Best movies of 2022, according to film lovers

Amusement Park Films 2022 was a banner year for movies. It saw the return of the Avatar and Batman franchises, along with the unexpected soaring popularity of the sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun.” In addition to tentpole blockbusters, you’ll find epics with ensemble casts like “Babylon” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” as well as Steven Spielberg’s sentimental metadrama “The Fabelmans.” Moving beyond popular entertainment, 2022 also saw multiple films–from dramas to documentaries–examining humanity under dictatorial or authoritarian regimes. Acclaimed nonfiction films took on such subjects as ecological disasters, systemic racism, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ experiences, and the pharmaceutical industry. Several dramas also examined oppressive histories in an effort to illuminate their impact on the present and future. Stacker looked at Letterboxd’s data for all 2022 movies and compiled a list of the top 50 films across all genres, according to Letterboxd user scores. Ties are broken internally at Letterboxd, where the data goes deeper than what’s presented online. Letterboxd is a uniquely insightful source for the year’s best films because it’s the most widely used film-centric social media platform, where cinephiles log, love-hate, rate, review, and discuss movies and explore film history. As a result, the Letterboxd userbase is more well-versed and up to speed on the year in movies than, say, the IMDb userbase. You may also like: Incredible filming locations from popular movies #50. The Whale A24 – Director: Darren Aronofsky – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 117 minutes Brendan Fraser has drawn praise for his emotional performance as a reclusive, ailing father who reconnects with his estranged teen daughter (Sadie Sink) in his final days. Director Darren Aronofsky garnered criticism for the film’s controversial depiction of obesity, however, which was considered insensitive and maudlin. #49. Babylon Paramount Pictures – Director: Damien Chazelle – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 188 minutes Boasting over three hours of screen time, “Babylon” covers the heyday of old Hollywood’s silent period as it transitions to talkies in the 1930s. It’s a movie about spectacle, behind and in front of the camera, that depicts lavish parties and reckless chaos, with Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart, and Diego Calva portraying industry forces. #48. Aftershock Impact Partners – Directors: Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 86 minutes This riveting documentary asks why so many women die from complications during childbirth and why a disproportionate number of them are Black. The directors humanize dismal statistics by looking at the deaths of Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Lee, the families left behind, and the systemic racism that creates this ongoing crisis. #47. Bones and All Frenesy Film Company – Director: Luca Guadagnino – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 131 minutes Luca Guadagnino once again directs Timothée Chalamet in another atmospheric love story, this time about young cannibals on the run, co-starring Taylor Russell (“Waves,” “Words on Bathroom Walls”). The director called connections between this film’s subject matter and Chalamet’s co-star Armie Hammer in Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name” “preposterous.” In 2021, Hammer was embroiled in sexual assault allegations that included text messages that fetishized cannibalism. #46. Descendant Higher Ground Productions – Director: Margaret Brown – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 109 minutes This acclaimed documentary examines the history of the Clotilda, the last vessel to illegally bring enslaved people (the 110 persons aboard) to the United States. These people would found Africatown, near Mobile, Alabama, and though their history was willfully destroyed, director, co-writer, and producer Margaret Brown traces their experience and its continuing impact on their descendants who live there today. Brown likewise examines the slavers and their beneficiaries who long continued the cover-up the film exposes. You may also like: Famous movie quotes from the year you were born #45. All That Breathes Rise Films – Director: Shaunak Sen – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 97 minutes Two brothers create a bird hospital in their New Delhi garage amid an encroaching ecological disaster and a 2019 act in India’s parliament that bars Muslim immigrants from citizenship. The Muslim brothers, Muhammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, continue their work for the ailing bird population in a documentary that captures the systemic array of forces contributing to unrest for birds and humans alike. #44. Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes Top Hat Productions – Director: James Jones – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 96 minutes James Jones’ searing and disturbing documentary about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster premiered shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The film uncovers a truthful account of the disaster that was denied by the Soviet government in 1986. Jones uses footage, previously unknown and unseen, that provides chilling details on the horror of the events, especially for the Ukrainians who lived nearby and eventually gained independence. #43. Is That Black Enough for You?!? Makemake – Director: Elvis Mitchell – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 135 minutes Film critic Elvis Mitchell dives deep into Blaxploitation and the rich artistry of Black cinema in the 1970s in this documentary about Black innovation and expression. Mitchell traces the contributions of Black actors, directors, and producers whose independent cinematic spirit has had a profound influence on popular mainstream film. Mitchell narrates with interviews from major players in Black cinema along the way. #42. The Woman King TriStar Pictures – Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 135 minutes Viola Davis gives a stellar performance in this historical action drama about female warriors set during the 1820s that’s directed, written, produced, shot, and edited by women. With fictional elements based on the real Agojie army that protected a West African kingdom, the movie offers action by women fighters who take on slavers in a rousing epic that foregrounds liberation. #41. Stutz Netflix – Director: Jonah Hill – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 96 minutes Jonah Hill directs this documentary about his therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz, playing with film form while exploring mental health. “Stutz’ considers how one can come to know, love, and understand oneself and expresses this in a style that examines the possibility of cinema and documentary to be objective and truthful. You may also like: Mistakes from the 50 best movies of all time #40. Retrograde National Geographic Documentary Films – Director: Matthew Heineman – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 94 minutes Director Matthew Heineman and his documentary crew gain intimate access to the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The crew was embedded with Green Berets and the Afghan army during the chaotic events before the Taliban took power. The events bring a sense of overwhelming sorrow and irrational helplessness as the focus shifts to the perilous fate that awaits those left behind. #39. Cha Cha Real Smooth Picturestart – Director: Cooper Raiff – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 107 minutes Cooper Raiff writes, directs, and stars in his second feature film, which made waves at the Sundance Film Festival and sold in the 2022 festival’s largest deal to Apple. Critically acclaimed for its authentic charm and humor, Raiff plays an aimless college grad whose job is getting people to dance at bars and bat mitzvahs. He soon becomes entwined with a single mom portrayed by Dakota Johnson. #38. Hit the Road Kino Lorber – Director: Panah Panahi – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 93 minutes Taking place during a road trip, “Hit the Road” infuses lighthearted family life with a profound sense of gravity. Writer-director Panah Panahi’s father–acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose work is likewise layered with astute social commentary–is currently imprisoned. #37. After Yang A24 – Director: Kogonada – Letterboxd user rating: 3.8 – Runtime: 96 minutes In this poignant sci-fi drama, Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play the adoptive parents of a human child and a robot, Yang. Yang, purchased second-hand, breaks down, beginning an emotional process of repair in a film that questions the nature of family bonds and what it means to be human. #36. Vortex Rectangle Productions – Director: Gaspar Noé – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 142 minutes Gaspar Noé, known for his unflinchingly and often relentlessly violent films, turns to a more everyday subject in “Vortex”: old age. Noé uses a split screen technique wherein the central elderly couple goes about their lives, fraught with dementia and other ailments in this sober examination of death and dying. The film stars legendary Italian horror director Dario Argento. You may also like: Why these famous films were banned around the globe #35. Happening Rectangle Productions – Director: Audrey Diwan – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 100 minutes In this searing French drama, Anamaria Vartolomei plays a young student who copes with an unwanted pregnancy in 1963. This acclaimed film offers riveting, emotional commentary on the importance of abortion through its historical lens and Vartolomei’s haunting performance. Visceral scenes confront the authentic physicality of the subject. #34. The Northman New Regency Productions – Director: Robert Eggers – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 137 minutes Relentless brutality shapes this tale of vengeance which sees Alexander Skarsgård as a dethroned prince looking to punish the uncle who killed his father, King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke). Nicole Kidman plays his long-lost mother, who was kidnapped by the treasonous uncle, in a film praised by Variety for its intensive and authentic production design in its recreation of ancient Viking life and lore. #33. Great Freedom FreibeuterFilm – Director: Sebastian Meise – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 116 minutes In this acclaimed German film, a masterful queer love story emerges in a bitter prison setting. Told across decades, the length of a life sentence, a man imprisoned for homosexuality develops a relationship with his cellmate. IndieWire praised the film for its somber and tender portrayal of love in a brutal system. #32. Navalny CNN Films – Director: Daniel Roher – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 98 minutes Currently imprisoned in Russia, Alexei Navalny, the Russian activist known for his brazen opposition to Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, is the subject of this CNN-produced documentary. The film chronicles the assassination attempt on Navalny’s life, his recovery, and the milieu surrounding the threat he represents as well as the resistance he inspires. #31. Nope Universal Pictures – Director: Jordan Peele – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 130 minutes Jordan Peele’s much-hyped third feature film seduced critics and audiences alike after a trailer campaign amped up intrigue without giving away the premise. The horror film draws on classic monster movies in its themes of exploitation, power, and violence. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, and Brandon Perea star in the project. You may also like: 50 best movies about the Vietnam War #30. Triangle of Sadness Imperative Entertainment – Director: Ruben Östlund – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 147 minutes Set on a luxury yacht filled with elites, influencers, and other members of the one percent, passengers soon find their social and financial power threatened when the ocean turns stormy. This scathing comedy won 2022’s Palme d’Or and stars Woody Harrelson as a luxury boat captain in a movie about shipwrecked rich people whose social order turns upside-down. #29. The Territory Associação Jupaú do Povo Uru-eu-wau-wau – Director: Alex Pritz – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 85 minutes Through immersion with the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau people of Brazil, this award-winning documentary becomes a powerful tale of underdog heroes protecting their land and people in the face of capitalist takeover. The film documents economic settlers looking to clear out and expand the Amazon rainforest despite dubious rights to do so. “The Territory” highlights the advocacy of the Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, addresses their leader’s murder, and spotlights their own footage as they face an evil force looking to wipe them out. #28. A Night of Knowing Nothing Petit Chaos – Director: Payal Kapadia – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 99 minutes This examination of the caste system in India merges its subject with filmmaking itself. In this experimental documentary about political cinema, “A Night of Knowing Nothing” revolves around love letters between an estranged couple after one of them is ousted from film school. The documentary includes poetic uses of footage that is both powerful and transcendent. #27. The Janes HBO Documentary Films – Directors: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 101 minutes This timely documentary examines The Jane Collective, a covert group of women who created an underground network where women could obtain safe, but illegal, abortions before Roe vs. Wade legalized bodily autonomy for pregnant people in 1972. The film underscores the connections between a fairly recent history, the modern resubjugation of abortion rights, and the confusing mass of social inequities that affect the lived experience of those wanting and needing an abortion. #26. Women Talking Hear/Say Productions – Director: Sarah Polley – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 104 minutes Sarah Polley directs an ensemble cast of acting heavyweights including Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Rooney Mara in a drama about the effects of systemic sexual abuse. Set on a remote Mennonite farm, women grapple with how to finally fight back in a cultural milieu set against them. You may also like: Classic movie quotes that have broken into our daily vocabulary #25. Avatar: The Way of Water 20th Century Studios – Director: James Cameron – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 192 minutes The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 megablockbuster set on the fictional planet Pandora has a reported production budget between $350 million-$400 million. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana play Jake Sully and Neytiri, the Na’vi couple whose kids must deal once more with colonizing humans. #24. Decision to Leave CJ Entertainment – Director: Park Chan-wook – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 139 minutes Park Chan-wook won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for this acclaimed mystery, which features a layered plot and engrossing romance. Critics lauded the film’s complex plotline and stunning visual tableaus that infuse a film noir edge into this tale of desire and death. #23. Pearl A24 – Director: Ti West – Letterboxd user rating: 3.9 – Runtime: 103 minutes Director Ti West co-wrote the sequel to his slasher film “X” with star Mia Goth who depicts Pearl, an aspiring actress with murderous tendencies. Here, we learn Pearl’s origin story, which takes place on the same desolate farm we saw in “X,” this time in 1918. The films were shot at the same time, but Pearl has a glossy classic Hollywood aesthetic that gives its horror subject a stylish verve. #22. Bad Axe IFC Films – Director: David Siev – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 100 minutes Following a Cambodian refugee who fled the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, this documentary examines the contemporary American landscape for small business owners, particularly in the context of COVID-19. Director David Siev takes his family and their restaurant as his subject, documenting the harrowing events they endure as their community is asked to follow mask guidelines and participates in Black Lives Matter protests. #21. This Much I Know to Be True Uncommon Creative Studio – Director: Andrew Dominik – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 105 minutes Celebrating the artistry of songwriting, this documentary features Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who delve into their collaborative process in the studio. Cave, of the band the Bad Seeds, was also the subject of director Dominik’s 2016 “One More Time with Feeling.” Here, Cave pairs up once again with Ellis in their second film about music, friendship, and creativity. You may also like: 50 times actors hated their own movies #20. All Quiet on the Western Front Amusement Park Films – Director: Edward Berger – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 148 minutes Adapting the famous 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this harrowing film provides an unrelenting entry into the war drama canon. While the original material, including the first film adaptation in 1930, is known for its bleak despair, this update dives even further into the nihilism and meaningless horrors of war. #19. Close Menuet Producties – Director: Lukas Dhont – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 105 minutes In this Dutch Grand Jury Prize Cannes winner, Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele give powerful performances as two 13-year-old friends who fall prey to teasing from classmates. The film has been praised for its intimate, soulful style that gets at the emotional heart of both boys as they’re pulled apart. #18. Moonage Daydream BMG – Director: Brett Morgen – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 135 minutes David Bowie’s singular genius comes to life in this luminous documentary. Created through previously unreleased footage and remastered songs, the film provides visual rhapsody for Bowie fans and a transportive immersion into the legendary artist’s life and work. #17. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Netflix – Director: Rian Johnson – Letterboxd user rating: 4.0 – Runtime: 140 minutes Daniel Craig returns as the intrepid Detective Benoit Blanc, who is back for more murder-solving adventures, this time set on a Greek Isle. The ensemble cast, each playing potential suspects in the central mystery, includes Ed Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. #16. Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America Off Center Media – Directors: Emily Kunstler, Sarah Kunstler – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 117 minutes Jeffery Robinson, a former defense attorney and current legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, offers sober, accessible lectures on the history and current state of racism in America. Robinson lays out the case with powerful eloquence that offers an entry point into the crucial conversation and its undeniable facts. You may also like: 100 best international movies of all time #15. Fire of Love Sandbox Films (II) – Director: Sara Dosa – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 98 minutes Miranda July narrates this documentary about two volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died in the field during the Mount Unzen eruption in 1991. Created from the married scientists’ own archival footage, the film explores fiery passion in all forms including love and work, documenting their study of volcanoes. #14. Mr. Bachmann and His Class Madonnen Film – Director: Maria Speth – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 217 minutes Director Maria Speth’s film explores the possibilities of documentary form as it pursues its subject–a German elementary school teacher who has a surprising impact on his students, many of whom are immigrants. Dieter Bachmann is an unconventional instructor with a job not associated with flash or excitement, yet the film manages to uplift and enthrall even across its nearly four-hour running time. #13. The Quiet Girl Inscéal – Director: Colm Bairéad – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 94 minutes The highest-grossing Irish language film of all time, “The Quiet Girl” proceeds with a lyrical directness in its tender tale of a young girl sent to live with foster parents for the summer. As the timid 9-year-old, Catherine Clinch gives an engrossing performance as a child not used to being seen as she slowly forms bonds with her new parents and learns of their own sorrows. #12. The Batman Warner Bros. – Director: Matt Reeves – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 176 minutes The Batman franchise is known for its dark and gritty, pessimistic underworld–and the latest entry, starring Robert Pattinson as the caped billionaire crimefighter, creeps even further into lurid shadows and noir style. The all-star cast also features Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell in a murderous game of cat and mouse filled with riddles, twists, and a convoluted plan to destroy Gotham City. #11. Top Gun: Maverick Paramount Pictures – Director: Joseph Kosinski – Letterboxd user rating: 4.1 – Runtime: 130 minutes The iconic 1986 action movie about aerial dogfights returns with Tom Cruise starring once again as the rebellious Maverick. This time, Maverick is a teacher at the hotshot pilot school where he used to be the star student. Miles Teller plays the grown son of Maverick’s deceased partner, Goose. “Top Gun: Maverick” was a stunning, record-breaking blockbuster, raking in over $1.4 billion worldwide. You may also like: 100 best Western films of all time #10. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio