This was a blockbuster year for two non-competing films launched almost simultaneously. Even my favorite art house joint fell for them, no questions asked. One dealt with a skinny doll and was financed by the large corporation that makes such toys, now including all colors and sizes, of course. Sadly, many white feminists decided the film was not only beautiful but also feminist. Go figure.
The other was about the scientist who led the creation of the atomic bomb. Many years ago, I read Richard Rhodes’ book on the subject and understood that the General, not the Scientist, was the real boss. And unlike the film, the book did include pictures of some of the almost half a million innocent civilians murdered, both ipso facto and in slow motion. The banality of evil cannot be swept away by pretending science is neutral. Does not work for me nor for the victims of its insidious success.
This was a slow year for me, film-wise. I saw comparatively fewer films than in most previous years. Will try to make up the difference in 2024 and beyond, hopefully.
Anyway, below is my selection of best films, followed by a few recommendations. As usual, films are listed in the order I saw them.
- Alcarrás – Carla Simón (2022, Spain, Italy)
- Utama – Alejandro Loayza Grisi (2022, Bolivia, Uruguay, France)
- The Quiet Girl – Colm Bairéad (2022, Ireland)
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline – Daniel Goldhaber (2022, USA)
- R.M.N. – Cristian Mungiu (2022, Romania, France, Belgium, Sweden)
- Chile ’76 – Manuela Martelli (2022, Chile, Argentina, Qatar)
- Pacifiction – Albert Serra (2022, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal)
- Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet (2023, France)
- Afire – Christian Petzold (2023, Germany)
- The Delinquents – Rodrigo Moreno (2023, Argentina, Brazil, Luxembourg, Chile)
- Fallen Leaves – Aki Kaurismäki (2023, Finland, Germany)
- The Fabric of the Human Body – Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel (2022, France, Switzerland, United States)
And some recommendations…
- Return to Seoul – Davy Chou (2022, France, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Romania, Cambodia, Qatar)
- Corsage – Marie Kreutzer (2022, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France)
- The Innocent – Louis Garrel (2022, France)
- One Fine Morning – Mia Hansen-Løve (2022, France, UK, Germany)
- Other People’s Children – Rebecca Zlotowski (2022, France)
- The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future – Francisca Alegria (2022, Chile, France, United States, Germany)
- Cadejo Blanco – Justin Lerner (2021, Guatemala, United States, Mexico)
- Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese (2023, United States)
- Rewind & Play – Alain Gomis (2022, France, Germany)
- Love Life – Kôji Fukada (2022, Japan, France)
Raúl
