Vic's Top 15 Films of 2022

Despite having a very busy year, I managed to watch more films in 2022 than in the previous few years. It wasn’t a particularly good year for film (thus the shorter list again), but it was a great year for women and diversity in the film industry, as reflected in my observations below. As always, some of these films may have been released in the US in 2021 and some may not have been released in Canada until 2023 (some are still awaiting a release), but these are all films I was able to watch between January 2022 and January 2023.

Honourable mentions go to Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant The Whale, which offended fat people in an ill-conceived attempt to do the opposite, and Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, which started extremely well but ended badly. 

Here are a few observations about my list:

1. Not only were four of my top ten films directed by women, they were directed by Canadian women, two of them Indigenous. This is phenomenal and a sign of major progress in the Canadian film industry (there are three Canadian films in my top ten, all made by women) and in the film industry as a whole.
2. Six of my top ten films were written or co-written by women.
3. Seven of my top thirteen films feature a woman protagonist.
4. Seven of my top ten films, and 11 of my top 15 films, featured people of colour in lead roles. Wow!
5. Six of my top thirteen films featured LGBTQ+ characters and two of my top seven films had LGBTQ directors.
6. All but one of the films on my list were at least co-written by the director (most were written by the director alone). I think this might reveal something about the kinds of films that appeal to me.
7. Colin Farrell appears in an incredible three of my top twelve films (playing the lead role in two of the films). What a year for Colin, who was terrific in all three roles!
8. Martin McDonagh and James Gray both have their second straight films on my list.
9. A remarkable number of these films are about people dealing with trauma and loss - a coincidence?

And here’s my list, counting down from 15:

15. Amsterdam - Gareth’s favourite film of 2022 gets a spot on my list because I agree with Gareth that David O. Russell’s film is hugely underrated. This quirky period thriller is almost as wild as my favourite film of the year (and even has the protagonist delivering the line “Everything all at once.”). Amsterdam has wonderful characters, an amazing performance by Christian Bale, gorgeous cinematography, a beautiful score, a clever plot, and much thoughtful and often funny dialogue. What’s not to like? 

14. Armageddon Time - An autobiographical coming-of-age story, like Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. But while The Fabelmans is a stunning film full of that Spielberg magic, it doesn’t come close to touching me the way James Gray’s film does. Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong are excellent as the parents, but it’s Anthony Hopkins as Grandpa, and the boys, played by Banks Repeta and Jaylin Webb, who steal the show. Growing up in NYC in 1980 - great stuff.

13. Tár - As a psychological drama, Todd Field’s beautiful film about an abusive conductor doesn’t quite work - too many unanswered questions and confusing scenes. But as a ghost-story horror film (who knew?), it works much better. Cate Blanchett’s performance is sublime.

12. The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonagh’s film is so gorgeous to watch and features such extraordinary acting by all concerned (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, to name the primary actors), not to mention the flawless and often funny dialogue, that it could easily be among my top two or three films of the year. But regardless of the allegorical intent, I couldn’t handle the fingers.

11. The Batman - One of the darkest films ever made (literally and figuratively), in which I somehow found repeated glimpses of light that nourished my soul (like Batman’s recognition that violence only begets more violence and that vengeance is not the way to a better world), this gothic superhero film (Batman has always been my favourite superhero) by Matt Reeves features a masterful haunting score, gorgeous cinematography, excellent acting and some spot-on political commentary. 

10. Bones of Crows - The journey of a woman from her childhood in a Canadian residential school to her work as a code talker in the Air Force in WWII is beautifully filmed by Marie Clements. Despite the missing pieces (it’s condensed from an upcoming mini-series), Bones of Crows is a haunting and powerful film which features a great performance by Grace Dove. It’s the kind of story we can’t hear too often and a must-watch for Canadians.

 9. To Leslie - Andrea Riseborough delivers an awesome Oscar-worthy performance as a single mother who becomes an alcoholic after quickly using up her $190,000 lottery winnings. This directorial debut from Michael Morris is a perfect study in empathetic filmmaking. I was engaged from start to finish, thanks in large part to the character of Sweeney (wonderfully played by Marc Maron), who tries so hard give Leslie a chance.

8. The Fallout - Another empathetic directorial debut, this one by Megan Park (a Canadian filmmaker), tells the story of three high school students in the aftermath of a school shooting. Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler and Niles Fitch were all terrific in the lead roles (Ortega was amazing), playing students trying to deal with tragedy and grief. Gut-wrenching. 

7. Rosie - My favourite film at Cinéfest (Sudbury film festival) is yet another directorial debut. Canadian Indigenous actor and filmmaker Gail Maurice (who refused to play Indigenous stereotypes and began writing her own screenplays) has crafted a wonderful heart-warming comedy drama about a six-year-old adopted Indigenous girl in 1984 Montreal who is taken by child services to live with her adopted aunt after her adopted Indigenous mother (Sixties scoop) dies. Doesn’t sound like a comedy, and Maurice was pressured to make it a dark film about being gay and Indigenous in 1984, but she wisely stood her ground. 

6. All Quiet on the Western Front - It’s risky to adapt a novel that was, in 1930, made into one of the greatest films ever made, but Edward Berger succeeds admirably, giving us a more authentic German-language version of the story, with its own unique emphases (which I applaud). Felix Kammerer, who plays our 17/18-year-old protagonist, through whose eyes we see the insanity of WWI, is terrific, as is the cinematography and minimalist score. A film about a war that ended 105 year ago shouldn’t be timely, but it is. 

5. Benediction - Coincidentally we have back-to-back films relating to WWI. This Terence Davies film is based on the life of British poet Siegfried Sassoon, who became a conscientious objector in WWI and then struggled with being a gay man in 1920’s Britain. A gorgeous, profound and moving film with a terrific performance by Jack Lowden as Sassoon. 

4. Cyrano - A marvellous period musical by Joe Wright (music by Aaron and Bryce Dessner) that somehow flew under the radar (i.e. it bombed at the box office and got no attention from critics). A travesty, as the music is divine, the cinematography is sublime and the story is well-told. As for the acting, Peter Dinklage is perfect (Oscar-worthy) as Cyrano, with Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr. offering outstanding support as Roxanne and Christian. 

3. Women Talking - Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s 2018 novel is a work of art in every way: the desaturated cinematography is extraordinary, the score is excellent, the ensemble cast (including Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, with Ben Whishaw as the only man in the film) is amazing, Polley’s writing and direction are impeccable, and the story of women responding to severe trauma while trying to remain true to their faith is vital and heart-wrenching.

2. After Yang - It’s time to bring out the sci-fi films. Kogonada is an extraordinary filmmaker, with a gift for creating gorgeous films that is second to none. This slow-moving, subtle and poetic story of the not-too-distant future concerns an AI that has stopped functioning, allowing its owner (Colin Farrell in another flawless understated performance) to discover hidden truths about the AI. After Yang asks what it means to be human and to be alive. 

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once - A low-budget Indie blockbuster is rare enough, but this wildly original, and outrageously wild, film about a Chinese family in the US getting caught up in parallel universes is also the favourite film of the year for most critics as well as for me (everyone seems to love this film - except those who hate it). Eighty minutes into my first viewing (I’ve seen it four times now), I was thinking: “Why am I wasting my time watching this mess?” And then came one of the most sublime hours of filmmaking I have ever seen. When followed by a second viewing, the pieces of the first hour fall into place and Everything Everywhere All at Once becomes a masterpiece of madness. Made by the Daniels (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert), with wonderful performances by Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu (all deservedly Oscar-nominated), Everything Everywhere All at Once features my favourite character of 2022 (Waymond Wang)  and the timely message that, in a world which doesn’t make sense, we need to fight back with kindness, love and compassion.