After two-plus years floundering in the pandemic, it seems that the film industry is finally regaining its legs. This year, Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water blasted off, the Daniels’ multiverse-hopping stunner Everything Everywhere All at Once was the sleeper hit of the year, and old masters in their late eras such as Steven Spielberg and David Cronenberg returned in top form. It might have been harder than ever to whittle down a top ten in 2022, but it was an absolute delight to journey through the year’s cinema. Here are my 10 favorite movies of 2022, along with some honorable mentions:

My 2022 Sundance Film Festival coverage begins here. In 2017, the pseudonymous Kogonada made waves at Sundance with his intimate character drama, Columbus. Five years later, the prominent video essayist and filmmaker has returned with After Yang, a meditative sci-fi stunner no less affecting than his beautifully-wrought debut. A deeply emotional examination of identity, purpose, and the memory of all things, After Yang tackles its themes — and its surprising thread on what it means to be Asian and Asian American — with grace and craft. Minor spoilers ahead…