Like Josh, I’m also submitting an end-of-year ballot for the Seattle Film Critics Society. This is my first year being a part of the organization and while I knew it would mean an uptick in access to films I didn’t realize quite how much! Stack of films doesn’t even describe it, the month of December felt like Christmas every day with new packages arriving regularly. I’ll be real, I felt pretty overwhelmed at first but I was up for the challenge and for the first time since becoming a film reviewer I knew I had a great breadth of works to choose from for my list. That being said, I still have several films to go that are getting all kinds of chatter and hoopla so this is by no means a final tally (I mean, really when will it ever be? I’ll probably look back at this in April and want to rearrange the whole thing).

As I look back on a lot of the films I’ve had the privilege to watch, I realize this year was one for working out all the pent up issues we’ve been feeling over the past few years. Whether that’s staring it in the face, laughing at it, or just making something really weird to get all the ick out… there’ve been a huge number of tender-hearted and emotionally raw films and it’s made my job pretty hard. Going through a lot of emotional crap (and I do mean crap) myself, it’s difficult to experience catharsis from so many viewpoints and not come out not feeling depleted… empty of tears, energy and emotion. Rough stuff. I cherish funny and lighthearted films now much more than before, but there are so few of them being released. It’s a time to air out our deep downs and it’ll just be tough for a while… but it’s better than keeping it inside.

I see that Josh has two #10s in his list, and I’m tempted to add 3 or 4 but I’ll be good this year and be more official with just ten. That doesn’t mean I won’t have some honorable mentions too, so make sure you check out my additional thoughts below and enjoy the heck out of all these movies, because I sure did.

10. Everything Everywhere All At Once (DANIELS, Kwan and Scheinert)

I know this one is on the top of a lot of lists. I loved it, absolutely. It’s unique, wildly inventive, beautiful and emotional. I don’t know why, but when I saw it in the theater (which was fantastic, so glad I was surrounded by other eager watchers) it just didn’t hit me like I was hoping it would. Maybe it was the relationship between the mother and daughter or just the chaos that threw me… but that feeling as I left the theater is the only reason Everything Everywhere All At Once didn’t make it higher on my list. I’m so excited to see a full cast of Asian actors creating something so wonderful, especially the star-studded cast of seasoned actors that deserved their time in the sun long ago. The palpable emotion portrayed in the film isn’t just happenstance, if you have watched interviews given by any one of the leads, they are overwhelmed with how incredibly important this film and their roles are to them. I better see at least a few statues going home with these folks come awards season.

(Everything Everywhere All At Once is available to stream or purchase)

9. EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)

Despite its unassuming premise, EO is a captivating story. An older donkey just trying to find peace and calm to live out his life, but finding almost everything but. With minimal script, the slow-paced but thoughtfully laid out narrative moves the story along just fast enough that you never lose interest. It’s not gripping or enticing, it just is. You root for him, you hope he’ll find what he’s looking for and when he finds trouble you are frightened and worried. Pulling no punches, Skolimowski offers a vivid and true-to-life story of what would would happen if a donkey was left to his own devices with commentary on animal cruelty, the aggressive nature of humans, and what it means to get older and become less useful. Talk about a heartbreaker, but a journey I was glad to take part in.

(EO is playing in limited theatrical release, including stints at SIFF and NWFF)

8. RRR (S.S. Rajamouli)

Epic is the most accurate word that comes to mind when describing Rajamouli’s RRR. Bollywood dance scenes, 1000% action-packed, and a storyline you can sink your teeth into are just the start of what RRR holds in store. At 3+ hours, you’re nearly exhausted as the credits roll up the screen and while it could have been edited down a bit, the extended run time almost adds to the legend of the film. I had been eager to see RRR ever since Chase mentioned it in our half-year discussion post, but it took nearly six months for me to finally sit down with it. Set in pre-independent India, it portrays the cruelty of the English ruling class, how little they cared for the people of the country and yet how strong the will of the Indian people was and still is. Each fight scene was a non-stop blur of feet, legs, arms and over-the-top physical prowess that just blows you away. Impossible feats of strength, agility and skill are displayed in double time as the two leads fight for their people. Brother against brother, battling for the ones they love most; it was chaotic and absolutely incredible.

(RRR is currently available to stream on Netflix)

7. After Yang (Kogonada)

I still have a tough time believing it, but there are two well-crafted story-driven and beautifully-acted films with Colin Farrell as their leads. Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a quality screenplay with his name at the head of the credits. That being said, damn if I wasn’t blown away by both this and Banshees of Inisherin (I had to make the cutoff somewhere, but this was in the running for my list too). Yang (Justin H Min), the beloved hyper-realistic AI robotic big brother to an adopted Chinese girl goes on the fritz and her father is on a mission to fix him no matter what it takes. In the process of hunting down what’s ailing the defacto family member, Jake (Farrell) discovers there’s more to Yang than just a trusted babysitter and endless well of Chinese knowledge. Emotionally powerful and quietly beautiful, it invokes the question: What makes us human?

(After Yang is available on Showtime and VOD)

6. TÁR (Todd Field)

A slow burning film with whispers and snatches of impropriety, overbearing and aggressive interactions with everyone she meets, and a simple belief that she knows better and is better than everyone else. Cate Blanchett transforms herself into a kind of animal with a singular view and dagger-like precision to get and keep exactly what she wants. When that starts to unravel, she seems to be the last to know and that brings us to the crescendo in the last fifteen minutes of the film that pays off every single painstaking scene before it. I had no idea what I was in for and I’m so glad for that, so I won’t go on much longer for fear of taking that beautiful maelstrom of bursting emotions away from you. I don’t blame Josh one bit for putting this in his number one spot.

(Tár is in theaters and available for digital purchase)

5. Eternal Spring (Jason Loftus)

A beautifully illustrated documentary depicting the persecution of a religious group, Falun Gong, in China. In 2002, the public access television airwaves were taken over by protestors that wanted the world to know that their religion was a positive influence on the world and not a corrupting one like the government was indoctrinating their citizens to believe. Told and depicted from the perspective of a practitioner, Daixong, who was involved in the incident made the story all the more rich. The love he still has for his nation and his hometown is obvious in every word he speaks and every stroke of his brush. While I’m not religious myself, being persecuted simply because you believe in something is unacceptable in any circumstance, but when they begin throwing you in jail, harassing you, even killing you? That’s beyond comprehension, and all these people wanted was to practice in peace. It’s hard to describe the flow between art and real life footage that made this story so compelling, but the director/narrator does a seamless job of creating the world in which they lived and in turn the terror they felt. I did watch this film at home, but I believe seeing in the theater, hearing the deafening silence and occasional the sobs (if my reactions are anything to go on) from audience members would make it that much more powerful.

(Eternal Spring is currently only in limited theatrical release with hopes of expanding in 2023)

4. Nope (Jordan Peele)

(Spoiler included). Another installment of the brilliant director Jordan Peele, Nope is less horror and more commentary on social dynamics, stepping on hands, feet, and faces to make a buck and most importantly how to kill an alien. But seriously, the intricate story feels effortless and while it isn’t quite as black and white as his previous films (at least in who the “bad guy” is) this more nuanced and story-reliant film won me over right away. If you want a more in-depth review, then take a gander at Josh’s top 10 list (this one ranked #8 for him) or his original review from July. Really though, at this point Peele would have to make absolute garbage to keep me from eagerly awaiting his next installment.

(Nope is available on VOD and to stream on Peacock)

3. Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)

A sharp and witty look at power dynamics and how they can shift in the blink of an eye. Supermodels Yaya (Charlbi Dean) and Carl (Harris Dickinson) begin the film with tense relationship drama but look to find peace and calm when they are invited on a cruise (as a perk of being beautiful of course). The rest of the boat is teeming with billionaires and their companions out for a respite from their normal lives. In a convergence of the ridiculous the boat runs into a powerful storm, and later shipwrecks what few passengers and crew are left. With no one in charge, the most unlikely of characters takes the helm and everything about their world shifts. I found myself laughing at something in almost every scene and relished the finger-pointing to the rich and powerful as they are put low over the fact they can’t even cook for themselves. Becoming dependent on “the help” in the form of Abigail (Dolly DeLeon), they clamor at her feet. She starts calling the shots and immediately falls into the trap of the power-hungry taking revenge and overcompensating for what she has been denied for so many years. It’s delicious. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen and even though it is an indictment on our society, if that’s too heavy it’s completely possible to simply enjoy it for the pure entertainment value.

(Triangle of Sadness has limited theatrical availability as well as VOD, with a wider release set for 2023)

2. Official Competition (Mariano Cohn Gastón Duprat)

An unexpected delight, watching Official Competition was just a whim one night when I came across it earlier in the wintry season before we were inundated with DVDs and For Your Consideration links. It hadn’t even come across my notice yet but from the first few scenes I knew it would be a favorite of the year. A satirical and scathing look behind the scenes of independent film when egos, artistic brilliance, and billboard names are involved, I found myself entranced by all three leads, each with a very distinct role yet all suffering from the same ailment: assuming they are the most important person in the room. Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) is a famous director hired by an egregiously wealthy man to help him make a mark on the world before he dies; he wants something spectacular with his name on it and a bridge just isn’t enough. In walks Félix (Antonio Banderes) and Iván (Oscar Martínez), one a hotshot of-the-moment film star, the other a practiced and cultured artist with years of study and professorship under his belt. They constantly clash on style, substance and delivery and you know they’ll either explode or find common ground and you’re equally excited each. All three of these actors delivered performances that could not have been created by anyone else. Eccentricity made each scene unexpected and fascinating as none of the characters seemed to grow or develop into better humans, they just dug in their heels and waited till it was over. With another crash-bang ending like TÁR I was done for, I just wish I had seen this one in the theater to enjoy all the suspense, idiocy and surprises with other humans around me.

(Official Competition is available on VOD)

1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson)

Like I mentioned above, nearly every film I saw this last year was emotionally draining whether it be sad, thoughtful or empowering, there was a huge vacuum of emotional energy pulled from me at every sitting. Well, one bright spot in that heafty pile of beautiful art was Glass Onion. Like many I was eager to watch after falling in love with the world of Benoit Blanc. Despite is slightly overzealous southern accent (which makes him even more charming to be honest), Daniel Craig hits the mark with his serious silliness and precociously cheeky outlook on life. What makes this a real winner, is the emotional attachment he has with his confidants. It adds a sense of humanity to his character that you don’t find in a lot of other detective stories (it’s why I love the tv show “Midsummer Murders” too, the lead is cheeky, a little silly and shows his soft underbelly). Craig wasn’t the only star to shine in the second installment of the Knives Out universe. Kate Hudson unfurls her charm and whit that we once saw with Penny Lane in Almost Famous but with a dash more sophistication. Kathryne Hahn as Claire, the overreaching and sycophantic politician, is a master of understatement as always, even when she’s burping in your face. I can’t gush about it enough and today you can watch it for yourself as it is released on Netflix.

(Glass Onion is available on Netflix beginning today)

Honorable Mentions: There are quite a few films that I wanted to include in this list but to save myself from myself and for the sake of brevity I kept it to the ten above. However, there’s nothing wrong with throwing out some titles and hoping that you take my word for it and watch them all, right? Don’t be surprised if this list gets a little longer. I’ve added a quick descriptor of why I love them and in turn why you should snuggle up in this freezing weather and watch them at home or when the thaw starts, in the theater.

• Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Streaming on Peacock, this dark mockumentary is about a Christian power-couple’s fall from grace. Well-acted, a great script, and free with download of the peacock app. Highly underrated so I had to mention it.
• White Noise (available on Netflix): To my surprise, this one was missing from many fellow reviewers’ top 10 lists. Based on the popular 1985 novel of the same name, this offbeat dark comedy points a finger at consumerism and its unfortunate vital role in society.
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (available on Starz): Whether you’re a fan of Nicholas Cage or not, this absurdly brilliant take on the life and times of the man, the myth, the legend will entertain. Then, on a dime it flips into an action thriller not at all based on the life and times of the same man. (Chris’s review)
• She Said (in theaters now): A behind-the-scenes-look at the New York Times writers who broke the story about Harvey Weinstein’s decades of harassment that in-turn bolstered the Me Too movement. Solid cast and a well-crafted storyline that gave those involved the respect and credit they’re due. (Josh’s review)

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All of the Sunbreak’s Year-end lists: Josh | Morgen | Chris | Tony