A little past mid-2022, the movie year is already intriguing. One of the most reviewed releases So far, it has exceeded the box office revenue. It will be “Top Gun: Maverick”. But if you’ve already seen it and want to catch up with other powerful films, I asked Times co-chief critics AO Scott and Manora Dargis about their favorites. Here, in no particular order. — Stephanie Goodman
“All at once”
story: The owner of the laundromat (Michelle Yeoh) is feeling stressed. Her husband is applying for divorce. Her daughter is depressed and angry with her. And to conclude it, the IRS is auditing her. Her encounters with unyielding bureaucrats, more importantly, the life she was able to live in (and the hot dog fingers she might have) as she entered to fight the audit. , Causes a multiverse rampage that shows different paths for her relationship.
AO Scott’s view: “Antic wisdom helps a sincere and generous heart,” our critics write about a film directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who work under the name Daniels. “Yes, this movie is a metaphysical multifaceted galactic brain trip, but deeply and superficially, it’s a bittersweet domestic drama, a couple comedy, a story of immigrant efforts, and a wounded mother’s ballad-daughter’s. Love.”
read Reviews, and interviews with Yeoh and KeHuy Quan, who play her husband. You may remember Kuan, who started as a child actor in the short round of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Destiny.”
clock: It’s still in some theaters, or you can buy it in majors Digital platform.. Also, take a look at the anatomy of the scene with the director.
‘Happening’
story: In southwestern France in the early 1960s, Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei) is a 23-year-old student who wants to be a writer. However, when she becomes pregnant, her efforts to obtain an abortion, which was a new crime at the time, are desperate. This film is based on the memoirs of French writer Annie Ernaux.
Manora Dargis’s view: “The line of sight remains clear, direct and fearless,” wrote Audrey Diwan, our critic. “She shows you a part of life that movies rarely do. That is, she wants, wants to learn, wants to have sex, has children on her own terms, a sovereign woman, that is, life. Shows a woman who runs the risk of becoming a criminal and dares to be free when choosing to live. “
read Reviews and articles on how this movie helped a bigger debate in France.
Rental or purchase upon Amazon Prime And others Major digital platforms..
In the world of “Everything Everything All At Once”
In this broadening and peculiar view of superhero movies, laundromat owners are the focus of a spectacular, multifaceted confrontation.
“Flux Gourmand”
story: In a world devised by writer and director Peter Strickland, the enjoyment of cooking is also musical, with groups playing by pushing puree in a blender or dropping food in hot oil. In a manor house where players and followers gather, egoism and strongly-held principles add to the tension. (Who can resist?)
AO Scott’s view: “This movie is not as parable or illusion as witty philosophical speculation about the basic problems of human beings,” Scott wrote. “We are animals driven by desire, hunger and aggression, but also delicate creatures who love beauty and abstraction. These two aspects of our nature change unexpectedly and endlessly. Collide in the way you do. “
story: The pandemic may be receding, but Angela Childs (Zoe Kravitz) continues to work from her loft in a bug-solving job for KIMI, a digital assistant like Siri, probably from agoraphobia. increase. I think she’s hearing violent crimes while working on one of those bugs. Her efforts to follow up put her at risk.
Manora Dargis’s view: Our critics write that thrillers “self-consciously draw from the referent assortment of movies,” including “rear windows.” But director Steven Soderbergh “pulled out all his tricks and is clearly exploding.” “He keeps the lightness of the touch and the visual playfulness and keeps the movie safe in the realm of pop joy,” even when the plot is becoming more ominous. “
read review.
Stream upon HBO Max..
“Neptune Frost”
story: In this afro-futureist vision by American interdisciplinary artist Saul Williams and Rwandan filmmaker Anisia Uzeyman, Burundi miners (Kaya Free) and Intersex Runaway (Sheryl Icheja and Elvis Gabo) Meet in an African community dedicated to imagination and solidarity.
AO Scott’s view: The plot is “loose and thought-provoking,” he wrote. The movie describes it as “a collage of vibrant images, sounds, and words that punch through movie themes like hashtags.” Williams and Uzeiman combine anarchist politics with anarchist aesthetics to create something that feels both handmade and high-tech, digital and analog, poetic and punk rock. “
read review.
clock So theater..
“Ringgit, holy bond”
story: In N’Djamena, Chad, 15-year-old Maria (Rihanehalil Ario) was expelled from school because she became pregnant. Her single mother, the enterprising temperament Amina (Achouackh Abakar Souleymane), got her by selling a coal stove made from her recovered tires. Therefore, both women are betting on the quest for a safe abortion.
Manora Dargis’s view: Director Mahamato Sale Haroun “shows women moving, rebelling, fleeing and fleeing, sometimes running in clever and fun circles around men,” critics write. “And when you look at the last credit, you can hear the laughter of a woman. It’s a sacred and victorious coder.”
read Reviews and interviews with directors and movie stars.
clock: Streaming MubiRental or purchase Major digital platforms..
“Futura”
story: In a project that began before the pandemic and was completed in the meantime, directors Pietro Marcello (“Martin Eden”), Frances Komungi (“Black Souls”) and Alicellor Wacher (“Happy Lazaro”) traveled to Italy. And interviewed the young people about all of them. Career wants the meaning of happiness.
AO Scott’s view: “It would be a mistake to impose too much consistency on such kaleidoscopic, open-ended group portraits,” he writes. Still, the film is “a confirmation of the sustainability of the approach to filmmaking based on curiosity, the principles of democracy, and the idea that people can speak for themselves.”
story: Young Nelly went to the French countryside with her mother and father to clean up the house of her recently deceased grandmother. In the woods, Nelly makes friends with another girl who is building a hut, as Nelly’s mother once did. As two children who resemble each other approach each other (they are played by twins Josefin and Gabriel Sans), their mysterious connection implies a deeper bond.
Manora Dargis’s view: “Part of the mystery is that it’s unclear what the story is and where it is-with its charming child and restrained melancholy-it was able to go,” our critics said. Is writing. By refraining from information, Céline Sciamma “encourages children to open their eyes to this place and story, which means that expectations for how the film works should be set aside.” ..
read review.
Rental or purchase upon Major digital platforms..
‘Mr. Bachmann and his class “
story: In her fly-on-the-wall documentary filmed in 2016-17, Maria Spet Following the title character, a charismatic sixth grade teacher who bent the counterculture, and most of his immigrant students living in a German village in northern Frankfurt.
AO Scott’s view: Although he doesn’t learn much about life outside of school, critics write that he “focuses on something special, almost offends teachers, and contributes to the emotional richness of the film.” “This is not a heroic teacher’s drama about idealism in the face of adversity. It recognizes the effort of learning and the magic of simple dignity.”
story: A young Swedish woman with the stage name Bella Cherry (Sophia Kappel) has arrived in Los Angeles and decided to become a star in the porn industry. Observe how her work affects the humanity of her fellow performers, men and women, as she plays in extreme scenes trying to push her limits.
Manora Dargis’s view: “It’s a smart, brave, totally unexpected movie, and at the heart of it is the old-fashioned story of an ambitious hard worker overcoming odds and becoming another American success story,” critics said. I am writing. Director Ninja Tyberg says, “I know horror, as the intolerable scene emphasizes. But women make porn, women see it, and why they like it. For a variety of reasons, including, because it’s their choice. “
read review.
Rental or purchase upon Major digital platforms..