Fiction:

I have a fond memory from earlier in the year following a blind buy of Gallant. I had been inspired to read more fiction. At the time I was immersed in non-fiction (still am), and I was craving a good story. This set in motion an intentional effort to uncover more literary fiction. My year was hit and miss on this front, but I do remember feeling so rewarded after finishing the final page of that book. Left me craving more.

The following is not a ranked list nor a complete list. They are simply the reads that I found most memorable. I was excited to look back, and I was a bit surprised to see how much I gravitated towards younger books. Seems that’s what I needed, and I am more than happy to embrace that. Looking forward to what the new year has in store. Happy reading.

Gallant By E.B. Schwab

The aforementioned read that sparked a renewed vigor to track down and read some good literary fiction is the sort of story that feels tailor made me for. It revels in themes of light and dark, death and life, while infusing this exploration with a sense of childhood innocence and imagination capable of addressing real existential questions in meaningful ways. The horror notes are simply the icing on the cake.as it utilizes its atmospheric setting (a mysterious house and unsettled family history).

Grace By Natashia Deon

A studied author, new to me and I think fairiy new to the literary scene as a whole. I was introduced to her works through an interview with the author on the thefearofgod podcast here. I went out and tracked down her two primary works (the other one being The Perishing) through one of our local bookstores and was immediately taken up with her style. She writes with one eye towards the spiritual and another towards the deeply felt realities of the world she is fleshing out. Here she tells a generational story that allows the book to look backwards and forwards as it grapples with the subject of racism and the black experience. Features a strong literary structure and a powerful emotional undercurrent that pulled me into the world of the characters and allowed me to experience its story,

Til We Have Faces By C.S. Lewis

Picked this up following a podcast episode where a couple of readers described this as a lesser known work from a popular author that really surprised them with its depth of insight on the nature of love and its use of mythology to say something true about our experience of it. I actually timed my reading to intersect with valentines day, providing a kind of liturgy for the season, and it did not disappoint. It’s different from anything else I’ve read from Lewis, and in a way uncovered a side of him that I didn’t know existed. Expands his imaginative tendencies into a work that is able to challenge our narrowed way of seeing such myths play out in the moder world as mere story rather than as truth.

Tilly and the Bookwanderers By Anna James

This was another podcast recommend (many of the books I read are), and it came from someone passionate about getting this story out into the world where more people can experience it. Seeing the world through a child’s eyes and setting this world in an old bookstore, a space which affords this young child endless opportunity for adventure through the written word, is simply the starting point for a story that includes elements of family, mystery, interesting characters, and important life lessons. A pure delight to read as a grown adult.

Interior Chinatown By Charles Yu

I made an invested move earlier in the year to read more books from and about and/or set in China, and this is one that stood out for me for its inventive style and its investment in fleshing out its characters in a real sense of time and space. I felt like I was able to embody the world from a perspective different than my own, and the sheer quirkiness of the Hollywood backdrop gives the whole thing a unique and entertaining flavor.

Trumpet of the Swan By E.B. White

Bought this one because of my love for the author and a renewed interest in his biography. Charlotte’s Web played a formative role in my childhood, being one of earliest books I read and reread over and over. In Trumpet, I loved the way the tale details this relationship between a boy and a swan by giving both an assumed sense of agency without ever questioning the viability of their shared struggle across species. The swan isn’t presented as a Disney character, rather White imagines how it is that a swan might exist in the world as a swan if barriers to communication were not an obstacle. It would happen through vocal cues rather than words, and it would require reconceptualizimg how it is that we define social norms. The fact that it is so normalized in the book for a swan to simply participate in the world of humans allows the book the freedom to simply focus on their relationship as two creatures somewhat removed from their natural habitat, as though neither belongs where they are, attempting to find their way back together. It is a moving and beautiful story.

A Psalm For The Wild Built By Becky Chambers

A monk and a robot walk into a room. If that sounds like a joke, rest assured it is actually a poignant philosophical and spiritual reflection on life, death and meaning, sentience and desire. Chambers is an intelligent writer who knows how to imagine a small, intimate sci-fi premise in ways that dig deep into some big important questions regarding the nature of being human, forming that through some nice world building and intimate characterization into a compelling journey.

The Wishing Spell By Chris Colfer

Had the privilege of reading this while I was in Omaha in the shadow of a genuine castle. Loved the take on a world where familiar stories come alive, and it is filled with magic and adventure as we follow these children through the land of stories in search of a way home. Some nice family subtext as well

Scarborough By Catherine Hernandez

Saw the movie and I was immediately compelled to pick up the book. The film is a nearly word for word adaptation of the book, simply fleshing out some of the side trips into the lives of the different kids and families with a greater use of silence and space as opposed to descriptive. Both hold an equal gut punch as it examines a neighborhood in the GTA by way of a learning center dedicated to helping set up families with young children for success.

Fairytale By Stephen King

I’m a big fan of King and generally try to read much of what he releases, which is a lot. Sometimes the stories he writes feel familiar, fitting one of the handful of motifs and genres that he tends to dabble in. Every once in a while he comes out with something that expands on that mold. This is one of those books. It’s a grown up take on a fairy tale that also works for a slightly younger audience. It’s lengthy (not unusual) a bit epic (also not entirely unusual), and a fresh mixing of worlds hidden and visible befitting a strong fairy tale vibe. I personally enjoyed the characters, which centers on a boy coming of age and a grumpy old man whom he accidentally ends up befriending after responding to some distress. There is a subtext of faith that undergirds the young boys personal journey that fits well with the kind of journey he finds himself needing to embark on. I do have some issues, but this is one that I ultimately found both enjoyable and refreshing in terms of Kimg’s usual fare.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold By Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Another blind buy, this time based on the dual premise of coffee and time travel. If anything would sell me it would be marrying these two ideas together. And the book does so marvelously using a kind of what if scenario. Inside this unassuming coffee shop there sits a woman, who herself is sitting in a chair. As the legend goes, the one who sits in this chair can travel back to a given point in time, but there are rules that must be followed. The setting is contained, and everyone in the shop is given the space needed to flesh out their story. On that level it plays as part mystery without ever getting heavy handed or subsumed by the complexity of its big ideas. A delightful and breezy read with just the right touch of emotional concern.

Eternal Life By Dara Horn

I am a considerate fan of Horns earlier work, so when I saw she had written another work tackling similar themes I was excited to pick it up and give it a go. This never quite achieves the same level of introspection and world building, but it does have its moments. It trades some of the humility of the previous work for something slightly less nuanced. But where the big ideas do surface here it rings out with potential. This is especially true when the book spends time exploring the different worlds that bind two separate times, the Greco-Roman world and the modern one, together.

As the final few days and hours start to wind down on 2022, looking back at the year in film is a chance to remind myself of just how full 12 mohths really can be. Memories of heading to the theater to see Black Widow, a film that, at the time, was supposed to kick off an exciting new phase of the MCU, with Reeve’s Batman and a fresh iteration of the DCEU right around the corner, remain seared in my mind. I really enjoyed both of those films, but oh the stories my future self could share about the current state of both of those franchises.

I have equally fond memories of venturing out into the long, cold January days to see the surprisingly fun The 355 at our now defunct and closed down independently run downtown theater. The loss of an icon. Or finding time at the last minute to sacrifice some sleep for a late night showing of Belle at a theater halfway across town. A truly amazing big screen experience.

One thing that I did not anticipate is the insanity that would become the current state of the theatrical landscape. Most pundits, including me, were predicting that theaters would become increasingly dominated by big blockbusters, while smaller films would go to streaming or VOD. In truth, in all my years of movie going I have never experienced this many films being released week after week at the theater. It is, to say the least, an embarrassment of riches for a filmgoer like me. In truth, even the most avid movie goers as myself can’t keep up. The other side of this picture, however, is that the landscape remains incredibily nconsistent along with the stress of trying to keep up. It feels, to put it lightly, unsustainable at the moment on all fronts, and who knows what the future will bring. The industry hasn’t adjusted yet to the overall box office being much smaller, especially when you have such a glutton of films releasing every single week. The industry hasn’t adjusted yet to the overall box office being much smaller. It’s nearly impossible to know how long films will be in theater for, making the whole thing more than a little frustrating when it comes to figuring out what I should prioritize and when. And sadly more and more films end up the causality of this disarray.

And yet, what putting together this list has reminded me of is that I am blessed. Blessed to be able to support this artform. Blessed to have the time to invest in it and experience it. Blessed to be part of different communities that share this passion. Blessed to be able to have these memories to look back on and be inspired. With that in mind, this is the culmination of a painful process, attempting to narrow down these titles from a strong representation of many memorable titles into something that can represent my year honestly and well. What I did is break it into three parts- three honorary mentions, a snapshot of my #20-11 picks, and then spotlighting my top 10 films of 2022. These films do not include horror, animated or documentary as I have dedicated other space to those genres.

Honorary Mentions

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris (Directed By Anthony Fabian)

A charming and delightful film featuring the charismatic Lesley Manville and a story which weaves together a clash of cultures, class divisions, and the personal longings of this unassuming maid from England. A strong first three quarters and a satisfying finish come together to make this one of the more heartwarming stories of 2022.

She Said (Directed By Maria Schrader)

I so wish that I could have found a spot for this film in my top 20, but alas. It’s an important film that utilizes some raw and sometimes rough editing to keep it grounded and honest. Whatever shortcomings this might and likely has, the films qualities lie in its passion. It there is a line between entertainment, art and commentary, this film would make a great case study. It’s a must see simply for its ability to shed light on the womans voice along with highlighting some important aspects of an often compromised industry. It made me think deeply about my own role in feeding a problematic system as a patron and a consumer of art. It also reminded me of why we need art like this to exist and to speak for itself.

Don’t Worry Darlimg (Directed By Olivia Wilde)

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood films of 2022. This continues the trend of Olivia Wilde making films that are decidedly on the nose in terms of messaging. What anchors this films unhurried approach to telling a straight forward narrative though is the fact that in making the message clear it also opens this up for some rich discussion. This is the kind of film one is meant to ruminate on, and I think the more one does the more the story itself comes alive. Here we get a portrait of systemic realities which inform the way the particular relationships are able to live and breathe. The film traverses certain themes such as sacrifice, control, shame, economics, expectations, social pressure and demands, and communication. All driven by genuine expressions of love fleshed out in complicated ways.

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20-11

The Woman Kimg (Directed By Gina Prince-Bythewood)

Good old fashioned storytelling undergirds this entertaining blockbuster which, despite all the conversation that has taken place surrounding its approach to the historical narrative (it takes a liberal approach that brings together different truths about the past in a way that accentuates and privileges an emphasis on the women of this story and the eventual outcome of the events- the dismantling of the slave trade) remains an important voice and message to bring to a more complex and nuanced historical discussion. That and it seriously kicks some butt as an epic, entertaining, big screen experience.

Diaspora (Directed By Deco Dawson)

I found myself caught off guard by this Canadian made film which features one of the most intimate and revealing depictions of my hometown (Winnipeg). It’s not a flattering look at my city, but it’s willingness to dig into the most calloused corners, particularly of our North End, holds love and empathy. This is slow cinema, and it is built intentionally around the use of repetition. As we spend time with our main character, a young recently immigrated Ukrainian woman relocating to a famed neighborhood in Winnioeg once bustling with Ukrainian heritage, we get to discover the paths and sights and streets with her as she finds herself lost in what has since grown into a mosaic of mutli-cultured communities. The films final word is every bit as human as it is particular in its exploration of her as a Ukrainian, and the filmmaking, channeling a kind of Wes Anderson symmetrical vibe, features some of the best and most detailed framing of the year

Till (Directed By Chinonye Chukwu)

Not everything in this unassuming and deeply affecting racially charged drama works, but in its own imperfect way it manages to stake its claim on some of the best sequences of 2022. The real star of the show I feel is actually the camerawork, the set design and the cinematography. There are some framing shots here that are simply spilling over with expertly crafted emotion and a real sense of place. You feel the storied landscape of the spacious Louisiana countryside and small town flavor, and the timrless captures of a young Chicago bustling with the fervent energy of a city caught at the crossroads of older tendencies and a need for change. You can feel the gradual drum beat playing in the background foreshadowing where this story is going, and it’s really effective as a visual and sensory experience.

Triangle of Sadness (Directed By Ruben Ostlund)

Hands down one of the best theatrical experiences I had all year. This had most of my theater on the floor in stitches. And for as funny as it is it also packs a punch when it comes to the social commentary

God’s Creatures (Directed By Anna Rose Holmer)

This would make a great double feature with The Banshees of Inisherin, both of which follow an isolated Irish character dealing with life in an Irish village where things never appear to change and where life stays the same. Both explore existential questions and both exhibit darker edges to their story which beg for moral complexity.

In this case Paul Mescal, in a break out role, never mind that Afrtersun will go on to outshine even this, plays a young man who returns home bringing with him some hidden baggage. It is his relationship with his mother, played with equal perfection by Emiiy Watson, that drives the narrative forward into a storied and difficult moral landscape, forming this into an atmospheric slow burn character study that makes full use of sound and setting.

Scarborough (Directed By Rich Williamson)

This film resonated with me to such a degree that I immediately went out and purchased the book (which the film follows almost word for word). Distinctly Canadian and set exclusively in a neighborhood within the GTA, the film follows a group of children by way of a government funded language learning center which is designed to give children and their families the tools they need to foster healthy home environments and enable the kids the foundation they need to learn and develop. The film is lengthy as it takes its time fleshing out each of these children and their respective families, all of whom have their own unique stories and context. At the same time it explores the nature of the system itself, focusing in on the well weathered Director of the program.

Taken together- families and system, this provides a tension which operates as the subtext for the lives that we then get to observe in both the parents and the children, along with the Director. We move in and out of this learning space naturally digging deeper into their everyday patterns of life. The camera never shies away from following the children when they are either neglected by their parents or when they retreat from them. This has a way of taking us down these side trips and random excursions into methods of coping, exploration, or even surviving. The camera spends less time doing this with the adults but it has the same effect, and taken together it becomes a really powerful portrait of our shared humanity across these different generational roles and perspectives. A truly emotional ride.

Cha Cha Real Smooth (Directed By Cooper Raiff)

A feel good, ridiculously entertaining story built on the Directors unique sensibilities and traits, which is all about love and life, growing up and growing older. It features really strong performances, honest human moments, and plenty of emotions that navigate the ups and downs of this particular group of individuals simply figuring stuff out as they go. Loved the generational element as well.

Hit The Road (Directed By Panah Panahi)

This was one of the last films I saw in 2022, and if I had more time to sit with it I could absolutely see this moving into my top 10 slot.

It is the quintessential road trip movie, but it is also so much more. We are never quite sure why this family is traversing the Iranian highways on route to the Turkish border, and that is not really the focal point of the story. In fact, the characters themselves often don’t know where they are, why they are there and even where they are going precisely, What we get here instead is a deeply felt portrait of a dysfunctional and obviously unsettled family carrying some unspoken baggage. There is pain that lies underneath the surface, almost to the point where it seems if they stop moving it might consume them. And so they keep going, driven by an innate ability to use things like laughter and dancing to fuel their way forward.

One of the most heartfelt, deeply enjoyably, and also incredibly funny films of 2022, one that features one of the great child performances of the year as well.

Help (Directed By Marc Munden)

Immediately landed in my top films slot early in the year, and it is a testament to the films staying power that it managed to hang on for this long, just missing my top spot. Much of this hangs on the power of Comers commanding performance, but perhaps equally so for the way it gave me permission at a time when the world found itself divided over Covid to remember that we all just went through something significant and that this historical moment had real world consequence. It captures this from the vantage point of someone inside a burdened system in the early goings of a virus still not fully understood, and it plays to powerful emotional effect and an unsettling use of tension

A Love Song (Directed By Max Walker-Silverman)

An intimate portrait anchored by two invested and heartfelt performances helps to formulate a memorable love story out two well crafted and well realized characters. It’s a wondrous thing witnessing these two old souls reestablishing a connection out in the desert, but the journey itself finds this connection by way of two individual journeys bridging the passage of time from within their own unique spaces. These are the quiet and subtle moments that prove truly special.

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Top 10

Elvis (Directed By Baz Luhrman)

Just go ahead and give Austin Butler the Oscar for best performance. Luhrmans frenzied style is absolutely part of what makes this one of the most entertaining films of 2022, but it is Butler that manages to anchor this in his commitment to digging underneath such an enigmatic figure in a way that allows us to feel like we are learning something we didn’t already know. The film utilizes a narrative of victims and villains but breathes into this a lot of nuance. And for as much as this features a larger than life performance, it is equally so a narrative told through its mix of visuals and sound and style. This is, for example, where we find the deeply felt spiritual concern of the story, using these different sequences to tie together the earlier and later parts of Elvis’ personal story. We see what makes him who he is, and subsequently what makes where his story ends up so heartbreaking and emotionally resonant. We also feel and hear it, and that’s a testament to the power of visual storytelling.

Tar (Directed By Todd Field)

Likely the most talked about and controversial release of 2022, I am clearly on team Tar. This is a phenomenal accomplishment in filmmaking and a fascinating story about cancel culture- what it is, how it works, and the implications of it in a world where art is connected so directly to the people that make it. One of the amazing things about this script is how it never allows us to settle into black and white judgments of its characters and their actions. It expertly weaves into matter of fact realities notes of uncertainty that bleed into uncertain empathy, a choice that ultimately pays off in a powerfully poetic final sequence. Certainly one of the best performances of the year in Blanchetts Tar, but I would also argue this is a studied Directorial achievement,

Three Thousand Years of Longing (Directed By George Miller)

“Humanity has superseded us. They no longer have room for us.”
“And yet here you are. My impossible.”

The film is not simply a love story, it’s a story about the numerous relationships that define this world. And in particular it’s about humanitys relationship to the divine imagination. It is a profound and deeply moving portrait of our need to make sense of things through story. Stories told and stories heard. Lying underneath the essential fabric of this developing relationship between the Jinni and the woman are subsequent stories of longing, isolation, meaning, desire and emotion. This is a story that requires imagination,using sparse images and subtle visual effects to move us between the mortal and immortal realities. It feels real, but the film is intentionally designed to play with our sense of what is real, and that becomes a way of unsettling our senses in both time and place. It invites us into a story with both a beginning and an end but one that is also seemingly eternal at the same time, giving us a way to put hands and feet and faces to the fleshing out of our stories in the here and now. In this sense the film also functions as an invitation to the viewer to relearn how to tell and how to hear the necessary stories of this world in their truest and most formative sense.

The Banshees of Inisherin (Directed By Martin McDonagh)

On its surface this is a film about the value of friendship and the dissolution of friendship. It is about the ebb and flow of life through the lens of these two aging men confronted by what it is to live a meaningful life, a sentiment that seems intimately attached to questions of legacy. There is a definite melancholic tone to the whole thing as it explores some deep and resonating themes surrounding fear and longing and perhaps even the sort of bravery required to live in the face of lifes great uncertainties. What lingers in the background is a real sense of loss, both potential and actual, along with the possibility of gain.
The film doesn’t simply stay with these two men, rather it sets them in relationship to this small Irish village, captured through exquisite detail and framing, to family, to home, and even to their domesticated animals. For me all of these thiemes hit with a particular force, so when the somewhat inconclusive nature of the ending arrives it lingered for a good long while, unsettling my spirit in some unexpected and welcome ways.

Top Gun: Maverick (Directed By Joseph Kosinski)

The big story surrounding this film, aside from its unprecedented success at the box office, is the fact that what seemingly should have been a project destined to be forgotten alomg with a lengthy list of ill advised sequels preying on waned nostalgia, turned out to be the quintessential model for the perfect blockbuster and a reminder of what makes going to the movies so important and so special. It is intelligent, meticulously crafted, without flaw, and features a final quarter that is as edge of your seat as they come.

Petite Maman (Directed By Celine Sciamma)

It’s hard to find the words to describe just how beautiful and perfect this film is. So simple. So profound. Deeply human.

The cast is small and the context extremely detailed and focused, but the depths it is able to mine from such a contained portrait is incredible. I don’t want to say too much to keep from spoiling the story, but suffice to say it provides a family portrait made up of deeply broken and flawed individuals who are also bursting full of beauty. Sadness is a word that emerges near the beginning and remerges near the end, but for as defining as the word is these characters are also not bound to it. In its own way this might also be one of the most uplifting and inspiring stories I’ve seen this year.

Babylon (Directed By Damion Chazelle)

Proving to be a love or hate it effort, and certainly one that has proved to be a hard sell at the box office, this is my new favorite Chazelle along with being an incredible love letter to cinema and the big screen experience. It’s an ambitious and epic tale that is equally complex in its detailing of an era, using the transitional period between silent film and talkies to say something astute about our present day. This is a reminder of why film matters as an artform, but even more than this it is a reminder of how something beautiful can be found in what is often a messy and problematic industry. The devil is in the details, profoundly imagined through the allure of Babylon, and yet so is the transcendent.

The Fablemans (Directed By Steven Spielberg)

Five minutes in and I knew this film was going to be special. Spielberg might have stronger projects in his filmography, but this is likely his most important. And despite it being grossly underseen I do feel like it will go on to age like a fine wine, cementing itself in future years as a bona-fide classic. It has all the markings and characteristics to become this.

What makes this film so special is that it is Spielbergs most affectionately drawn and honest portraits to date. It’s autobiographical nature allows him to simply tell his story and explore why this artform matters so much to him. It’s far less concerned with the normal polish he might ordinarily provide, giving this story some freedom to be a bit more unwieldy and raw. Where we might expect him to reach for transcendent qualities, which is what he is so good at evoking, he stays decidedly grounded. And it is here where the film is able to revel in the detail of the artform more so than simply demonstrating its final expression. If Babylon stands as a larger than life love letter to a messy film industry and the artform it so carefully curates, what Spielberg offers here out of the messiness of his own life is a pared back and personalized love letter to the workings of the form itself, highlighting its immense potential to transform.

Aftersun (Directed By Charlotte Wells)

Stunning is the singular word I can use to describe this film. Stunning in the fact that it is a debut. The emotional depths this film finds is indicative of a seasoned master. Stunning in its commitment to simplicity. And stunning at the same time for its sheer emotional depth. This is about the relationship between a father and a daughter. More so its a story about the power of memory and the art of looking back. The film opens with an aged daughter who stumbles across an old home movie of a vacation she took with her father. We obviously know something happened in the gap between this vacation and this present moment, and as we go on this journey of recollecting this vacation we also know that this vacation was somehow significant. The power of the film lies in these moments between her reflecting on the trip through thus VHS tape and the Directors reenactment of these memories as a story which is able to fill in the gaps. This becomes a way of moving in and out of specific points of perspective, discovering the hidden details of this relationship along with the daughter. A simply powerful and dismantling emotional journey,

After Yang (Directed By Kogonada)

For most of 2022 After Yang has occupied my number one spot, standing far and above the others in this respect. For me this is a film that managed to transcend all of my normal measurements regarding what makes an exceptional film truly exceptional. Aftersun put up a good fight in threatening to derail it, but a rewatch of After Yang confirmed for me that this remains the best of 2022 and an appropriate representative. It asks big, life altering questions about the nature of memory, what it means to be human, and how it is that we make sense of life in the face of this existing tension between our mortality and our longings for the eternal. It showcases a striking commitment to fleshing out the humanity behind their well established questions about existence, which is made all the more poignant by the fact that Yang himself is not human. He is a robot in a future where such automated persons are becoming the norm. This provides the grounding for fleshing out such questions in light of this quiet, sci-fi premise as a larger existential concern.

There is a necessary investment in the world building that expresses itself in a subtle and low key fashion, resulting in some haunting and lingering sequences that are busting full of emotional concern. This is accented by the equally beautiful and captivating performances that help this story come to life with meaning and purpose. From here the film grows into an expertly crafted portrait of the connection between the particulars of being human and the cultural touchpoints of being Asian. Equally pertinent then is the multi-layered presence of the “after” in the title. It is as much about what lingers I the face of deeply felt loss (after death), as it is about recognizing how life after Yang has left them a changed people navigating the world differently. There is so much worthwhile subject matter sitting on the surface of this story, which only makes the obvious layers that much more exciting to explore and peel back on subsequent viewings. This is the sure sign of a master storyteller, one who shapes this story with compassion, insight, skill, care, and creativity

As it is with any year, it’s been a good year for film, As it is with any year, taking the time to seek out worthwhile titles will merit possible gems and worthwhile projects and personal favorites. There remains a wealth of new titles and plenty of ways to see them, especially as the year comes to a close.

My lists are of course simply my, and therefore one persons perspective on the most memorable and special watches of this year. This belongs of course to a much larger discussion filled with many different opinions and experiences and perspectives. As I’ve been reflecting on 2022, I found myself wanting to champion titles that left their mark and managed to make me feel something. As is typical, I lean heavily into theme and cherish good stories. So with that in mind, I figured I would start with a choice of 10 outliers, hidden gems from 2022 that I very much enjoyed but which didn’t make my top 20. These do not include horror, animated or documentary genres as I have dedicated separate pages to them in this same space.

The Hidden Gems

Lotawana (Directed By Trevor Hawkins)

The films stripped back nature might betray the strength of its thematic and structural presence. The way the Director draws out the underlying tension of this relationship between two indivduals looking to escape from the pressures of the world, and ultimately finding motivation to do so in eachother, using specific visual and design techniques is really impressive. These tensions have a way of invading the hopeful ideals they are trying to find, or perhaps establish, out on a remote Missouri lake. This brings unexpected revelations, unwanted news, disagreements and uncertainty, family tensions. Their intentions are good and even admirable, but it is a responsibilty to life itself and the worlds they occupy both separately and togetger that prove vital to their need to work things out in a way that fits both the idealism and the stark nature of their reality. If the film has its way it would convince us that such a tension is possible to hold in the beauty of the moment and the intimate details such as facial expressions, sunsets, shimmering water, a smile, or even the silence.

Really impressed with this one. One of the better films from the early 2022 slate, and I even think it’s a debut. Which makes it more impressive.

All My Puny Sorrows (Directed By Michael McGowan)

One of my favorite Canadian films of 2022. It’s a tough watch, but a rewarding one. It follows two estranged sisters as they reconnect following an attempted suicide and navigate the aftermath of this reality. It’s a bit raw and rough around the edges, intentionally so, especially when it comes to the editing. But that plays a role in its definite emotional punch.

Murina (Directed By Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic)

Technically a holdover from 2021, but it didn’t get a wide release until this year.

The kind of coming of age drama you don’t encounter very often with a concluding third act which will leave you thinking about it long after. Not simply in a thought provoking way, but in a “did they just do that” kind of way.

And what’s interesting is that for as crazy as the film’s finish feels it also feels entirely realistic and natural. This is a film that is bathed in its setting, making the eel spear and the one piece bathing suit that comes to define the film’s aesthetic a character in and of itself. A character uniquely suited to capturing the Adriatic, Croatian backdrop. This is a film for the senses. I guarantee you will never look at family dynamics in the same way again.

Moon, 66 Questions (Directed By Jacqueline Lentzou)

A poignant picture of a dysfunctional familial relationship which digs underneath the facade of our emotional distance and past the trauma to unearth some important observations about living and functioning in the present moment, especially where reality forces us to reconcile life’s important tensions. Here we follow an estranged daughter who travels back home to attend to her ailing father. Through this we are made aware of the unspoken baggage, even if we don’t know entirely what it is. This forms the central arc of the quietly expressed journey, told through the observation of external movement and the internal processes that guide them.

The Phantom of The Open (Directed By Craig Roberts)

Just might be one of the most heartwarming films you see all year.

A pure delight with Rylance capturing the real world personality with his usual understated charm and commitment

Man of God (Directed By Helena Popovic)

This one surprised me, not just with its unconventional approach but also with its intimate portrait of an orthodox Saint. And to be honest, it’s intimate portrait of Eastern Orthodoxy. It follows the story of a single, Orthodox Priest who, after being falsely accused of a scandal, goes on to make an appeal for necessary reform, for a return to aestheticism.

As a very low budget and indie affair I imagine this will struggle to find an audience. But I was quite taken with the journey of this Priest as he attempts to stay faithful in the midst of adversity while striving to bring about change, especially when it comes to the commentary it provides on power, power systems and the relevance of a Christlike and cruciform life.

Jockey (Directed By Clint Bentley)

Features a career performance from Clifton Collins Jr,, who plays an aging Jockey wrestling with questions of mortality and legacy. The film also boasts some amazing cinematography which shines through some exquisitely drawn long takes. This is about a relationship between a human and his horse, bor more so it is about life’s relationship to living in the shadows of those most important questions. It’s a beautiful film and deserves more eyeballs.

Marvelous and the Black Hole (Directed By Kate Tsang)

Quirky, different, and refreshingly accessible given its creative edges, this coming of age family drama manages to speak to a younger audience while also displaying it’s maturity. Be.aware that it has some mature elements (including language), but don’t let that detract from this being a film you watch with your kids. I think the message is important and the way it sheds light on real life struggles is honest and unfiltered.

The young woman occupying the heart of the story finds herself struggling with the death of their mother and not knowing how to grieve. And so she takes it out on her family and friends by rebelling, neglecting school and picking up destructive behaviors. That’s when she meets this marvelous older woman who is into performing magic. The two strike up a relationship that threatens to challenge both of their perspectives as they now are figuring stuff out together.

The magic motif is a nice touch, blending in with with the dreamlike sequences to form a corelary narrative. But it’s the grounded stuff that retains the film’s true emotional weight. 

Shout out to Don Shanahan at https://everymoviehasalesson.com/ for turning me on to this film by way of recommendation

The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson (Directed By Leah Purcell)

Every year there seems to be a small, quiet western that manages to sneak in under the radar and prove the genre is still going strong. This is 2022’s entry, and it’s a strong one.

A really strong performance from someone I’ve never heard of tops of the list of accolades here, which include an excellent use of mystery and suspense that keeps adding layers to our protagonist as the film goes on, a gripping tone, some honest emotional moments that hit to the core, and a messy, raw undertone that serves its dark and moody atmosphere. It’s an Australian western and thus the backdrop affords it a haunting and beautiful backdrop as well.

It’s also ripe with the necessary family drama befitting the homestead focus, leaning into the lawless nature that such a survivalist tale demands.

To Leslie (Directed By Michael Morris)

The rise and fall of this films central character in a memorable and perhaps career defining role for Andrea Riseborough happens early and happens quickly. It’s a plot device which uses a sudden lottery win to mark the middle aged mother’s journey through the inevitable bookends. Who she was before she wins and who she is after losing the winnings is meant to parallel a person enslaved to addiction and given to relapse. The early sequence that shows her going from untold riches to forgotten and invisible single mother estranged from her son and relegated to the streets becomes a window into her past relationship with her son. So when she decides to track down her son we are immediately able to locate the unspoken patterns that continue to govern her life while also being able to empathize with struggles to trust and forgive.

This is a character drama through and through with some lovely moments of vulnerability and a strong emotional core. These are complex characters who don’t fit easy categories, and thus it becomes easy to get invested. Strong direction keeps the focus on the journey, not so much in a progressive or linear sense, although there is a natural progression and potential growth, but on the revelations themsleves. Which makes this a rewarding and worthwhile viewing

I feel like if I have some real blind spots in 2022 it would be in the category of documentary. There are a few of the big hitters I never got around to seeing, and to be honest, unlike last year where we had two big frontliners for the Oscar’s and some very real hopefuls things have felt quieter this year as a whole. Still though, definitely did come across a few worthwhile titles.

Here is my top 5 ranked in decendimg order, along with two outliers:

The Outliers:

Fire of Love (Directed By Sara Dosa)

Gorgeous to look at. See it on the big screen if you can as much of the story’s weight stems from the fact that the footage this eccentric couple captured through their generally fearless love affair with volcanoes helped to reshape our understanding of what volcanoes are and how they work. The footage helps to tell this story.

It’s also unquestionably sentimental in the way the Documentary filmmakers write their story. The degree to which this a positive or negative will depend on the viewer, but there is some heavy interpretive work on display here that reaches far beyond the reality of the volcanoes themsleves and their story of capturing these volcanoes in their element, especially when it weaves this into a commentary on the nature of existence.

Stutz (Directed By Jonah Hill)

Raw and honest experiment that is best experienced rather than critiqued. I’m not sure it has an appropriate measure. It’s basically a camera set up to capture the story of Hill’s therapist, or more importantly the ideas his therapist has given him through their time together.

Given it is an experiment it takes some random turns as it becomes aware of its own process. Becomes a film intended to capture and communicate that then instead begins to observe the process of therapy itself. No matter how hard Hill tries to keep it on his therapist, turns out the best way to know his therapists ideas is to see him in action. Through that we get to know intimate parts of of both of them.

Not sure quite where to categorize it. Feels like there is a Buddhist subtext to the therapy? In any case it didn’t isolate me watching it as a Christian. I think it leaves plenty of space for that external force or power to occupy the unknown, the uncertain, the hopeful and unspoken longings. That space where the self meets the other.

My Top 5 Docuementaries of 2022:

Good Night Oppy (Directed By Ryan White)

Very basic but also designed to be a crowd pleaser. If the measure of its success is accomplishing what it sets out to do- making us feel for these robots as though they were human- it should be defined as a success story both in the field and on screen. Of course one of the things the doc needs to do is translate the investment of the professional in their field both emotionally and scientifically, to our own investment in humanity’s and the earth’s future, and it mostly succeeds on this front as well. Do the two things- the sentimentality and the seriousness- sometimes feel a bit at odds? I guess. But that’s not really a detriment to the experience of the film itself

Navalny (Directed By Danuel Roher)

A shocking story that I imagine hits harder if you know nothing about it. Timely given the Russian context. Given the shocking nature of what happens to this singular individual, future leader and critic, the film offers one of the most intense experiences of 2022,

Son of Cornwall (Directed By Lawrence Richards)

“I tried living without God. It was a mes…
So if we’re taking about what drew me back to the love of God, it was a terrible mess I was in.”

A quiet, unassuming doc about an opera singer returning to his home to revisit his past. Lovely and touching, mixing humor with the honesty of his story.

Adrienne (Directed By Adrienne Shelly)

Ya, I’m crying.
And so are you. Or you will be

Tells the heartbreaking story of Adrienne Shelly, affectionately know around here for her work on and in the amazing film Waitress

Decendent (Directed By Margaret Brown)

Shocking and hard-hitting, this documentary set in Africatown, Alabama is a great example of the power of the form at work. It’s a film that digs into the soil of a forgotten history to find the story of what really happened in this place where the last slave ship made landfall. It’s about the past, it’s about the dead. It’s also about the living and the present as it attempts to grapple with the tragic realities of slave history and race relations in America

All About Eve (Directed By Jospeh L Mankiewicz)

An outstanding character study built on the stand out and largely complimentary performances of Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in the role of these two women in quiet contest each with their own interests and motivations. The script is equally wonderful as it weaves in some wonderful twists and turns. And that ending. Absolutely transfixing and haunting.

Definitely shines as a true classic with some wonderful reflections on the artistic world, the creative process, and its ambitions and allure.

Come and See (Directed By Elem Klimov)

It’s not often an initial viewing inspires a five star rating. Typically my rule is time and consecutive watches for bumping it up from a 4.5. Every once in a while a film comes around that is simply that undeniable. This is one of those.

A true masterpiece in every way, so much so that it’s nearly impossible to say anything profoundly observant that would add to this experience in any way. Certainly nothing that hasn’t already been expressed many times over through the years since it’s release. I’m content to say this is simply a film you need to experience in order to fully appreciate, an inspired story of two young lost souls caught up in the unimaginable horrors of war being forced, well beyond their years, to wrestle with the tension that exists between hope and despair.

Thief (Directed By Micheal Mann)

Mann’ debut feature, and he directs this like he is already a master of the craft. Captures the grime and the grit of its street level story, a setting which also allows the characters to follow suit (also an early feature for James Caan). A deliciously fun ride that manages to expose the fallacy of the great American dream.

High and Low (Directed By Akira Kurosawa)

A superbly written detective story that simply moves with the dance of its effortlessly positioned performances. The first hour alone features some expectionally written dialogue stationed as it is in a singular apartment. The high and low of the story frames the films setting as it moves through the city with the second half broadening our point of perspective with the unfolding mystery.

Everything about this, from the small details of the story and the set pieces to the cinematography is richly designed and an example of genuine craft that demands your attention and likely several rewatches. Simply brilliant.

Winter Light (Directed By Ingmar Bergman)

“If only we could feel safe and dare show each other tenderness. If only we had some truth to believe in. If only we could believe.”

I’m not sure I can recall a more honest prayer being uttered. That it emerges from such a striking posture of doubt and struggle is what makes it more than merely honest, but also palpable and formative. Building off questions raised in Bergmans previous film regarding the tension that exists between God’s love and Gods seeming silence in the face of tragedy, Winters Light digs deep into the feelings of despair that emerge when the silence appears to be far more present than the love.

The question of Gods love is intimately attached to loves expressive voice in relationship to one another, suggesting that wrestling with God is not something we do in isolation. It is community with one another that holds the power to awaken is to communnion with God as the same tension plays out in the inner workings of our lives. We see this in the contrasting responses of the Priest’s joyous celebration over the liberating acceptance of unblief and the parishioners concession of lifes futility. This is a tension that longs to be reconciled as we are confronted with the cruel nature of this world. The tension becomes more real when we bear the weight and responsibilty of stepping into the struggle of another to offer hope.

There is a thread of personal failure that makes its way through the character arc of the Priests journey. He fails himslef, his marriage, his mistress, his parishioners, his church, and ultimately God. There is a sense in which this becomes a necessary beginning point for contemplating the nature of God, beckoning us towards an acknowleegment that we are not in control and that we desperately long for something to make sense of our uncertainty. In the above prayer this doesn’t come through certain answers but rather a posture of humility and acknowledgment of both our fears and our longings. As we see this transforming the way we see one another, we can see it transforming the way we see God, with love being the truth that once again makes itself known.

The Face of Another (Directed By Hiroshi Teshigahara)

“Looks like you’re getting used to the mask. Or is the mask getting used to you?”

The story follows two essential characters- a man with a facial disfigurement who gets a mask which he wears to cover up his blemishes, and a young woman with a scar that holds in its presence the larger story of war, post war reality, and socio-political headship. Here the intimacy of the indivual story is seen through the larger context of the world that forms it.

This comes alive through the Directors attention to detail, with each frame and each sequence calling us deeper into the the film’s questions. In many ways these questions revolve around identity and identity crisis, wondering about how it is that we make sense of who we are where we are in a given moment and a given context. Whats powerful about this is the way the camera awakens us to matters of perspective, the one that we perceive looking in on us and making judgments of us and the one we perceive and judge looking outwards. These perspectives are shaped togther informing one another as we attempt to move out into the world and participate as we are, or as the mask suggests, as we wish to be seen.

The uncertainty that comes with the fear of being recognized for who we are lingers in the forgotten spaces of the details, which makes so much of this film an exercise in memory. Memories of the forgotten past set in tension with the unseen future, an idea that this young woman with a scarred face projects on to the larger socio-political reality. This is, in its way, what pushes us in our insecurities to engage in a constant process of juggling several masks at the same time, with the question of how we begin to unconsciously conform to these identities being a crucial one. It’s relationship to the larger culture in terms of that inevitable tension between the ways we are formed by it and the ways we inform it is where we uncover the layers, ultimately allowing us to reapply this to the notion of the indivual in helpful ways.

A powerful film that will require mulitple watches to uncover the richness of its detail and it’s substance.

Cries and Whispers (Directed By Ingmar Bergman)

The cries and whispers of the inward soul spill out into the seemingly endless void of an ambivalent, uncaring universe. We do not matter because we do not matter to oursleves.

And yet, the mystery begins to speak quietly from void in ways unexpected- by way of someone who hears. Someone who picks up these cries and whispers and formulates it into a conversation. We matter, it turns out, because we matter to an other, and this frees us to matter to ourselves.

This is how the mystery makes itself known. Where God has heard the cries and the whispers he is given it to us to stand in the void as the hands and feet of the one who hears, the one who loves, the one who, in its most basic expression, is present. Simply togther.

The Death of Mr. Lazorescu (Directed By Cristi Puiu)

Operates as a scathing critique of the health care system whole affording its workers and the patients caught within it a great deal of empathy. It’s surprisingly funny too for something this serious and important. Paints a deeply human portrait.

Sweet Smell of Success (Directed By Alexander Mackendrick)

A breathtaking romp through the mud of some generally disgusting and nasty human behavior. This film is chock full of memorable and great lines, but one word rings true- they are all “snakes”. No other way to describe this mash up of characters.

The story essentially follows a columnist writing for the New York Times and his efforts to break up a romance he disapproves of between his sister and a jazz musician. He has a way with words of course and is used to being in a position of control. The more things spin wildly out of control the deeper he sinks into this increasingly self interested and merciless scheme. This is where charachter and motivations and the desperation of the damaged ego rises more and more to the surface.

The fllm translates readily across eras and feels uncomfortably familiar to certain traits of modern society. While the treatment of women on display rings loud as a product of its time (making its commentary that much more profound) what’s perhaps more scary are the ways this still expresses itself today in different forms.

The black and white sinks this all into the wonderful noirish vibes, making this a real visual delight along with a near perfect script and outstanding performances.

Fanny and Alexander (Directed By Ingmar Bergman)

From the opening scene Bergman beckons us forward into the world of this film and invites us to linger in the shadows where we are able to experience the story from the perspective of a child. Or perhaps more poignantly from the the perspective of widened adult eyes peering backwards into the solace of those complicated childhood memories. It would seem, given that this was his final film, and a majestic one at that, that Bergmans desire was to capture the trajectory of his career, writing this story through the lingering presence of his own formative experiences and shaping that against a career of deeply expressed longing, exploration, questioning and curiousity. Where the darker edges still seem to haunt him here spiritual imagination takes over bringing to life visions of a world that is able to move effortlessly between this earthly reality and transcendent truths. The film weaves together the supernatural and the natural tightly until they cannot exist above or apart. Similar with the fluidity of the life and the dream which Bergman Directs with expert attention to the cinematic transitions. Certain key images, the puppets being a highly visible one, anchor is in a sense of belonging functioning as both comfort and fear.

The films epic runtime takes its time and immerses us in its story, allowing us thd chsncd go get to know the characters before deconstructing their grace filled life with the intrusion of a legitimate horror, eventually putting it back together by way of this persistent grip on hope and innocence.

It’s a profound film built around a grand vision and told with an intimate and personal touch.

I feel like this year has a little bit of an odd one when it comes to animated films. For me personally there hasn’t really been a stand out entry, and the ones that are populating the larger conversation are a pair of less traditional choices (the stop motion Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and Del Toro’s Pinocchio).

However, I also don’t see this as a bad thing. Typically the stand outs overshadow the small joys of smaller, imperfect fare that deserve attention in their own right, and this is a great space and opportunity to do this. Here are my top 5 animated films of 2022 ranked in decending order with two honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention: Puss in Boots The Last Wish (Directed by Joel Crawford), Strange World (Directed by Don Hall)

I’m fairly fresh off a viewing, but as a considerate fan of this character and the original film this film deserves mention for its attention to the craft. I have some quibbles with the story, especially where it depicts the subject of death, but the characters themselves are well fleshed out, the journey they go on invested and entertaining, and the way it uses different aspects of the animation style is creatively utilized. It’s a reminder of why this character is beloved.

On the flip side is a welcome Disney original that went largely unseen, which us unfortunate because it is a fresh tale with a fun, adventurous vibe and a nice peal to honestly drawn characters and a natural appeal to diversity and ethical concern,

Del Toro’s Pinocchio (Directed by Guillermo Del Toro)

I like to think of myself as the biggest Del Toro fan out there. Doesn’t matter what he puts out there, for me it always has something worthwhile to offer and something important to say, and it always reflects the voice of someone who treats filmmaking with the imagination and delight of a child. In truth, it doesn’t take long for him to make a strong case for why Pinocchio is an adaptation he needed to make, and with its shortcomings it nevertheless remains a true expression of his voice and style. I do think the film feels scattered, as though he had too many great ideas and nobody to help whittle them down. And thematically the film ends up feeling a bit uncertain and less than fleshed out. I even feel like the animation style struggles under the weight of its scope, feeling clunky when it comes to the more intimate details. But within the different sequences and working parts of the story there are real stand out moments that speak to the films potential towards capturing the darker edges of the classic tale and bridging the humanist portraits with an appeal to the transcendent.

INU-OH (Directed by Masaaki Yuasa)

One of the more unique animated films to release this year. Unlike anything else I’ve seen actually with its fusion of myth, folktale, history, music and rock musical set in an older period context. It’s a barrage of sensibilities that plays on the senses using elongated musical performances and a defintie shift in the second half into something tonally different from the first. It’s very visual, the first half relying on symbolism and the abstract and the second half playing things in a more literal and concrete fashion. Whether audiences find this to reflect a disconnect or whether it plays as complimentary could have varying degrees of response. I found it mostly fascinating as it weaves this all into a message about the nature of conflict and survival, the masks we wear to guard ourselves from the implications of this nature, and the reality of isolation, fear and struggle that binds ourselves to this nature both past and present.

One of the great surprises of 2022. Ridiculously entertaining and quite meaningful in terms of theme and message. Quite clever as well.

Lightyear (Angus MacLane)

Lightyear is, at its most basic, simple fun touched with some nice emotional notes. It reminded me of watching Saturday morning cartoons, only with its obvious cinematic presence. Perhaps reminiscent of something like the Iron Giant (although not quite as good). The story is a play on the subtext of the popular Toy Story figure, presenting Buzz not as the familiar character but the scripted character the toy is based on. It’s not so much that we get his backstory, although this film can certainly accent some of the story beats from the Toy Story franchise. What we get is something entirely its own thing. And that gives this film a lot of freedom to carve its own path. I never felt like I was watching something necessarily tied or bound to its previously marketable material. Will that hurt or help this film? Time will tell. I suspect it could lead to some confusion over what this is, so getting viewers out to see it could be a challenge. For those who do see it i think it has the chance to surprise.

Mad God (Directed by Phil Tippett)

This is madness on a whole other level. The metaphors are rich, and it’s hard not to see our present reality in the chaos. The animation, done using intricate and detailed stop motion, is simply otherworldly, which helps to transport us into its depraved world. Cycles loom large here, leaving one wondering whether there is any way to escape, any promise of liberation. Maps, bombs, surgeons and drones, they all intersect in the decent into the shadow world underneath.

A film that will merit multiple watches to scratch the surface of its ideas, to be sure.

Turning Red (Directed by Domee Shi)

I love how thus film anchors the developmental stage of its young woman coming of age in the larger world of family and friendship and a gradual process of becoming in the face of two worlds and cultures colliding. As it says, “We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of oursleves hidden away. And a lot of us never let it out.”

If there is a pure animated feature that deserves to be considered fas a standout pick for 2022 it would be this undersold and quietly persistent animated gem. It’s a but unconventional when it comes to the kind of films we have become used to from Pixar, but that’s what makes it so special and unique.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp)

I’ve written elsewhere about my love for this film and it’s themes, but the films use of space and size to create these contrasts of perspective and to bring out the full emotion of Marcels pursuit and struggle is profound and revealing. One of its most spectacular accomplishments is using this to make full use of the big screen experience while making the simplicity of its story profoundly fitted for a more intimate viewing at home. This is a character that imprints a very real heart and soul into one’s imagination, and does so in a completely disarming and unassuming fashion,

It’s a talking shell of course. With shoes and other human qualities that help us feel what it’s like to feel alone this world and what it’s like to find community and belonging. Perhaps the most notable part of his story is a point where he is sitting there watching himself on YouTube and wondering whether all these people online might be a community. He quickly discovers it’s not real. A shell with shoes on gets this more then most real life people.

If I had to sum up horror in 2022 I might narrow it to down to two basic observations- an interest in telling women’s stories featuring compelling women characters and strong leads, and second an examination of parental/generational relationships.

We can see this in early releases like Alex Garlands Men, a film that grapples with a woman, played to perfection by Jessie Buckley, who is striving to find healing from a past relationship within a world still governed by a long standing patriarchy. Equally so in the excellent Resurrection, which features a woman (Rebecca Hall) wrestling with the patriarchy in light of pieces from her past. Or the character of Nevena, played with a rough hued empathy by Sara Kilmoska in the brooding You Won’t Be Alone, finding her way in a foreign world that has seemingly rejected her for who she is (a witch). This is a film that works to see the world from Nevenas perspective, who herself is learning to see the world from the perspective of the others that surround her. You Are Not My Mother features Hazel Doupe as the lead in a memorable film about familial secrets and mother-daugher relationships, Nanny explores familial dynamics from the perspective of an illegal immigrant from Senegal, separated from her son and facing the horrors of the present, Bones and All paints a hard hitting character study of a young woman coming of age uncovering the mystery of her own relationship with her estranged mother, while The Innocents sees a world of distanced and distracted adults from the child’s point of view, Smile features Doctor Rose Carter ( Sosie Bacon) confronting her own storied past, and Lullaby is a striking story about mothers and children. Hellbender features a coming of age story centered around mother and daughter relationships.

And then of course we have memorable turns from Mia Goth in Pearl, Georgina Campbell in Barbarian, closure for Jamie Lee Curtis’ iconic Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends, a stunning portrait of a mother-daughter relationship in Joanna Hoggs The Eternal Daughter, Anya Taylor-Joy stealing the ensemble cast in The Menu, and perhaps the most triggering film of 2022 for parents with children Speak No Evil.

What I figured I would do is offer 5 outliers- films that did not make my ranked list but which I feel deserve attention, and then offer my top 10 ranked list of 2022 in decending order:

The Outliers

Nanny (Directed by Nikyatu Jusu)

Captures the struggles of immigrants, and in this case immigrant mothers with the broad brush strokes of an intimately drawn horror. The performances, the vibe, the visuals, it’s all decidedly effective here, especially where it uses this to form a well crafted immersive and emotional experience.

The Domestic (Directed by Bradley Katzen)

A strong script helps steady a sprawling story about the horror that emerges from within social economic divide after a wealthy couple hires the daughter of a deceased housekeeper. It’s atmospheric and is really good at building a gradual sense of dread. A good choice for exploring horror from South Africa

No Exit (Directed by Damien Power)

I thought about including Barbarian (spoiler alert) here as an example of a tight, taught entertaining thriller. I went with No Exit because it released early and I think it’s worth a watch. It is extremely accessible while also being a nice choice for the early January days of winter. Good tension, a little bit of mystery and a fair amount of fun

All Eyes (Directed by Todd Greenlee)

A hidden gem that presents a decidedly astute character study fleshed out between two strangers hidden with a fusion of monster film meets home alone with adults.

What Josiah Saw (Directed by Vincent Grashaw)

A decidedly fresh take on family stories set in an isolated farmhouse. It’s all about dysfunctional families and past sins emerging, but where that feels familiar it fleshes it out here in some unexpected ways when it comes to the characters and its commitment to the slow build mystery.

Top Ten Ranked (Decending Order)

Smile (Directed by Parker Finn)

A stellar debut. I don’t rattle easy when it comes to horror, but dang, this film did exactly what it set out to do and genuinely got in to my head. It earned every jump scare, featuring strong performances and interesting thematic ideas. A well executed and entertaining horror film that deserves to be experienced with a crowd, as it is bound to generate discussion.

Lullaby (Directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azua)

A late addition to the 2022 horror line up given that it just released before Christmas. It’s rare that a film hits on such a level that I feel compelled to rewatch it almost immediately. That’s precisely what happened The premise, which revolves around the legend and lore of Lilith, uncovers a well crafted horror, one of the best of 2022 to be sure, which manages to play around with a few familiar tropes in ways that are bound to unsettle (warning for any with newborns, this will be a difficult watch).

You Won’t Be Alone (Directed By Goran Stolevski)

“It’s a burning, breaking thing, this world. A biting, wretching thing.”

It’s only once the fullness of this story comes to fruition, conflicted as it is by the great tension of what it means to be human in a largely uncaring and unconscious universe, that the horrific and the holy (to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite podcasts, the Fear of God) seem to finally come together in a way that gives rise to something rather profound and quite beautiful. In following the character of a young witch named Nevena who, after being isolated from the world as a child finally emerges looking to both understand it and find her place in it, we find the horror and the beauty present in this world set in tension. Its a slow burn, and I’m not sure everyone will appreciate the meditative quality in the same way, especially in its more brutal moments. And yet for those willing to see the world from the perspective of the outsider I do think there is something powerful to experience here, something that can teach us important truths about our world and our place in it.

I Was a Simple Man/The Eternal Daughter (Directed by Christopher Makoto Yogi/Joanna Hogg

I paired these two films together because they both qualify as unconventional horror. They are both ghost stories, but of the dramatic type.

I Was A Simple Man tells a haunting ghost story that, as it follows the sobering process of a man facing declining health and an inevitable death, we find him facing the ghosts of his past while the film also explores the larger cultural history of Hawaii. It’s quiet, patient and quite powerful in terms of the visuals, which ebb and flow with the dark framing of the night sky and the surreal beauty of the day. Somehow it feels both grounded and transcendent.

The Eternal Daughter is the most recent film from the Director of Souvenir and Souvenir 2, continuing to prove that Hogg is one of the most interesting Directors working today. Here she paints a compelling portrait, supposedly part autobiographical, of a daughter returning to her family home (now a hotel) in order to come to grips with pieces of her past, including her relationship with her mother. Its brilliantly structured making good use of its setting, both which play into an astute character study built on the strengths of Swinton in a dual role,

The Menu (Directed by Mark Mylod)

Difficult to speak of this film without spoilers, but suffice to say it’s a delicious concoction of a brilliant idea, strong themes and memorable performances. There is lots here, thematically speaking, and it manages to establish a compelling metaphor that speaks in a meaningful way to questions of legacy, art and story amidst social divide and realities of class. One of the more intelligently drawn horror features of 2022

Resurrection (Directed by Andrew Semans)

So many thoughts, and so little I can say without spoiling the full force of the films daring and audacious ending. Yet another film about a woman trapped in a mans world and given to its abuses and patriarchal demands. And yet I wouldn’t exactly call this Men 2.0. The metaphorical force of that film is much more aggressive and on the nose. Resurrection is definitely not subtle, especially once we hit the back half of the films runtime, but it does have a subtle commitment to the headspace of its titular characters that frames this more as an introspective character study as opposed to the parable like story that informs Men’s go for broke linear approach. And Hall gives one of the most memorable monologues of the year.

Bones and All (Directed by Luca Guadagnino)

You’d be forgiven for thinking this might be just another run of the mill YA vampire film, an overly dramatic love story and all the rest. But this is both not that and so much more than that at the same time. Its a coming of age film about growing up into an uncertain world. It’s about learning how to face the parts of ourselves we don’t like without allowing the world to define us as one who cannot be otherwise. And it explores this through some well defined portraits of family and community

Nope

You can’t speak about horror in 2022 without inevitably being forced to engage Jordan Peele’s Nope. One of the big questions on the table going into this one was whether or not he had the ability to reinvent and push the boundaries of his well known tendencies and style. There is little doubt that he succeeds, creating a story that juggles multiple themes and ideas whike leaving them all up for interpretation. Here he plays with everything from the history of cinema to the human-creature relationship to the human penchant for cannibalizing itself when it comes to culture. It’s brilliant, even if certain themes do remain somewhat veiled.

Pearl (Directed by Ti West)

You also can’t speak of horror in 2022 without mentioning the jaw dropping performance of Mia Goth. It’s equally awe inspiring to consider that both X and this prequel released this year. I loved X. I’m pretty sure I loved this more. Completely different kind of film. Pure aesthetic and straight up nostalgia piece. It’s as if they threw together Pleasantville, Wizard of Oz and X.

The Northman (Directed by Robert Eggers)

I’ve written quite a bit regarding my affection for this film elsewhere, but suffice to say it landed for me in a big way. There is powerful clarity here lingering underneath the surface that points to a natural beauty, the power of new life, the inner longings for peace and restoration, the pain of injustice leading to deeper relationship with one another. But it also leaves no question about a world still enslaved to the same cycles of eye for an eye means of justice that we find embedded in Eggers real commitment to mythic history, something we as viewers today would do well not to relegate to some relic of unenlightened history or fantastical superstions. It’s this dedication, not just to recreating the history but in affording the mythic qualities of this history a degree of humility, that makes this film so powerful. It challenges our perceptions of reality and grounds the human experience in both a common struggle and a shared need for the transcendent, for something redemptive.

The Innocents

A brilliantly crafted and mesmerizing story told from the perspective of this diverse collection of children with super human powers (with incredible child performances empowering the characters). This film challenges our ability to boil things down to simple black and white terms. These children are unique, something that plays into their relationship to the adults in their lives. The adults failure to see these kids and to be present with them forces the children to have to navigate the complicated reality of the world they see and the world they know in a world the adults don’t and cannot share. And yet their worlds and perspectives still overlap and the children’s actions have real world consequences both good and bad.

This is the kind of film that lets the questions it raises linger in the recesses of our mind. It’s a slow burn drama about kids with powers, and it’s also a horror, but both of these aspects play a role in telling a deeply committed human story about what it means to be a child in a world where being a child means also being misunderstood and not always seen by the adults in our lives. It is the strength of community that emerges within this group of children then, amidst their diversity, that might embody the films most profound revelation. This provides the context for the moral tension that arises in the films complex arc and its unsettling conclusion.

“What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”

• Galatians 4:1-7

I had this passage pop up in my feed as one that speaks about the coming of the Christ child, and I was reminded of some recent discussion regarding verses 4 and 5 I had had with some others.

The phrasing “when the set time had come” often gets misapplied and misunderstood. To understand this phrase one needs to consider verse 5:
“to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”

This answers the question of why “God sent his Son”. This also answers the question of why his son was “born of a woman, born under the law”- to redeem those under the Law according to the expectation of those under the law (meaning: the Jewish promise of the womans seed which will crush the head of the serpent).

It also answers the question of why redeem those under the law”- so that “we” might receive adoption to sonship.

Now here is the crucial thing. Notice how Paul keeps moving between the use of “we” and the use of “you”. When he uses we he is speaking of those under the law, meaning the Jews (Israel), which he includes himself among. Paul sees Jesus freeing his people from slavery within the Jewish story and the jewish expectation. Adoption to sonship for the Jews therefore means the fulfillment of the promise to the Jews in light of the Jewish story. This is what it means then to say “when the set time had come”. There are two words used to refer to time in the Greek, one of which connotes chronological time, the other which means a breaking into time. In this verse it is chronoligical and can best be understood to mean “the time had been fulfilled’, or that the new age had begun (since they measured time according to the current age and the age to come).

Further yet, the phrasing “adoption to sonship” is not some statement about the process of salvation within an individual as this verse is so often used to say. The phrase flows from the analogy in verse 1 where it says “as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.” The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. In this analogy it is applied to Israel. Israel is the we. Paul’s point here, which he also fleshes out in Romans with even more robustness, is that this is how Israel is saved, by which he means this is how the covenant promise is fulfilled in Jesus, therefore “in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” The you being his audience of Gentile Christans divided over whether one needs to become a Jew (be circumcised) in order to follow Christ. As Paul says, “the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith”, for which the best interpretation is faithfulness or allegiance. They had the Law so that they might be formed by it, and this Law was not a set of rules but a story in which they find the revealed name of God. In the same way then, “you are all children of God through faith(fullness)”, the you being his gentile audience, meaning that circumcision is not the point, faithfulness to God is the point.

What Paul means is this: “The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.”

This means the promise that we find in the covenant to crush the head of the serpent, rise to the throne and usher in the new creation has come to fruition and been realized in Jesus. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Thus when “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law”, this is in fact good news for the world as the Gentiles are called to participate in the new reality this brings about in and for the whole world . In Jesus’ arrival under the law (meaning within the Jewish story) we find that God has in fact been faithful to the covenant promise. This is why we speak of the child born to Mary and Joseph as good news and a promise of peace and joy to all the world.

“This is the imagination. It’s a wonderful place.”

• Kris Kringle (Miracle on 34th Street)

Perhaps the most vivid memories of Christmas’ past belong to the early morning hours of Christmas morning. This is where I would get up alone, organize the presents in the lights of the Christmas tree, and watch a Christmas movie as I waited for the rest of the house to awaken.

Once upon a time a choice pick would be the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street. Its affectionate spirit and message about the relationship between the imagination and the ability to believe in sonething greater than merely that which we can observe, especially when it comes to reconciling the way things are with the way we hope things to be, has always been an important part of my own christmas reflections. Following the remake in 1994, a film that sometimes gets unfairly maligned but went on to leave it’s own mark on the cinematic landscape, I have watched one of these versions every Christmas morning without fail.

One thing this 75th anniversary deep dive special edition from Time uncovered for me is the real world connection between the story in the film and the real world story of the late 1940s. Christmas had turned into a dreadful time of year for workers and Christmas itself had been taken over by an invigorated post war capitalist landscape. There was perhaps no greater example of this reality than the Gimbels-Macy rivalry, which the Director set out to give a redemptive spin. The hope was to inspire a kind of reenchantment at a time when American society seemed to have lost the ability to imagine. The 1994 remake, which actually marks my graduating year, set out to do something similar in its time.

The film’s continued appeal to the promise of the imagination shines through in the contrasting portraits of childhood innocence and the cynicism of a world the adults have built for themselves. Part of what makes this film so daring in it’s time, aside from the well drawn portrait of a strong, independent single divorced woman, is the way it is able to uphold the spirit of the gift giving season while critiquing its commercialization. Making the giant conglomerates subservient to the power of the imagination to believe in something greater might not parallel the late 1940s reality, but it did offer us a story that gave a generation permission to challenge the status quo. As the 1994 adaptation’s appeal goes, the more the world changes the more it stays the same, making the message of this film timeless

“Colour is not a cloak worn by an object; each colour is generated and shows the vulnerability of an object: Its being-seen-ness.”

“One of the great illusions of human vision is that there is stillness, yet what seems still to our eyes is in fact never still. The whole physical world is in a state of permanent vibration and change.”

“What we see, we see in light; yet what we see is always partial, a selection from the full spectrum of what is there but not visible to us. There is a real world of invisible light here around us but we cannot see it. Though we feel at home and sure in the visible world, it is in truth a limited place. Visible light comprises only one tenth of the whole light spectrum. When we see the whole flow of visible light together, it is white.”

“The very thereness of a flower or a stone is an act of resistance to light, and colour is the fruit of this resistance. The colours we cannot see are the ones the object absorbs. The colour it rejects is, ironically, the one in which we see it dressed. For instance, a rose aborbs yellow and blue, and it rejects red. So we see a rose as red… While the object resists the light, the object is also penetrated by the light… The beauty of colour is an intricate play of presence and absence.”

• Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (John O’ Donohue)

I found this whole chapter titled The Colour of Beauty so eye opening. He goes on to say that, “Throughout the history of colour there has always been the suspicion that colours belonged only to the surface. Deep down everything was dark and black… Dwelling constantly in such a world of darkness (as the ancients lived), it is no wonder that sun and moon in their bright journeying would appear to be deities… Darkness is the great canvas against which Beauty becomes visible. Darkness withholds presence; it resists the beam of eye-light and deepens the mystery…. Colours are the deeds and sufferings of light.”

He then goes on to detail the “shadow between the light” and how each colour was given a revelatory meaning that frames much of our common phrasing still today (think of whites association with purity, or the phrases “green with envy” or “out of the blue” or even the notion of “the blues” or “painting the town red”). He speaks of black representing hunger for colour as it is the outer surface “behind which colours secretly dwell.” He speaks of the passions of red as a “threshold colour encompassing beginnings and endings, purification and pollution. Green is associated with growth, hope and relentless desire to live within the threshold of the passions. Yellow is a measure of delight. Blue the measure of the expanse and of distance that hold earth and sky, night and day in its grasp.

As he says, “colour is the clothing of beauty”, reminding us that “no color stands alone” and that “each single colour emerges in a dance where its other sustaining partners are invisible… we are shown just enough to imagine everything else.”