#HeEojil Gyeolsim

[osidius-el-enfatico]

just watched park chan wook's heeojil gyeolsim with a friend and I dont think I even have thoughts about it beyond it was fucking GOODT.

it took us and flipped us up and tied us into a knot and never let go. we had to take two smoke breaks in between cause it fucked us up that much

[heywoodsays]

Top 10 Films of 2022

It was a good year for film. There were 449 movies released in the United States and Canada in 2022, with several making waves. Perhaps one of the unintended consequences of the pandemic is that movies are now released with a stronger intent to really bring people out to the theater.

Whether that trip to the cinema is a chance to escape, to learn, to be entertained, or to be moved, good movies meet that intent. But the truly great movies transport us and even transform us.

They often accomplish this on an emotional level — gripping us and taking us along for the ride. Or they can do it through stunning visuals and technical prowess. The best films know how to do them both. Here are the 10 films from 2022 that drew me in the most.

10. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Dean Fleischer Camp

Based on the series of shorts of the same name, this full-length stop-motion feature from the creative minds of Dean Flesicher Camp and Jenny Slate is surprisingly the year’s most charming and heartwarming film. In a year where intense dramas dominated, and when even lighter fare had a darker tone, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a lighthearted, humorous, and yet profound exposition on belonging, family, grief, and modern culture.

9. L’événement (Happening)

Audrey Diwan

Set in 1960s France, when abortion is still illegal, a promising university student has her life upended when her doctor informs her that she’s pregnant. Without feeling didactic, Happening presents an honest, intense, and often distressing reminder of what such a world looked like for women. Produced before the repeal of Roe v. Wade in the United States, the film could not have been released at a more poignant time.

8. 헤어질 결심 Heeojil gyeolsim (Decision to Leave)

Park Chan-wook

A talented detective forms an unexpected relationship with a murder suspect in this romance-thriller-murder mystery. It’s stylistically beautiful, gripping, and sexy without ever needing to show anything sexual. The performances are usually subtle with a few moments of appropriate melodrama. Decision to Leave exemplifies Chan-wook’s penchant for storytelling, managing to say so much in every shot.

7. Women Talking

Sarah Polley

At times, Women Talking feels more like a stage play presented on screen. But it never compromises the film’s cinematic beauty. Instead, it immerses you into the dialogue and the bleak reality of life for these women. Masterful performances necessarily help the intense and heavy dialogue resonate with the viewer. In my mind, the biggest error of this year’s Oscars is the omission of Polley as a Best Director nominee.

6. Aftersun

Charlotte Wells

Charlotte Wells’ first feature-length film is a touching exploration of belonging, depression, memory, parental love, and preadolescence. Headed by excellent performances by Paul Mescal and Frankie Coro, Aftersun engages you from start to finish, slowly revealing its hand but never giving away everything. It’s a slow boil that doesn’t quite hit you until you the end, which really is the point.

5. The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh

Banshees is one of the year’s best examples of storytelling. Indeed, its script is its strongest asset, brilliantly juxtaposing comedy with tragedy. The film also boasts one of the strongest casts of the year, with exceptional performances from Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan. Add in beautiful shots of Ireland and an Oscar-nominated musical score, you’ve got yourself an all-around winner.

4. The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg

I’ve always been partial to Spielberg, but I truly believe his recent semi-autobiographical work is a masterclass in directing. He infuses each frame with meaning and beauty. The movie’s most pivotal emotional moment (when Sammy discovers his mother’s secret) is accomplished without any speech whatsoever, told instead through the back-and-forth of raw film reel. Spielberg helps us fall in love with the movies all over again. So beautifully shot, they should be studying The Fabelmans in film schools for years.

 3. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

This year’s likely Best Picture Oscar winner is deserving of the many accolades it has received so far. The most wild, creative, and technically brilliant film of the year, EEAAO weaves through different universes, demonstrating a mastery of styles in a multitude of genres. The film is perfectly cast, its four Oscar-nominated performers leading the way. It’s funny, heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, action-packed, well… everything… all at once.

2. Tár

Todd Field

As a brilliant, accomplished, but problematic symphony conductor, Cate Blanchett is note-perfect in a career-best performance. She’s essential to the film, as you can’t imagine anyone else doing the role justice. Indeed, Field wrote the role for her. Some have reduced the film to a commentary on cancel culture, but that is a gross oversimplification. Tár is intelligent, nuanced, intriguing, and beautifully shot.

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Before the big reveal, here are some that nearly made the list:

Honorable mentions

Triangle of Sadness

All Quiet on the Western Front

Elvis

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Top Gun: Maverick

And now...

1. Close

Lukas Dhont

The close friendship between two 13-year-old boys is torn apart, first when social influences get in the way, and then ultimately by a decision with permanent consequences. Lukas Dhont’s second film (after 2018’s Girl) perfectly captures the love and fragility of boyhood friendships and honestly portrays the unpredictability of grief. Close never preaches and never tells you how to feel. Beautifully shot, heart-wrenching, and emotionally gripping, Close confronts some of the most intense challenges of youth with a maturity that escapes most coming-of-age films. Augmented by stellar performances, Close is highlighted by the debut of Eden Dambrine, who gives the best performance I have ever witnessed by a young actor.

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Next, look for my 3-part series of Oscar picks for the ceremony on Sunday, March 12.

[mnic313]

Decision to Leave.