By now, your timeline is chock-full of year-end lists that rank the year’s best movies. To wager a guess, The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, and Nope are major contenders. There’s no denying that 2022 was an incredible year for film, especially as the long-awaited Avatar sequel is capping it off. From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to Elvis to Minions: Rise of Gru, there is no shortage of blockbuster excellence. Even the smaller film festival gems like Triangle of Sadness, Tár and The Banshees of Inisherin have made a big splash on the end-of-year rankings. There were thousands of new releases this year, and only a select percentage entered the mainstream discourse. But what about the films you heard nothing about? Just because a movie doesn’t have a disposable promotional budget doesn’t mean it’s any less worth seeing. Don’t worry, we did the digging for you. Here is a list of this year’s hidden gem films and why they are worth checking out.
Catherine Called Birdy
For someone who is responsible for creating one of the best modern television shows, it’s a shame that Lena Dunham’s most recent endeavor went largely unseen. Catherine Called Birdy is one of the sweetest, most charming films to come out of this year, and much of that is due to the emerging star, Bella Ramsey. Ramsey plays Catherine, a young girl facing the plight of womanhood in medieval England. Her father, played by the ever-charming Andrew Scott, is a wealth-obsessed Lord who would rather see her daughter wed at fourteen than have her revel in adolescence. Even though the film is set in medieval times, the important themes still hold a shocking amount of relevance to today’s issues. Serious in subject matter, the movie itself is a hilarious delight. It’s no real surprise, but with the addition of Catherine Called Birdy, Dunham proved that she’s still one of the best screenwriters we’ve got.
Funny Pages
Every year production company A24 releases several movies that are well-loved by critics and audiences alike. They’ve moved mountains for the independent film community and forever changed how they are distributed and promoted. However, there is one solid critique of the company: they take way too much onto their roster, which leaves some really great movies on the back burner. While A24 was busy marketing The Whale, Pearl, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, a charismatic little film called Funny Pages fell to the side. Written and directed by newcomer Owen Kline and produced by the Safdie Brothers, the movie provides a modernist and nihilistic spin on the coming-of-age genre. Don’t let the overwhelmingly great assortment of A24 films from this year bury the nostalgic gem that is Funny Pages.
Emily the Criminal
If you loved watching Aubrey Plaza in The White Lotus, this movie is for you. After seeing her nail the satire and comedy genres, Plaza gets to flex her muscles as the lead in this action crime thriller. She plays Emily, a hard worker riddled with student debt who comes across an opportunity to make some quick cash. The film not only delves into this niche form of criminality but also studies the rise and fall of someone who chases instant gratification. It’s a knockout debut from director John Patton Ford and was even produced by Plaza and her company Evil Hag Productions. There’s no question that she fought for this film to be made and for good reason, Emily the Criminal is a much-needed rejuvenation to the crime genre.
Nanny
Independent filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu has been creating poignant short films centred around Black female characters for over a decade. Well deserved, her first feature, Nanny, debuted at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and took home the Grand Jury prize. Her take on horror mirrors the terrifying real-life circumstances of an undocumented African woman who works in the elitist Upper West Side. Anna Diop portrays the main character, Aisha, who nannies a white and privileged New York child and has to answer to the wealthily tone-deaf parents. There’s no need for jump scares or monsters in this atmospheric horror that only needs reality to frighten you. Post-Sundance, Jusu got her hard-earned spotlight, which has led her into a partnership with Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, and it was recently announced that she is set to direct a sequel to Night of the Living Dead. Before she shoots into the mainstream director zeitgeist, hop on the Jusu fan train now so you can claim you’ve been there since the beginning.
Sanctuary
Finally, they made a romantic comedy for strange little weirdos. If there were ever a feature-film-length episode of Succession following just Roman Roy, it would look something like Sanctuary. Christopher Abbott plays the heir to a hotel chain, and his recently-deceased millionaire father is leaving the company in his hands. A part of his antics as a rich manchild profiting off of nepotism is having a regular relationship with a dominatrix, played by Margaret Qualley. As his new position will catapult him into the mainstream spotlight, he attempts to cut ties with his call girl, and chaos ensues. The entire film takes place in one low-lit hotel room and relies solely on the chemistry between Abbott and Qualley, which is on fire. There’s not a moment in the film that isn’t milked, and what comes next is never predictable. Despite the coldness of a transactional relationship like theirs, Sanctuary provides one of the most romantic on-screen dynamics in recent memory.
I Like Movies
If Funny Pages had a Canadian cousin, it would be I Like Movies. The film is a period piece set in the newly nostalgic era of the early 2000s with the backdrop of a video store, a la Blockbuster. It is the coming-of-age story of a pretentious film bro, a genre of film that had yet to be touched before writer and director Chandler Levack had her say. She masterfully managed to make the main character of Lawrence annoying and unlikeable, yet intriguing and hilarious. His dialogue is so heavily packed with movie references it will have you smiling and rolling your eyes at the same time. While it thrives on its surface-level sarcasm, I Like Movies successfully goes deep into the rude awakening that is life post-high school. If you enjoy logging films on Letterboxd, worship Paul Thomas Anderson, or are still waiting for your Lady Bird, I Like Movies was made for you.
Sick of Myself
Dark comedy is an intricate genre that relies on a sardonic script and perfectly irreverent line deliveries from the main actors. European films have been lightyears ahead in showcasing the misanthropic nature of today’s society while keeping on the mask of humour. Filmmakers like Michael Haneke, Joachim Trier and Ruben Östlund are textbook examples of that. This year saw a real breakthrough for Norweigan writer and director Kristoffer Borgli with his film Sick of Myself. The film follows a toxic relationship where both parties have the utterly narcissistic need to be the center of attention. When one gets a leg up, the other must retaliate, and there are no bizarre lengths they won’t go to. In perfect Euro fashion, Sick of Myself dissects the vanity of modern-day relationships with a hyperbolic lens on the flippant abuse of pharmaceuticals. It’s a truly ludicrous film, in the best way possible. Filmmaker Borgli even described the movie as “A toast to the assholes.”
Master
Comedy icon Regina Hall shifts gears by starring in Mariama Diallo’s feature debut, Master. The film is a beguiling psychological thriller that delves into the world of elite academia. Hall portrays the first Black master of a high-end New England university that is believed to be haunted. Without giving away too much, the school, without a doubt, has some serious issues. Diallo impresses with her first film and nails the delicate art of intertwining racial tension with horror. Considering 2022 was so successful for elevated horror, there’s no reason why Master shouldn’t have been mentioned with the likes of Smile, X, and The Black Phone.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
The Academy Award-winning documentarian behind Citizenfour, Laura Poitras, is one of the most prominent filmmakers the category has today. Her latest nonfiction piece, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, deserves just as much recognition as her previous titles. The documentary revolves around famed American artist, photographer and activist Nan Goldin as she takes a stand against the Sackler Family, whose company, Purdue Pharma, created OxyContin. Goldin has a personal vendetta against them as she’s one of the millions who got addicted to the opioid after being prescribed them by a doctor. Not only that, but Purdue tried to conceal their tainted billions by donating to Art Museums, many of which carried Goldin’s work. While doing justice to the vital topics at hand, the film also pays tribute to Goldin’s strides for the LGBTQIA+ community and destigmatizing HIV/AIDS. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a tremendous piece of work that finally gives a platform to the paramount figure that you never knew about, Nan Goldin.
Broker
The last film we saw by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda was the captivating and pragmatic Shoplifters. It won the Palme D’or at Cannes and helped bring the rest of his filmography to the Western eye. Considering how well-loved the 2018 film was, the anticipated for his next feat should have broken ground. Though the release in North America was relatively low-key, Kore-eda delivered another deeply human meditation on the fickleness of existence while maintaining the clever wit that keeps the film’s dark tone a delight to watch. Broker centers around two men that run an underground business selling abandoned babies on the black market. While based on a truly troubling premise, the film never loses its sense of optimism as it sets out on a journey to discover the true meaning of chosen family.
Cha Cha Real Smooth
There’s an everlasting debate about whether streaming does more harm than good. Does a movie being sent straight to streaming ruin its chance of greatness or allow more people to see it? For this direct-to-Apple TV feature Cha Cha Real Smooth, the answer is up in the air. Despite its success at Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, this tender little movie ended up in the streamer vault. Writer, director, and star Cooper Raiff is one to watch. He is more than an apt filmmaker, but his on-screen presence opposite Dakota Johnson was utterly engrossing. He holds the charm and charisma of a Paul Newman or a Ryan Gosling. He based the script off some of his real-life experiences of having a sibling with disabilities, and his heart shines through every moment of the script. Cha Cha Real Smooth has everything; smirk-worthy humor, a will-they-won’t-they romance, and multiple Batmitzvah dance scenes. You can’t miss!
Piggy
The revenge thriller genre has been waiting for Piggy. The Spanish film by Carlota Pereda narrows in on a rural village where bullies torment a teen girl, Sara, for being overweight. Karma takes over when those bullies get abducted, and Sara faces a moral impasse to either report it or enact her bloody revenge. In beautiful grindhouse fashion, the gory and hysterical film finds a nuanced catharsis in the end. Star Laura Galán is one to watch, as she brings a much-needed humanist approach to portraying a nervous teenager faced with horrific circumstances. Filmmaker Pereda clearly has an unfettering care for each of her characters, good or bad. Piggy not only provides a thrilling viewer experience but cleverly explores the deeply rooted social ailment of fatphobia. Just look at the poster; Galán drenched in blood walking down a deserted street, with retribution washed all over her face. If that isn’t a hook in to press play, I don’t know what is.
