Tom Cruise's grand return as Maverick, new hits from Spielberg and Anderson – this and much more in our list of the 10 best films of 2022.
This year has been truly bountiful for interesting cinema: an unexpectedly hit horror duology from Ti West, another triumph of satire from Ruben Östlund, a touching farewell love letter to Chadwick Boseman from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In these 365 days, we managed to enjoy new works from Japanese and Korean film masters, laughed at 'Morbius', and returned to Pandora and Gotham.
The 'After the Credits' team watched over a hundred films of the outgoing year to select for you the 10 best films of 2022. The final list turned out to be unexpected and devilishly diverse, which once again emphasizes how wonderful and amazing cinema can be.
So, let's go!
10th place – The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
We couldn't overlook the American meta-comedy action film by Tom Gormican about the most insane actor of modern Hollywood. According to the plot, Nicolas Cage's career is not going well, and he simultaneously has problems in his relationship with his ex-wife Olivia and daughter Addy. After another rejection at a casting, Cage decides to leave cinema altogether. But since he still needs money to pay off debts, the actor agrees to his agent Richard Fink's offer to go to Mallorca, where he must attend the birthday party of local billionaire Javi Gutierrez (hilarious Pedro Pascal). An ordinary party turns into the beginning of amazing adventures befitting his career.
Throughout the film, Cage ironizes about himself, his career, roles, life, and financial problems, but does so with enthusiasm, fervor, and pleasure that can only be envied. As a result, we got a mind-blowing adventure in which the actor revels in his past glory and current ambiguous status. Other actors don't have such a film, but Nicolas Cage does now.
9th place – The Worst Person in the World
A Norwegian rom-com about a girl Julie who couldn't make decisions seems like an artifact of an era somewhat different from ours. This chaotic, sometimes confusing, and at times crystal-clear film about how hard it is to live in a world of triumphant capitalism could have been made forty years ago by Woody Allen, twenty years ago by Nora Ephron, but right now it only worked out for Joachim Trier.
Unexpectedly, it was Julie's story, a confused representative of a bewildered generation trying to somehow put her life together, divide it into chapters, give it, if not meaning, then artistic expressiveness, that turned out to be one of the most relevant and, although it sounds trite, piercing films of the year. This is a rare coming-of-age novel in which it's hard to find a moral, a rare rom-com not about the power of feelings, but about how hard it is to define them.
The director managed to film both and at the same time a specific person, Julie, who also managed a lot during the film. Including the main thing: not being afraid to look in the mirror, even if it shows the worst person in the world.
A new film by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, 'The Worst Person in the World', has been released in Russian cinemas. A deep drama, a serious coming-of-age novel, pretending at first gl
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8th place – Drive My Car
The loss of a loved one and its consequences in life were talked about a lot and in very different ways this year. While, for example, the hero of Robert Eggers in 'The Northman' was ready to destroy the world for his father's death, the main character of the acclaimed film by Ryusuke Hamaguchi prefers a quiet struggle with despair, where swords and bloodlust are replaced by the books of Anton Chekhov and a craving for whiskey in the semi-darkness of a night bar.
The charm of the film 'Drive My Car' lies in how it captures the beauty of life, how in carefree little things it finds motivation for its hero (and, of course, the viewer) to enjoy this very life, despite circumstances and the sometimes absurd structure of the world. Sometimes, to remember how great it is to be alive, you need to watch a 3-hour meditative symbiosis of Russian and Japanese classics.
7th place – Top Gun: Maverick
In recent years, not many true blockbusters have been released; they have been replaced by superheroics, social satire, and philosophical statements. Viewers have been yearning for dashing cinematic entertainment that gives a feeling of escape from reality, which was especially needed in 2022.
Director Joseph Kosinski took a proven formula — combining impressive location shooting made for the big screen, thrilling action scenes that are impossible to look away from, fitting music, and beautiful actors — and pushed it to the limit. As a result: a team of pilots led by Tom Cruise performs unimaginable stunts in the sky that take your breath away and make your heart stop. And the actor's return to the role of Maverick after more than 30 years itself became an event that confirmed his movie star status.
Yes, the sequel continues the militaristic theme of the original, but in the realities of the 21st century and with new jokes and a pinch of nostalgia. But the plot takes a back seat, giving way to beautiful beach sunsets, swift flights through canyons, the heartfelt bromance of Cruise and Miles Teller, a touching romance with Jennifer Connelly, and the dramatic comeback of Val Kilmer.
6th place – Licorice Pizza
Betting on newcomers is how Paul Thomas Anderson knows how to surprise. The director, known for his thoughtful films, assembled a star-studded supporting cast and made a highlight out of two new actors – Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim in the film 'Licorice Pizza'. Despite the risk, the film achieved incredible success at awards, was noted at the Oscars, and also won the love of audiences.
The film still hypnotizes with its visuals and shots, the absolute mastery of the cinematographer, and the change of scenery from scene to scene. And it still remains funny, romantic, and relatable – each of us recognizes ourselves in the characters.
'Licorice Pizza', although released at the end of 2021, only reached our (and many other) cinemas in 2022, so it absolutely deservedly earned a place in the top. This is an amazing fairy tale about coming of age, growing up, and falling in love, which knocks you out with its acting and new on-screen chemistry, despite the age difference of the characters. And celebrities only adorn the film with their cameos, or rather essay-performances. This is the key difference from other Hollywood films this year, where a powerful cast was just a red flag for attraction but did not justify itself. Paul Thomas Anderson's bet paid off.
5th place – The Northman
This is a maximally authentic story about Vikings, revenge, betrayal, and love. A true epic. Not without pathos, but due to the specifics, it's unavoidable. With beautiful music that you can add to your playlist. With brutal fights. With speeches of heroes that seem to quote Scandinavian myths. And what camera work! Smooth movements, many long shots, and a precisely calibrated composition. Sometimes you recall the films of Wes Anderson with his maniacal passion for symmetry.
Each of Robert Eggers' films can be viewed both as an intrusion of the otherworldly into reality and as the madness of the main characters. This was the case with his debut 'The Witch', 'The Lighthouse', and the same can be said about 'The Northman'. The characters periodically see Odin or Valkyries, use substances, and generally behave like normal inhabitants of the 11th century, for whom belief in the supernatural was as natural as the changing of seasons.
4th place – After Yang
A heartfelt, lively, and incredibly poetic film (with a magnificent opening scene featuring a dancing Colin Farrell) that is impossible not to fall in love with.
Director Kogonada creates a whole puzzle on screen from a family drama about the loss of a loved one and a gripping detective story in the spirit of 'Blade Runner'. The filmmaker treats his characters with special tenderness, and at the same time the viewer, immersing them in a nostalgic narrative, urging them not to forget either their past or the past of their loved ones. Especially those who are no longer with us.
Definitely one of the best films of the year.
3rd place – The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg made a film. Symbolically, this happened with a largely autobiographical work. 'The Fabelmans' is a film that equally speaks about cinema in general and about Spielberg himself in particular. No joke, for several generations the name of the outstanding director is synonymous with cinema. And who but him is allowed to talk about the art of moving pictures through a story about himself, and vice versa.
Steven Spielberg's new film about a boy's coming of age who loved cinema very much. About why this drama with autobiographical elements is one of the classic's best films in the 21st century, we tell
Open materialThe father of the modern blockbuster as we know it perfectly understands the power of cinema as a means of escapism, as a way to drop out of reality for 2 hours and find yourself in a world much brighter, richer, and with a mandatory happy ending. And this time he was not shy to state that making films is the same escapism. That on the other side of the camera there can be an ordinary Jewish boy who faces bullying, whose parents can simply fall out of love with each other at any moment, and he himself just wants to help people smile more often and maybe change life a little. Watching this subtle and charming film, devoid of self-admiration but filled with sentimental feelings, is one of the most exquisite pleasures that 2022 gave us.
2nd place – Decision to Leave
is a surprisingly touching neo-noir from the much-loved South Korean duo: director Park Chan-wook and screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong. The film tells the story of a detective who, due to his feelings, makes a series of decisions that contradict his reason.
The Cannes winner 'Decision to Leave' by Korean classic Park Chan-wook has been released. This beautiful neo-noir is unlikely to become a big hit, yet it is a subtle and intelligent film about love, duty, and s
Open materialThe film skillfully changes genres along the plot, keeping the viewer in suspense and slight confusion: until the denouement, it's not entirely clear what we are watching – an investigation story or a love story?
Stunning acting, with not a single weak link. Talented cinematography by Kim Ji-yong ('The Crucible', 'Swing Kids'). Every frame is so aesthetic that it's hard to resist the urge to pause and examine the details and color combinations. And, of course, the unobtrusive musical accompaniment, which becomes loud and eloquent in the climactic part.
If you want to see classic Park Chan-wook, then most likely, 'Decision to Leave' will disappoint you. It lacks the dynamics and drive of 'Oldboy', and the cloyingness that suddenly appears in the middle of the narrative can be confusing, because at its beginning the film sets a completely different tone.
But this, of course, does not spoil 'Decision to Leave', but quite the opposite. If you love to dissolve in a film, trusting it and allowing it to awaken new emotions and thoughts in you, then this is a great opportunity to discover a new side of the renowned South Korean director.
1st place – The Banshees of Inisherin
The long-awaited tragicomedy by Martin McDonagh was released only at the end of the year, but it seems as if we have been living in it throughout 2022. There hasn't been a more relevant film in a long time; , speaking so accurately about modernity most of what is worth knowing about it, but at the same time timeless in the best sense.
Last week, Martin McDonagh's new film 'The Banshees of Inisherin' became available digitally. The director's fourth film brought two awards from Venice: for Best Screenplay and
Open materialTwo friends (remarkable Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) quarrel because one lives in the everyday, and the other decided to settle in eternity. Their argument — whether it's better to be a good person or to be remembered by everyone; what is more important, friendship or art; what is more valuable, talent or kindness — is as burning, acutely concerning everyone, as it is completely empty. In this unique film about self-harm, alcoholism, and donkeys, friendship should have won, but vanity wins. And eternity. Two former friends look at the sea and see war — this film year could not have given us a better shot.
Cover author: Varvara Ulianenok
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