’s version of Macbeth
(although I admit that it might not replace Welles’, Polanski’s or Kurosawa’s
versions), and I endlessly pondered about the philosophic implications of before
mentioned
Wheels of Fortune and Fantasy after I saw it on the Gene Siskel web
site. Like Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” It made me consider how every little
choice I made has affected my destiny, and of all the films I saw this year this
one has occupied my mind and energy the most which is why it is number one.
Also, I had a wonderful experience driving down 87th street to Cinema Chatham (a
theatre I had never been to or heard of before) to see an all-African American
sci-fi film that got great reviews that was only showing in two Chicago area
theatres. I felt a great rush like I had made a great discovery, and it was more
than seeing a film it was like having an adventure. I was shocked and blown away
by the immense creativity of Neptune Frost which I viewed alongside just a hand
full of other film fans. After the screening, I found out they were all diehard
cinephiles, young film makers, or what they called Afro Surrealist artists. I
relished the experience of talking to them about the movie almost as much as I
enjoyed watching the film. The film did more than entertain, it created a vortex
of creative energy in all of us. That is often what you do not get from Netflix
or Hulu screenings, the sense of community.
Despite the rise of right-wing nationalism and anti-globalism in many countries
(often partially as an extreme reaction to immigration such as in Italy) the
year was perhaps most defined by the rise of internationalist or multinational
films that represent no one country often in several languages.
Tar
was a
German/American production while the Palm D’Or winning,
Triangle of Sadness
was a Swedish/French/UK/German co-production.
Neptune Frost
is a Rwandan/
American film in English, while
Everything Everywhere all at Once
was in American. Mandarin, and Cantonese. Finally,
The Northman
which is listed as an American film is in English, Old Norse and Old East Slavic. The line between a
foreign film and a domestic or English-speaking film is becoming as hard to
define as the line between Indy and mainstream music.
In a recent discussion with fellow critic, Jim Rutkowski, the topic of how the cinema
industry never completely recovered by Covid came up. Because of what happened
during the virus people got into the habit of not seeing important films in the
theatres. They learned that they could wait just a few weeks for the film to
stream or go to Redbox. I am sometimes guilty of this, and I abstained from
driving all the way down to the Gene Siskel Center to see The Tragedy of Macbeth
because I knew in advance that this remarkable film would appear on Apple TV
which meant home viewing.
This is contributing to the situation that many if not most of the serious,
highbrow early Oscar contenders like
Tar
(featuring a lead by the greatest current English-speaking greatest actress),
Triangle of Sadness and She Said
are all underperforming and failing to meet the industry expectations in terms
of their earnings. A manager at a local theater told me that basically only
sequels, superhero and horror films are doing extremely well. While I like or
very much admire some films in those genres (I loved
Pearl
and
Werewolf by Night
which was on Disney Plus), but this is kind of like skipping the turkey at
Thanksgiving and only devouring the stuffing and desserts (my apologies to my
vegan friends.). If this does not change the movie theatres could become
completely dominated forever by big box office spectacles that remain in
theatres six or eight months while hardcore aficionados have to comb through
endless streaming stations to find a film with decent dialogue or aspirations
above the average slug or splatter fest, All is not lost however because some of
these films might make a lot of money streaming or in DVD sales (remember both
Blade Runners were initially seen as financial failures because of their box
office.)
It is hard to remember a year that was packed with so many outstanding female
performances in everything from highbrow to low brow films (the male ones even
the great ones tended to make lesser impressions on me). Kate Blanchett hit a
high point in her career peak playing an often un-likeable character in
Tar.
Clair Dennis directed two perplexing, complex and multi layered female
performances in
Both Sides of the Blade
(Juliette Binoche) and Margaret Qualey
(Stars at Noon). Indy maverick, Aubrey Plaza who was also great in Ingrid Goes
West gave one of the most edgy, brave and gutsy performances in
Emily the Criminal
for which she got nominated for best actress at the Independent Spirit
awards. Also excellent were Mia Goth (in the horror films
X
and Pearl
) as more likely Oscar nominees, Viola Davis (The Women King
) and Zoe Kazan plus
Carey Mulligan, the co-stars of the solid Me-too era journalism drama, She Said.
And let’s not forget the terrific veteran Asian star, Michelle Yeoh for her
fresh and creative work in one of her best films,
Everything Everywhere all at Once. The only male performance to me that was nearly as impressive was Brendon
Frasier’s awesome lead in The Whale, but I was not able to see Banshees of
Isnisherin yet which features a highly touted Collin Farrell performance.
It was also a good year for many formerly obscure or under recognized directors
such as Robert Eggars (who did his best film so far,
The Northman), Todd Field
who completely hit the bulls eye with
Tar, his first film in 16 years, as well as
tag team film makers, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (for
Everything Everywhere all at Once) and rapper, Saul Williams and Anisa Uzeyman (for
Neptune Frost.)
Asghar Farhadi had one of his best and worst years. The Persian film maker
delivered one of the best foreign language films, of the year with,
A Hero
(although he did not get an Oscar nomination). However, he was accused of
stealing ideas from a doc made by his former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh. Then
other former students have since come out to accuse the film maker of also
poaching their ideas. It is too bad because A Separation (2011), The Past (2013)
and The Salesman (2016) was one of the finest trilogies of films made by a
director anywhere in the world in the last twenty years. I hope the charges end
up being untrue.
Now without further ado here are my best films of the year list. At some point a
much longer list may appear on my
www.artinterviews.org
website.
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 1)
Wheels of Fortune and Fantasy (Japan)
Director-Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The phenomenally talented Japanese director of
Drive My Car offers a
brilliant trilogy of vignettes spotlighting nonprofessional actors which
show alternate realities that are dependent on slight changes that show
us the importance of chance. I wish that the What If show was one tenth
as thought provoking or ingenious. In Japanese with English sub-titles.
On YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and Google Play.
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 2)
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Director-Joel Coen
Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand (who would not be my first
choices to play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth) give effective,
non-conventional performances in this stylish, handsome adaptation of
the Shakespeare classic. Unfortunately, this beautiful, imaginative
piece of work only showed for a short while at the Gene Siskel Center
before it showed up on Apple TV, so the film was criminally overlooked
and few saw it hence it was mostly overlooked at the Oscars. Coen’s
adaptation is brilliantly idiosyncratic plus the cinematography and set
design are superb. Shot in glorious and stark black and white. The first
solo film made by a Coen brother more than exceeds expectations and
bodes well for the future. Apple TV and Amazon TV.
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3)
Tar
Director-Todd Fields
A brilliant composer/conductor at the peak of her career gets in hot
water when details begin to emerge about her potentially improper
relations with students. This morally ambiguous and timely drama makes
you question whether great genius should ever excuse abuse. At this
point I am not sure there is a better actress on the planet than Blanchett. Todd Fields who made the near masterpieces, In the Bedroom
and Little Children delivers the most brilliant, thought-provoking
comeback of the year which is supremely relevant to the Me-too
generation. To see another view on this timely issue, catch the also
excellent She Said. The evocative soundtrack ended up hitting number 1
on the Billboard charts, and like Amadeus it might lead to many people
trying classical music.
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 4)
The Northman
Director- Robert Eggars
The director of
The Lighthouse
and Witch delivers a visually arresting, raw and
violent Viking action flick based on the legend that Hamlet was based on. Prince Amleth (the Nordic version of Hamlet) is visited by a ghost who insists he must
avenge his premature death. The terrific cast includes, former True Blood star,
Alexander Skarsgard, rising star, Anya Taylor-Joy of
The Queen’s Gambit
as well
as Nicole Kidman (as the selfish and almost demonic mom). Oh, and Bjork appears
as a blind, ornately decorated seer. What more do you want? This film is so full
of rage and nasty action scenes that it makes Braveheart look like The Breakfast
Club. In English, Old Norse and Old East Slavic. On Amazon Prime, YouTube,
Redbox, Vudu and Google play.
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 5)
Neptune Frost (Rwanda)
Director-Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman -Terrific dystopian Afro futurist film
about a small rebel village in Africa which rebels against the corporate control
of the world wide web. They live in shelters made of repurposed computer lab top
parts and many of the costumes are made of recycled garbage. This film makes a
great companion piece to the terrific recent MCA Nick Cave exhibit (many of his
art pieces are also made of garbage), and the Afro Futurist anthology (it’s one
of the newer art genres), The Future of Black: Afrofuturism, Black Comics and
Superhero Poetry. In English, Kinyarwandan, Kirundi, Swahili, French and
English. On Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu and Google play
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 6)
The Triangle of Sadness
Director-Ruben Ostlund
Traditional power dynamics are reversed when a ship crashes and
a poor toilet cleaner becomes the lord of the island over a
bunch of rich people because she is the only one who can get
food. Woody Harrelson (of Cheers and People vs. Larry Flynt) is
wonderful as an American communist ship captain who continually
argues with a Russian capitalist who made a fortune off selling
manure (which is a great metaphor for what Taco Bell and many
other companies) do. This highly original dark comedy channels
both Luis Bunuel and Monty Python. The film’s main protagonists
who play models (in real life they are models) are delightfully
vapid and South African actress, Charlbi Dean Kriek who is
perfect in her role, died a few months after the film was
released. From Ruben Ostlund, the terrific director of Force
Majeure (2014), and The Square (2022), who only makes great two
and a half hour plus films. On Amazon Prime, YouTube, Redbox,
and Google play.
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 7)
Everything Everywhere all at Once
Director-Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Shrewd and compelling action animated/ comedy/drama/fantasy/ sci fi film
about a female underdog who is about to lose her laundry and husband who
learns that she is a great savior in some alternate realities and that
she is also, the only one who can save this reality. Like many heroes
she first denies the call but gradually fulfills her destiny. The script
is smart, ingenious, and clever and this matches and perhaps even
surpasses The Matrix. In English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. On Amazon
Prime, Showtime, Hulu, YouTube, Fubo, Redbox, Vudu and Google play
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 8)
Emily the Criminal
Director-John Patton Ford
This gritty neo noir features the always delightful Aubrey Plaza, who is
quite remarkable in a career making performance. She plays a young woman
with high student loans and an art degree who finds it almost impossible
to get a decent job because she committed a petty crime and has a
record. When she spews out vitriol at a prospective employer who wants
her to work for nothing, it is as if she is) channeling all the class
resentment and anger of her whole generation (this is one of the year’s
best scenes.) Emily is highly sympathetic at first, but like the
protagonist in Breaking Bad, she becomes less likeable and less human as
she gets deeper into criminal waters. But, she could be any one of us
who is financially strapped and makes the wrong choices. This was put
out by Plaza’s production company Evil Hag which is also the name of her
web page. On Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu and Google play.
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 9)
A Hero (Iran)
Director-Asghar Farhadi
A well intentioned man returns some money he finds and becomes an instant hero,
but when little details emerge that contradict his official story then his
fortunes suddenly reverse. This film which is based on a true story proves the
adage, “no good deed goes unpunished.” In Persian, French and English. On Amazon
Prime.
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 10)
Apollo 10 ½
Director-Richard Linklater
This animated film by Richard (Boyhood) Linklater is more “real” than almost any
live action film of the year, and it is a more rewarding family memorial film
than Spielberg’s The Fabersons. I could not imagine a better chronicle of the
more innocent 60’s time period piece and it culminates in the glorious moon
landing (which of course the kids don’t appreciate). On Netflix.
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 11)
Luana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
Director-Pawo Choyning Dorji
Charming drama about a teacher who is stationed to
teach in a remote town in the Himalayas and he must create a
classroom from scratch and yes, he keeps a yak someone gives
him in the classroom. This exceptional, crowd-pleasing,
warm-hearted film has some commonalties with Ciao Professore,
and it is guaranteed to give you a smile. It was a nominee
for Best International feature at the 94rth Academy Awards.
In the language of Dzongkha. On Netflix, Amazon Prime,
YouTube, Vudu and Google play.
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 12)
Both Sides of the Blade (France)
Director-Claire Denis
A woman trapped in a drab marriage is torn between her
current predictable husband and her more passionate ex. As usual
Juliette Binoche (one of the best actresses) is magnificent. One
of the two excellent films that the African born film maker,
Clair Denis directed this year, and this is by far the better
one. On Amazon Prime, Sling, YouTube TV, Redbox, and Google
play.
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 13)
The Whale
Director-Darren Aronofsky
Charlie (Brendan Frasier in one of the year’s best
performances) is a reclusive 600-pound college teacher who teaches only
online classes. He is estranged from both his daughter and ex-wife (who
he left for a gay ex-student), and the only people who seem to care for
him are his nurse and a young missionary who wants to convert him to an
apocalyptic religion. Packed with painfully realistic confrontation
scenes and fine supporting performances by Sadie (Stranger Things) Sink
and Hong (The Watchmen show) Chau, this challenging, and emotionally
explosive film from Darren (Black
Swan, Requiem of a Dream) Aronofsky
will likely receive some Oscar nominations.
The next two tied films are under recognized biopic's from
the UK anchored by strong male lead performances: |
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 14)
Duke
Director-Roger Mitchell
Jim Broadbent gives a delightful performance as an eccentric
and stubborn senior who becomes a working-class hero when he
steals a Goya painting to raise money for the poor. The last
film from the late British director, Roger (Notting Hill)
director may be his best. On YouTube, Google Play, Google
Play, Redbox, and Amazon Prime.
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 15) Benediction
Director-Terrence Davies
Davies, who previously made a film about Emily Dickinson,
directs this exemplary
highbrow drama about the brilliant poet/literary critic
(played at different parts of his life by both Jack Lowden
and the ex-Dr. Who Peter Capaldi), Siegfried Sassoon,
who suffered terrible oppression for speaking out against
the continuation of WW II (after a certain point he though
it was all about imperialist nation building). This very
English art flick reminds me of an old Merchant Ivory art
house classic, and it is filled with witty dialogue
exchanges and fine live readings of hypnotic poetry.
Streaming on Hulu. Vudu, Amazon Prime, YouTube. Google Play,
and Amazon Prime.
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 16) Eo (Poland)
Director-Jerzy Skolimowski
Very moving and unpretentious film is told through
the point of view of a lovable donkey like its main inspiration, Au
Hazard Balthazar (my favorite film ever), it follows his life through a
series of vignettes and he frequently changes locales and owners. Some
humans are kind to him and others brutally mistreat him. Ironically, he
is happiest and treated best in a circus where he has a female
protector, but it is closed because of charges of animal cruelty. The
film may make you feel solidarity with all living things or if you are
religious, it may make you think that we are all God’s creatures. French
film goddess, Isabelle Huppert has a brief but memorable cameo. Hard to
find but not to be missed. In Polish with English subtitles. At press
time playing at the Gene Siskel Center.
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 17)
She Said
Directors-Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner
This
Spotlight and All the President’s Men-like journalism film
about the two daring female reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein sex
harassment story. The story is inspirational and the two female
reporters are shown to have untraditional marriages with the usual
gender roles flipped.
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 18)
I’m A Cliché
Directors-Celeste Bell and Paul Sng
This rewarding doc on the ferociously talented and little-known (at
least in America) punk rock heroine, Poly Styrene who had severe mental
health problems and eventually found peace as a Hari Krishna. The title
comes from one of the songs she wrote for the band X Ray Spex which
appeared on their classic. Germ free Adolescents album. Must see for
punk and new wave fans as well as feminist musicians. On YouTube,
Paramount, Showtime. Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling. Fubo. Google Play and
Amazon.
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 19)
The Happening (France)
Director-Audrey Diwan
This film about all the obstacles that a suffering young woman in France
encounters when she tries to get an abortion. Very timely and extremely
relevant after the recent Supreme Court decision dissolving Roe vs,
Wade. In French with English subtitles
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 20)
The Pink Cloud (Brazil)
Director-Lull Gerbase
Tense Covid 19 influenced dystopian film about a toxic pink cloud that
forces everyone to stay in. A man and a woman forced to stay in together
have a kid then then their staying in and isolation begins to have
negative effects on their relationship. Eerie, timely and disturbing. In
Portuguese with English subtitles.
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Review © 2023 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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