2022 In Film: Best of The Year
- Cizonite
- Jan 18, 2023
- 20 min read
Updated: Jan 22, 2023
And just like that… 2022 is over.
Do you remember that The Batman came out this year? What about Morbius? Yes, that was April 2022. The fourth Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, came out in January 2022, a mere 12 months ago but a lifetime in film calendars, this time without Adam Sandler and straight-to-streaming following three highly profitable entries; the first one came out 10 years ago when you and I, my dear readers, were raving about The Dark Knight Rises.
Such is the fickle nature of time in the world of film: you spend years and years on one idea that consumes all aspects of your life, only for it to be dropped in an endless cycle of yearly releases and given two, three weeks to create a long-lasting impression on your audiences. Recently, when asked if he regretted the consuming nature of the Avatar sequels, James Cameron had the following to say:
“... our time as artists is finite. I will always mourn some of the stories that I don’t get to make.”
But that is the whole point, isn't it?
Films will outlast the people making them. They will outlast the ones who see them. And they will outlast you and me. In a time when bite-sized online content has drastically changed consumers' consumption habits, and the amount of information you possess has become more integral than the quality of said information (meaning that the amount of films you watch is more relevant than the quality of said films), the fact that the 3-hour Avatar sequel will still break $2 billion at the box-office speaks to the timelessness and utmost importance of the art form. Films are capable of bending your emotions to their will with words, images, and sound, of creating feelings that separate our beating hearts from lines of code and animalistic desires.
It is why you felt something when you saw Chadwick Boseman at the end of Wakanda Forever, his legacy and halo forever etched in your remembrance.
I chose films because they spoke to me in a way that nothing else can. I wanted to feel, to love, to be remembered for the things I crafted, for the people I could inspire and affect with the films I could make. 2022 was the year I started down that path in actuality, coming full circle by working at the company that made Whiplash and entering the film business in earnest. It was one chapter of my dream closed, and the opening of the next.
It was, almost by happenstance, a pretty good year for film too.
Financially speaking, there is a clear distinction between the films that succeeded and those that failed, which also points to the wider trend in audience consumption: audiences just don't flock to theatres for adult-oriented, awards-gunning dramas anymore (Bones and All, The Fabelmans, Tar, Armageddon Time all failed to recoup its budget despite glowing reviews and recognizable names attached), opting for must-see blockbusters or established franchise entries instead (the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, outgrossed all the above films in its 1-week limited run during Thanksgiving, despite being available on Netflix in December). But the putrid state of the specialty box office does not reflect the exceptional quality of these films: in a year when theaters have returned to full capacity, auteurs, newcomers, and increasingly diverse artistic voices cemented 2022 as one of the most memorable film years in recent memory.
As such, from the 155 films I have watched that were released this year, my 2022 edition of Year In Film will feature 12 films instead of the usual 10, plus 3 honourable mentions, ranging from big-budget blockbusters and multiversal fantasies to intimate dramas and tectonic-shifting documentaries: such was the quality of this year’s offerings.
As per usual, the films will be accompanied by how I would recommend it to someone, not the actual consensus of the film. There will also be a small synopsis, and a subsection called “Why This Film” to explain why I chose that specific film. It will also be in no particular order, but it will end on my definitive best film of the year. If you are interested in my entire ranking of this year’s film, you can find it right here on Letterboxd.
Small disclaimer: naturally, there are a lot of films this year I have not caught yet but I undoubtedly would love. Thus, this list will have certain omissions such as Jerzy Skolimowski’s Polish donkey tale EO, the Telugu crowdpleaser RRR, and Cannes Grand Prix winner Close.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS - “My not-so-guilty pleasure this year.”
Synopsis: Affable widowed cleaning lady Mrs. Harris (the impeccable Lesley Manville) goes to, you guessed it, Paris in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a custom-made Dior dress.
Why This Film: It’s just so loveable.
You have done it before: You have dreamt about emptying your savings, traveling to France, and having your Emily In Paris moment with love and haute couture. The Anthony Fabian-directed film is an exercise in maximalist wish-fulfillment, and to be honest, has that ever been a bad thing?
Out of all the films on this list, Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris was the one that filled me with the most positive feelings upon leaving the cinema. Lesley Manville, in her second go at haute couture (if you know, you know), delivers a heartachingly sincere performance as the titular character: the film completely rested on her shoulders, and she elevated the familiar material with aplomb. The film feels like a snug, sugar-coated hug that will undoubtedly find its audience on streaming services, and is one of the only films on this list I would not hesitate rewatching over and over again.
NEPTUNE FROST - “Woah woah woah woah woah.”
Synopsis: In the African village of Burundi, an intersex runaway and a coal miner lead a hacking collective following the death of one of their peers.
Why This Film: You will never see a film like this.
Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman’s techno masterpiece, Neptune Frost is creatively abundant and unapologetically weird in all the best ways. It is not the most easily digestible film on this list, but it is certainly the most captivating picture, filled with colors, music and filmmaking craft. It is a film you don’t need to understand to still find merit in: it is simply a film you can vibe to, with its rhythmic ebb and flow pulling you in mere minutes after the title appears.
Despite a rather generic story for its wildly innovative idea, the Afrofuturist world-building and a keen sense of sensual stimulation through images propel the film past its narrative shortcomings. Endlessly mesmerizing, multiple set pieces in the film stand out musically and production-wise, marking an assured mainstream debut for the directing duo and a glorious welcome to the industry for its cast of relative unknowns.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY - “I wish I came up with this script.”
Synopsis: Renown Southern detective Benoit Blanc (an effortlessly likable Daniel Craig) gets embroiled in another murder mystery on an island with out-of-touch one-percenters.
Why This Film: What an ingenious script.
At this film’s every twist and turn, I found myself in utter disbelief as to how Rian Johnson could so consistently and convincingly one-up himself in the writing department. Following up his two whodunnit efforts in Brick and the first Knives Out, Johnson has once again crafted a superlative script filled with delicious social commentary, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and an ensemble cast of colorful misfits we all love to hate, amounting to an uproariously fun film that never loses steam even after revealing its twist midway through.
Daniel Craig delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Benoit Blanc, showing his comedic range as a fish-out-of-water adrenaline junkie, proving there is life post-Bond after all. There is not a single weak performance in the house as the cast goes all out in their outlandish, elite archetypes. The film’s production design is also another standout, filled to the brim with superfluous architectural and aesthetic choices to reflect the vapidness of its main characters, making the setting a character of its own. While Johnson remains wanting in regards to the technical sensibilities of his craft (a few weird zooms and some peculiar lighting set-ups felt reminiscent of Hallmark films instead of a $50 million production), this remains a stellar, original crowd-pleaser for all ages, and I personally cannot wait for what Johnson cooks up next with the eccentric detective.
The three incredible films above round out my honorable mentions: great films that just missed the list due to the overwhelming quality of the top 12 films listed below.
So without further ado, the best films of 2022, from yours truly.
BABYLON - “Yes, this was my Hollywood experience.”
Synopsis: Sprawling, intertwining narratives of three individuals (the stunning trio of Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Diego Calva) as they navigate the changing landscape of 1920s Hollywood with booze, love, and ecstasy.
Why This Film: Midway through the sprawling 25-minute opening, struggling starlet Nellie LaRoy (a game Margot Robbie) asks aspiring Hollywood exec Manny (Diego Calva) what he wants to be in life. Manny's answer stuck with me the same way Whiplash's Andrew Neiman's idea of being the greatest did:
“I always wanted to be part of something bigger… Something that lasts, that means something. Something more important than life.”
Babylon is a decadent, depraved celebration of filmmaking and Hollywood, shooting for the stars and more often than not landing on the Walk of Fame. The film absolutely magnetized me with its bristling energy and heart, meticulous period production design, and an irresistible story of fame, glory and downfall. Damien Chazelle, together with his trusty composer Justin Hurwitz, has composed (no pun intended) a love letter so audacious, so scandalous, and so beautiful that audiences cannot help but be glued to the screen for a mammoth, yet breathtaking, 189 minutes. It is a film no studios would greenlight nowadays, yet Babylon exists in all its unfiltered, elephant-shitting-onscreen-within-the-first-5-minutes spectacle. You will never guess what the final sequence of this film is, but it speaks to the reverence Chazelle has for Hollywood’s history and the awe-inspiring impact some films can leave on its audiences.
On a personal level, it reminded me of why I wanted to be in the industry: the allure, the danger, the adrenaline rush of creating something out of thin air, to be a part of something that will last. To me, Babylon was one of those aforementioned awe-inspiring movies, a bravado hurrah of filmmaking at its wildest peak. It is also probably the most expensive in-joke ever if you have been on a film set. See this in a theatre if you can.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT - “The best Netflix film of 2022.”
Synopsis: Young German soldier Paul (Felix Kammerer’s unbelievable acting debut) is sent to the frontlines of the Imperial German Army during World War I and faces the harrowing realities of war.
Why This Film: “This film exists solely thanks to Netflix” is a sentence I never thought I would say, but I cannot imagine a single studio funding a film like this nowadays.
All Quiet On The Western Front is dead set on illustrating how its young protagonist and his comrades have been dehumanized by a pro-war regime. Brutal, harrowing yet soleful and tender, the Edward Berger-directed German adaptation of the 1929 book of the same name depict scenes of war with guttural realism, but never once fails to illuminate its anti-war message to its audience. Many segments of the film separate Paul from the main battlefield sites, as he finds himself struggling with his own morality and mortality when faced with other young soldiers like him from the other side, often leading him towards the path of irredeemable, yet unavoidable, consequences. By the end of the film, Paul’s decisions would catch up to him, but you cannot help but feel sorry for his fate, a mere casualty in a pointless struggle for power of his regime.
Beyond its vicious moments of warfare, however, the film does depict its main characters’ relationships with humanity and heft, never once falling into cliched narrative traps of American war films (war banter, witty dialogues, etc.): the band of brothers’ connection is solely based on survival. Their shared bond is born from trauma and the ill-fated belief that they will all come back to their families, as they long for nothing but to escape this hellish reality.
Netflix’s best and most unexpected film of 2022 will resonate deeply, and while it is the most difficult watch on this list by some distance, I urge you to give it a chance.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE - “There should be an Oscar for whoever the Assistant Director was in this film.”
Synopsis: After falling out with her bisexual daughter, laundry owner Evelyn (she-has-to-win-an-Oscar Michelle Yeoh) discovers that the fate of the multiverse lies in her hands.
Why This Film: You will never see anything like this.
The best multiversal fantasy this year, and probably the last decade (and by some margin), Everything Everywhere All At Once is everything you could hope for in a film and in a cinematic experience: funny, stylish, original, subversive, dramatic, action-packed, and above all, emotionally resonant, it is such a technical and narrative achievement that even after watching it, I could hardly fathom what was going on in The Daniels’ brains when they wrote the script.
(They were probably high)
As analyzed by its audience, critics and fellow filmmakers, at its core, the film is an intimate depiction of Asian intergenerational trauma between Evelyn and her daughter, but what separates from the likes of Minari and The Farewell is its execution: by selling the film as an outrageous, multiversal adventure of martial arts and trippy VFX, the Daniels ingeniously coated their mother-daughter tale as a four-quad blockbuster without ever losing sight of its emotional center.
With a top-form Michelle Yeoh as the dissatisfied Evelyn anchoring the film, the Daniels utilize the character to paint a life of roads not traveled, to offer a bridge to women everywhere capable of so much more than their familial duties. Evelyn and her daughter are a parable for Asians and Asian-Americans raised in traditional Asian households yet imbued with and molded by Western culture: how do you accept the differences between your generations when you haven't even reconciled the unrecognized trauma of your own generation? Cherry-topped with a brilliant supporting cast headlined by the earnest Ke Huy Quan, the exuberant Stephanie Hsu and the always-welcomed Jamie Lee Curtis, you got yourself a surefire SAG Ensemble winner.
What a wonderful, ingenious work of entertainment art, and one of the most easily accessible films for all ages on this list. Maybe not for young kids but just blur out some dicks and you’ll be fine.
DECISION TO LEAVE - “Park Chan Wook can film a toenail and I would still watch it.”
Synopsis: A married, insomniac detective (a magnificently against-type Park Hae Il) investigates a man’s mysterious death, and becomes infatuated with the person’s wife (Tang Wei) in the process.
Why This Film:
This is the least Park Chan Wook film from Park Chan Wook, but in a strange way, it is the Park Chan Wook-iest film from Park Chan Wook.
The South Korean auteur has a way of directing his films whereby he hijacks your brain with his artistic choices, before pulling an absolute gut puncher of a reveal. After seeing his films, you start seeing the world in a very Park Chan Wook way: contrasting colors, immersive shot selections, demented views of humans and morality, and a deeply sensual gaze of the world.
Decision To Leave bears all the hallmarks of Park’s signature style, but takes on a strangely captivating romantic twist: the characters never have explicit sensual encounters, yet Park’s direction conjures up a sense of physical touch purely through words and narration. The central mystery of whether or not the wife murdered the husband is never the focus of the film, but it is always there, lingering in disquieting comfort as our detective becomes further embroiled with the wife. Park Hae Il and Tang Wei’s off-kiltered chemistry also adds a strange dimension to the film: far from the prototypical romantic dynamic of other erotic mystery films, the detective and the wife’s identities are almost in direct contrast, making their highly immoral union all the more intoxicating and its outcome more heartbreaking.
Decision To Leave does it all and more, leaving the viewers in awe and disbelief as the credits roll, for us to toil away at the brilliance of Park Chan Wook.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH - “One of… the very best animated films I have ever seen?!?”
Synopsis: After using 8 of his 9 lives, boisterous vigilante Puss In Boots, and embarks on an adventure with Kitty Softpaws and his trusted stray dog to find “The Wishing Star,” all while being hunted down by Death disguised as a vengeful wolf.
Why This Film:
If you had told me that the belated sequel to 2011’s Puss In Boots 3D would make my top 10 of 2022, I would have told you that I did not even like Shrek 2, the most acclaimed film in the Shrek universe (Shrekverse?).
Yet here I am, eating my own words and pouring poetry on possibly one of the best animation films I have ever seen.
Taking artistic inspiration from Into The Spiderverse and Akira, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a gorgeous animated canvas, filled to the brim with inspired creative decisions, a colorful cast of well-developed characters, and a passionate heart to match its splendidly written story. Hellbent on diverting from the cliched storytelling formula of similar animated films, The Last Wish carries a positive streak that seeps through every line of dialogue and character, from the titular cat to the family of Goldilocks Bears who unexpectedly becomes the emotional center, to the scene-stealing therapy dog Perrito who embodies the film’s message of hope and goodness.
Another thing that separates The Last Wish from other animated adventure flicks is its memorably nightmare-inducing duo of villains in the form of Jack Horner and “Death,” physically embodied by a cloaked wolf: the former takes on a more cartoonishly despicable animated villain role, while the latter is a sinister background villain for Puss specifically and can comfortably lay claim to being the best animation antagonist since… well, ever?
With some solid comedy as the cherry on top, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is destined to become an all-time classic, and is comfortably one of my favorite films of 2022. Don't skip out on this!
THE NORTHMAN - “SCANDINAVIAN HAMLET, ROARRRRRRRRR, TESTOSTERONE”
Synopsis: I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!
Why This Film:
Deliriously entertaining, savagely brutal and beautifully lensed, the Viking revenge epic The Northman is my pick for the dudebro gentleman film of 2022.
Robert Eggers’ first foray into big-budget filmmaking (the film carries a $70 million price tag) might have failed to ignite the box-office, but it has cemented Eggers as one of the great modern auteurs with raw, uninhibited audacity. The fact that Eggers has not only delivered one of the most breathtaking revenge tales on screen, but did it while remaining uncompromised artistically and thematically with hallucinatory visuals and a relentlessly grim screenplay, makes The Northman all the more laudable as a technical and storytelling achievement despite clear comparisons to Hamlet. These types of mid-budget epics simply are not greenlit in Hollywood anymore, and for that I must applaud Eggers’ bold vision and daring execution.
Following The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgaard further his position as the go-to leading man when you need dramatic chops coupled with a raging six-pack. Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang and Willem Dafoe (of course) round out an immaculate ensemble of performances, with each actor at the height of their powers, fully leaning into this demented vision of Viking folklore.
The ultimate father-son-treacherous uncle film, The Northman is my maximum dosage of testosteronic adrenaline straight to my membrane for all the gentlemen out there.
CHILDREN OF THE MIST - “Extraordinary filmmaking.”
Synopsis: A harrowing documentary on how one young girl’s life is forever changed as a result of the bride-kidnapping tradition in Hmong culture.
Why This Film: Documentaries are so much harder to make than narrative films, simply because the story can unravel in ways the filmmakers cannot plan for. In this particular documentary, there is not a single moment when the filmmaker or the audience knows what would happen next to Di, the child bride in question, which makes for a heart-wrenching and frequently disturbing commentary on this “tradition” and the muddled morality of the situation.
Spectacularly shot and economically edited, director/cinematographer Hà Lệ Diễm proves that there is no substitution for profound storytelling.
The camera takes on a personal, but never intrusive touch: Diễm is constantly caught in split-second decisions on whether to follow her filmmaking instincts and capture the discomforting moments in Di’s life, or to follow her humanity and intervene, and often succeeds in navigating the treacherous terrain thanks to the trust Diễm, Di and her family share. The film asks us to not look passively, but rather to critically examine the unfolding story of a predatory exercise that some would refer to as “cultural quirks.” To this end, the director succeeds in spades, amounting to a fascinatingly unforgettable 92 minutes into the mountainous, misty landscape of North Vietnam.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK - “Film schools should teach this script.”
Synopsis: Years after the first Top Gun, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (the immortal Tom Cruise) takes flight (hehe!) once again, this time as the instructor for a deadly mission involving Goose’s son, Rooster.
Why This Film: The best American blockbuster in years.
The true four-quad film of 2022, the Joseph Kosinski-directed actioner also held the title of the year’s highest-grossing film until The Way of Water came along (more on that later), and for good reason: it’s pretty damn brilliant.
And yes, it helps to have Tom Cruise in your movie.
Sweeping aside its obvious military propaganda undertones, Top Gun: Maverick is a love child between Mad Max: Fury Road and Catch Me If You Can: an unapologetically old-fashioned blockbuster elevated by ingenious technical filmmaking, breathtaking action set-pieces, and a stirring central relationship. Relentlessly entertaining, this is one of the rare modern screenplays with zero fat, immediately placing you into the high-octane action only minutes into the film, and keeps its foot on the gas until the credits through enviable stunt work and a compelling, organic storyline of fatherhood between Maverick and Rooster.
You will ask yourself repeatedly during the film questions such as “Is that real” and “How did they film that,” mostly because the airborne scenes were very much authentic, thanks to months of prep from every part of a dedicated cast and crew. If you have grown tired of Marvel’s stale VFX-based spectacle, then Top Gun: Maverick is a welcomed return to form for blockbuster filmmaking and a genuine treat for the senses.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER - “The wettest film.”
Synopsis: James Cameron returns to the world of Pandora in the sequel to the highest grossing film ever made. That’s the plot.
Why This Film: Never bet against James Cameron.
From the man that will have directed three in four of the highest-grossing films of all time when the dust settles, Avatar: The Way of Water is a technical masterpiece, pushing the boundaries (as James Cameron does) once again for what VFX is capable of if artists are given time and resources to deliver, and the ultimate statement of support for the theatrical experience.
Having wrapped production for all four Avatar sequels a half-decade ago, Cameron has shepherded Pandora to fruition on the silver screen in a labor of love, craftsmanship, and water simulations. Its narrative familiarities and lack of coherent payoff (presumably to set up future sequels) are offset by the sense of absolute awe and wonderment once we enter the water world of the Metkayina clan. The scene where Lo’ak swims with Payakan the Tulkun for the first time sent goosebumps down my spine the same way Pandora’s burning in the first Avatar did, inarguable proof of exceptional visual storytelling.
Perhaps most impressively, Cameron’s best creative decision did not concern the effects, but rather the placement of Jake Sully’s family and their burgeoning connections as the emotional center of the film, providing the 3-hour VFX showcase with a true heart and a biting, resonant climax. Regardless of whether future Avatar sequels could provide a satisfying conclusion to the family’s saga, I have learned one thing time and time again.
Never bet against James Cameron.
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS - “Eat the rich, kill the poor, long live the working class.”
Synopsis: When a bunch of out-of-touch elites board a cruise captained by a drunk, shit goes sideways.
Why This Film:
This is the annual social class discussion film, and I am always here for the annual social class discussion film.
Throwing everything and anything class-related towards a wall and seeing which of its messages stick, 2022’s Palme D’or Winner Triangle of Sadness is a laugh-out-loud survival satire that hits much more often than it misses. Buoyed (haha!) by Ruben Ostlund’s trademark chaotic sensibilities, the film tackles a shuffleboard-worth of social topics, from influencer culture and gender pay disparities to racial power imbalance and, of course, social class hierarchy. And while its overtly eager mouthpiece can work to the film’s detriment, Ostlund’s natural affinity for gripping storytelling and assured directing style keep the wind in the movie’s sails (get it?) through 147 minutes.
Anchored (last one, I promise) by a spectacular ensemble headlined by the rising Harris Dickinson and a glorious Dolly De Leon, the film’s colorful cast of rich snob caricatures are bitingly believable, and elevates the often floundering (seriously, last one) material. Ostlund proves once again that he is capable of wringing every ounce of good performance out of his cast, frequently holding the camera on an actor’s face far longer than necessary to capture their personal tics and spur-of-the-moment actions. The director goes so far as to open the film with a 15-minute argument that relies entirely on the actors’ comedic timing to work, with the film peaking before the title even drops. Muddled social commentary be damned when the talent on show is this delicious.
And the vomits. Oh the vomits!
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN - “This is me and my best friend for real for real.”
Synopsis: In a barren Irish town, irritable violinist Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly starts ignoring his happy-go-lucky friend Padraic (2022’s star man, Colin Farrell), who tries to come to terms with their breakup.
Why This Film: There are two ways to recommend this film.
The first approach: The Banshees of Inisherin is a haunting, almost scholarly deconstruction of loneliness and depression in times of peace, placing our characters in a morbid yet affecting tale of mortality and asking us to wilfully consider the oft-elusive notion of a lasting legacy.
The second approach: L.O.L.
Martin McDonagh’s playwright past shines through as his Shakespearean-Esque dialogue translates beautifully to screen, aided by sweeping camerawork and an unteachable sense of scene blocking. An exercise in trauma bonding, Banshees is also strangely, dementedly funny, with many unexpected laugh-out-loud moments warped from grim circumstances. With career-best performances from Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farell, McDonagh’s Irish masterpiece ranks as his best and most outwardly comedic work, outstripping the trio’s last effort, In Bruges.
This was the first film of 2022 I had no hesitation awarding 5 stars for, and I cannot wait to see what McDonagh does next, on screen or stage.
Small disclaimer: The quality of the film is inarguable, but I was lucky enough to meet Martin McDonagh during the film’s New York premiere, which added to my overall experience. It would have easily been my favorite film of 2022, had it not been for one other tiny movie about another UK duo…
And the very best 2022 had to offer, the one that has undoubtedly cracked my top 5, my favorite film of the year is…
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AFTERSUN - “Have you had a memory like this?”
Synopsis: 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio’s unmatched debut) goes on a holiday with her loving but detached father (Paul Mescal, remember the name), as the two contemplate their relationship and the things to come.
Why this film: “What did you want to do when you were 11?” Sophie innocently asks her dad, Calum at the beginning of the film. This relatively innocuous question seemingly sends Calum into a spiral of thought, as we the audience contemplate the ask ourselves.
What did we want to do when we were 11?
How do you even go about answering that? Was it something you loved, or was it what your parents told you to do? In that position, Calum had grown out of his dream at 11, into something he did not wish to become because his life had slipped away from control, because he could not give Sophie the life she deserved. The realization that you have forgotten what excited your younger selves about the future is crushing, and as we see Calum and Sophie’s holiday unfold through her camcorder, a reminiscence of our own parents comes to life, and another question comes to mind.
How well did we actually know our parents?
And thus, the emotional center of Aftersun binds us with these heart-aching inquiries into our childhoods against the calming Turkish backdrop (beautifully lensed with luscious blue by Gregory Oke). In a year filled with auto-biographical films from well-recognized auteurs (Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, James Gray’s Armageddon Time, Sam Mendes’s Empire of Light), it was Charlotte Wells, in her stunning directorial debut and with a minuscule budget no less, who sets the standard by capturing a burgeoning, indescribable dynamic between parent and child in all of its resonant warmth and heartbreak.
Having spent 7 years on the script, Wells depicts Calum and Sophie’s relationship and interactions with reverence and an eye-opening rawness in order to reconcile with her real-life trauma, without ever resorting to cheap narrative payoffs. As Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio’s breathtaking performances direct us through a tricky emotional landmine, the film breezes along with absolute confidence in where it is headed, yet there is no big, narrative climax to speak of as Calum bids farewell to Sophie at the airport: all we are left with is a memento of what our parents were in our memories, and what they were in reality.
Find it in your heart to appreciate what you have with your parents; we don’t have all the time in the world with them.
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And that is all for 2022.
2022 was the year of my life that I will look back to say, “This one… this was it.” This was the year I traveled by myself for the first time, the year I moved to Los Angeles, and the year I made good on an impossible childhood fantasy. And just like adult Sophie did when she remembered that vacation with her father, I will reconcile with that moment when I stepped foot on the Universal Studios lot, that moment when my lifelong dream came true
And it wasn’t just my career that this year brought to a full circle. 2022 was also the year I made life-altering decisions for the present and future, for myself and the people I love, and with it came a whirlwind of new responsibilities and challenges. But I know I will take it in stride. Because if a chubby Vietnamese kid could push his blog, his “hobby,” this far, nothing really seems that outlandish anymore. I am deeply privileged and grateful, and I thank you for reading this year’s entry, and for being there with me on this winding, unforgettable adventure.
I hope you have a beautiful year ahead; I know I'm looking forward to mine.
‘Til next time. Logging off.
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