2022 was a great year for world cinema. South Korean legendPark Chan-wookdelivered one of his most stylish films yet withDecision to Leave; Finnish cinema made a splash withAlli Haapasalo’sGirl PictureandHanna Bergholm’sHatching; and, of course,Bollywood reigned supremewith smash-hitRRR. It was a remarkable year for Iranian directors, as well, despite the authorities’attempts to suppressthem.
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These projects range from gritty drama to anime fantasy, realistic war films to revisionist epics, and coming-of-age stories to political sagas, from countries across the globe. They’re a persuasive counterargument to those pessimistic about the state of the movies. It’ll be exciting to see what foreign cinema has to offer in the coming year.
IMDb: 7.0/10
EOisa road movieabout a donkey, born into a Polish circus, as it travels across Europe and meets a range of people along the way. It’s kind of a modern-day update ofRobert Bresson’s 1966 movieAu Hasard Balthazar, which also revolves around a donkey. It’s directed by Polish filmmakerJerzy Skolimowski, who also madeMoonlightingstarringJeremy Irons.
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Skolimowski has said that telling a story about a character who doesn’t speak was challenging. As a result, he enlisted classical composerPaweł Mykietynto produce a score that would evoke the donkey’s emotions.“I told him […] to please hunt for the moments when you may get with your tune inside this donkey’s brain or heart, to present something like the inner monologue of the protagonist,” Skolimowskisays. “And Paweł did it.”
9’Girl Picture'
IMDb: 7.1/10
Girl Pictureis acoming-of-age dramaby Finnish directorAlli Haapasalo.It follows three girls navigating life, love, and ice skating against the unique setting of the long dark Nordic winter. The lead performers -Aamu Milonoff,Eleonoora Kauhanen,andLinnea Leino- are all terrific. They make the film feel authentic.
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It’s one of several Finnish movies that have drawn international attention in recent years, like horrorHatchingand war filmTuntematon sotilas. Indeed,Haapasalo thinks that Finnish cinema is on the up. “There’s momentum now to make films here,” she hassaid. “The only annoying things are the small budgets.”
Thisanimated science fantasy, a riff onBeauty and the Beast, tells the story of shy high school student Suzu who escapes into an online alter ego: world-famous singer ‘Belle’. Suzu crosses paths with another famous user in the online world, the unbeatable player known as ‘the Dragon’, and finds herself entangled in a much larger plot.
Belleis the latest take on aSword Art Online-style virtual world, which succeeds thanks to the gorgeous animation, relatable angsty heroine, and thoughtful commentary about connection in the internet age.
IMDb: 7.3/10
Hit the Roadis acomedy-drama road movie, directed by Iranian filmmakerPanah Panahi. He is the son of noted directorJafar Panahi, a collaborator ofAbbas Kiarostami, perhaps most well known for the documentaryThis is Not a Film.It’s a remarkable debut; Panahi is clearly a chip off the old block.
The film centers on a family taking a road trip to the border to smuggle their eldest son (Amin Simiar) out of the country. The inside of the car makes for a cramped but intriguing setting, with the characters forced into close proximity. However, this setting was just as much practical as thematic: Iranian filmmakers often shoot inside cars, as this makes it more difficult for the authorities to detect them.
6’Decision to Leave'
Decision to Leaveisthe latest projectby icon of South Korean cinema Park Chan-wook, director ofOldboyandThe Handmaiden. It won the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. It follows a detective (Park Hae-il) investigating a death up in the mountains who begins talking to the dead man’s widow (Tang Wei).
Like Park’s other projects, the film boasts a narrative full of surprises, alongside gorgeous cinematography and believable performances. While it’s not quite as intricate asThe Handmaidenor as instantly iconic asOldboy, it arguably tops both as a character study.
IMDb: 7.5/10
Another Iranian film,A Herois the latest drama by directorAsghar Farhadi. Farhadi is most famous for his 2011 projectA Separation, the first movie from Iran to win the Best Foreign Language Oscar. He returns to similar territory with this story about Rahim (Amir Jadidi), a man in debtors' prison.
Rahim’s girlfriend (Sahir Goldoust) discovers a pile of gold, which the two of them consider using to pay off his debts. However, they ultimately decide to return the gold to its owner. This act draws a lot of attention, turning Rahim into a local celebrity. The plot takes unexpected turns from there, morphing into a sharp tale of law and morality.
4’No Bears'
IMDb: 7.7/10
No Bears, thethird Iranian filmto make this list, is the newest work from the elder Panahi. It follows two parallel love stories and the obstacles that stand in their way. The film is structurally daring, blurring the line between reality and fiction. Panahi even appears as a fictionalized version of himself, interacting with the lead characters.
Ultimately, it’s afilm about filmmaking- especially filmmaking in Iran, where Panahi has endured years of harassment, even being banned from making movies several years ago. The film feels even more urgent in light of Panahi’s arrest by Iranian authorities shortly before its release.
3’Argentina, 1985'
IMDb. 7.7/10
Argentina, 1985dramatizes The Trial of the Juntas, in which several leaders of the country’s former military dictatorship were prosecuted.It focuses ontwo lawyers,Julio César Strassera(Ricardo Darín) andLuis Moreno Ocampo(Peter Lanzani) as they fight to bring these leaders to justice.
The film does a good job of revealing the leaders' arrogance, in particular their disdain for the court. But the highlight is Darín, who is funny and charismatic as a frustrated but idealistic man on a mission for the truth.
2’All Quiet on the Western Front'
IMDb: 7.8/10
ThisGerman war filmisthe latest adaptationofErich Maria Remarque’s classic 1929 novel. It follows a young soldier sent to fight in the German Army in World War I. His naive illusions are shattered by the realities he finds there. Rather than undertaking heroic feats for hearth and home, he and his compatriots struggle to survive in a bleak and senseless environment.
The movie has been praised for its faithfulness to the source material (although it adds an original subplot), as well as the acting byFelix Kammerer,Albrecht Schuch, andDaniel Brühl.
IMDb: 7.9/10
ThisIndian action epicwas the most talked about foreign film of 2022, hands down. It was a massive box office success and drew positive reviews from critics all around the world.RRRtells the fictionalized story of two real-life revolutionaries,Alluri Sitarama Raju(Ram Charan) andKomaram Bheem(N. T. Rama Rao Jr.), who fought against British rule in India in the 1920s. However, the movie rejects realism, swapping historical accuracy for death-defying stunts and high-octane fight scenes.
In this regard, directorS. S. Rajamouliwas influenced byQuentin Tarantino’s bold rewriting of history. “Inglourious Basterdsis one of the biggest inspirations when it comes to my films, specificallyRRR,” he hassaid. “I was shell shocked when Hitler dies in the film, and how the film brings it off as a big surprise.”
