The Skinny's Films of 2022: Our Writers' Top 10s
Our film writers' personal top tens of the year, plus honourable mentions, TV shows of the year and a few stinkers thrown in for good measure
Collectively, our Film team voted Aftersun the film of the year. You can read a rundown of our full top ten here. If you’re looking for more idiosyncratic tips, however, here are the writers’ individual lists, where they nod to over a hundred different film titles from 2022 in their personal top tens and honourable mentions.
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
2. The Northman (Robert Eggers)
3. Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro)
4. Living (Oliver Hermanus)
5. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
6. Nightmare Alley (Guillermo del Toro)
7. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
8. Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
9. Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
10. Prey (Dan Trachtenberg)
Honourable mentions: Turning Red (Domee Shi), Glass Onion (Rian Johnson), RRR (S. S. Rajamouli), The Woman King (Gina Prince-Bythewood), The Lost City (Aaron Nee, Adam Nee)
Stinker of the year: Uncharted (Ruben Fleischer)
Thomas Atkinson
1. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. Train Again (Peter Tscherkassky)
3. Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
4. Ambulance (Michael Bay)
5. Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise)
6. The African Desperate (Martine Syms)
7. Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (Mani Ratnam)
8. Dry Ground Burning (Joana Pimenta, Adirley Queirós)
9. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (Jane Schoenbrun)
10. Three Thousand Years of Longing (George Miller)
Stinker of the year: Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
1. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
2. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
3. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan)
4. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
5. Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
6. Nope (Jordan Peele)
7. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
8. Decision to Leave (Park Chan Wook)
9. Benediction (Terrence Davies)
10. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
Honourable mentions: No Bears (Jafar Panahi), The Souvenir: Part II (Joanna Hogg), Lingui (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun), Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)
Re-releases of the year: Wings of Desire (Wim Wender, 1987), Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972), The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
TV shows of the year: The Bear, The Sandman
Stinker of the year: Bros (Nicholas Stoller)
Eleanor Capaldi
1. Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)
2. Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodovar)
3. Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
4. Girls Girls Girls (Alli Haapasalo)
5. The Novice (Lauren Hadaway)
6. Zero Fucks Given (Emmanuel Marre, Julie Lecoustre)
7. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
8. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
9. Cow (Andrea Arnold)
10. Nope (Jordan Peele)
Honourable mentions: Rūrangi (Max Currie), Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert), A Quiet Girl (Colm Bairéad)
1. A Bread Factory (Patrick Wang)
2. After Yang (Kogonada)
3. Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. The Tale of King Crab (Matteo Zoppis, Alessio Rigo de Righi)
5. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (Arthur Harari)
6. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
7. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
8. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
9. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
10. The Quiet Girl (Colm Bairéad)
Honourable mentions: Ambulance (Michael Bay), Prayers For The Stolen (Tatiana Huezo), RRR (S. S. Rajamouli), Strawberry Mansion (Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley), What Do We See When We Look At The Sky? (Alexandre Koberidze)
Re-releases of the year: The Draughtsman’s Contract (Peter Greenaway, 1982), Nil by Mouth (Gary Oldman, 1997), Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
Stinker of the year: Bloody Oranges (Jean-Christophe Meurisse)
1. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
2. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
3. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
4. The Novice (Laura Hadaway)
5. Nope (Jordan Peele)
6. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
7. After Yang (Kogonada)
8. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniels)
9. The Souvenir Part II (Joanna Hogg)
10. The Northman (Robert Eggers)
Honourable mention: Apollo 10 1/2 (Richard Linklater), Mad God (Phil Tippett), RRR (S. S. Rajamouli), All Light, Everywhere (Theo Anthony), The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
TV shows of the year: Severance, The Rehearsal, Andor, Barry S3, Better Call Saul S6
Stinker of the year: Scream (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett)
1. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
2. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (Alexandre Koberidze)
3. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
4. Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar)
5. Nope (Jordan Peele)
6. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
7. Both Sides of the Blade (Claire Denis)
8. The Girl and the Spider (Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher)
9. Barbarian (Zach Cregger)
10. Funny Pages (Owen Kline)
Honourable mentions: The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh), Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund), Red Rocket (Sean Baker), Compartment No. 6 (Juho Kuosmanen), No Bears (Jafar Panahi)
Re-release of the year: Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984), Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982), Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972)
TV shows of the year: Yellow Jackets, Severance, Only Murders in the Building S2, Slow Horses, Derry Girls 3
Stinker of the year: Thor: Love & Thunder (Taika Waititi)
1. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (Alexandre Koberidze)
2. Il Buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
3. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
4. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (Arthur Harari)
5. Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)
6. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
7. All Light, Everywhere (Theo Anthony)
8. Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise)
9. Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
10. Moon, 66 Questions (Jacqueline Lentzou)
Honourable mentions: Instant Life (Anja Dornieden, Juan David González Monroy, Andrew Kim), The Plains (David Easteal), As Mine Exactly (Charlie Shackleton), Constant (Sasha Litvintseva, Beny Wagner), Nazarbazi (Maryam Tafakory)
TV shows of the year: The Rehearsal, The Bear, Severance, Slow Horses, Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy Season 2
1. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2. Blonde (Andrew Dominik)
3. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
4. After Yang (Kogonada)
5. The Sacred Spirit (Chema García Ibarra)
6. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
7. In Front of Your Face (Hong Sang-soo)
8. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
9. Cow (Andrea Arnold)
10. Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise)
Honourable mentions: X (Ti West), A Chiara (Jonas Carpignano), Red Rocket (Sean Baker), Bodies Bodies Bodies (Halina Reijn)
1. The Souvenir Part II (Joanna Hogg)
2. After Yang (Kogonada)
3. Compartment No. 6 (Juho Kuosmanen)
4. Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve)
5. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
6. Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard)
7. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
8. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
9. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
10. True Things (Harry Wootliff)
Honourable mentions: Emily (Frances O’Connor), Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson), Paris, 13th District (Jacques Audiard), Red Rocket (Sean Baker), Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Re-releases of the year: Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972), Nil by Mouth (Gary Oldman, 1997), Pink Flamingos (John Waters, 1972)
Stinker of the year: Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
1. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
3. Top Gun Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
4. All Light, Everywhere (Theo Anthony)
5. Nope (Jordan Peele)
6. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
7. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
8. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
9. Free Chol Soo Lee (Julie Ha, Eugene Yi)
10. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
1. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
2. Red Rocket (Sean Baker)
3. RRR (S.S. Rajamouli)
4. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)
6. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
7. Kimi (Steven Soderbergh)
8. Baby Assassins (Yugo Sakamoto) [only played festivals but doesn't look like it will get a 2023 release]
9. X (Ti West)
10. Elvis (Baz Luhrmann)
Honourable mentions: Benedetta (Paul Verhoeven), Belle (Mamoru Hosoda), The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh), Happening (Audrey Diwan), Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
TV shows of the year: The Bear, Better Call Saul, Andor, Interview with the Vampire, The Patient
Stinker of the year: See How They Run (Tom George)
1. Il buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
2. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. A Night of Knowing Nothing (Payal Kapadia)
4. Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)
5. This House (Miryam Charles)
6. Wood and Water (Jonas Bak)
7. Dry Ground Burning (Adirley Queirós, Joana Pimenta)
8. Neptune Frost (Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman)
9. Playground (Laura Wandel)
10. Wayfinder (Larry Achiampong)
Honourable mentions: The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier), The Night (Tsai Ming Liang), Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook), Utama (Alejandro Loayza Grisi), Bergman Island (Mia Hansen-Løve)
Re-releases of the year: The Draughtsman's Contract (Peter Greenaway, 1982), The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, 1972), The White Reindeer (Erik Blomberg, 1952)
TV shows of the year: The Rehearsal, How to with John Wilson, Only Murders in the Building S2, The Rings of Power, Andor
Stinker of the year: Belfast (Kenneth Brannagh)
1. Hit The Road (Panah Panahi)
2. Earwig (Lucile Hadzihalilovic)
3. RRR (S.S. Rajamouli)
4. Benadetta (Paul Verhoeven)
5. Il Buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
6. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
7. No Bears (Jafar Panahi)
8. The Souvenir Part II (Joanna Hogg)
9. Fire of Love (Sara Dosa)
10. Faya Dayi (Jessica Beshir)
TV shows of the year: Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared
Re-release of the year: Mother Joan of the Angels (Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1961)
1. Cyrano (Joe Wright)
2. Elvis (Baz Luhrmann)
3. Nope (Jordan Peele)
4. Moonage Daydream (Brett Morgen)
5. Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise)
6. Benediction (Terence Davies)
7. Nitram (Justin Kurzel)
8. Nightmare Alley (Guillermo del Toro)
9. Jockey (Clint Bentley)
10. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Dean Fleischer Camp)
Honourable Mentions: The Northman (Robert Eggers), Swan Song (Benjamin Cleary), Pinocchio (Guillermo del Toro), Jane by Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg), Flux Gourmet (Peter Strickland)
Re-releases of the year: Cabaret (Bob Fosse), Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders)
TV shows of the year: Severance, A League of Their Own, Andor, The Bear
Stinker of the year: X (Ti West)
1. Aftersun (Charlotte Welles)
2. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
3. Mad God (Phil Tippet)
4. Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
5. Moonage Daydream (Brett Morgen)
6. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert)
7. Fire of Love (Sara Dosa)
8. Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östund)
9. Wendell & Wild (Henry Selick)
10. The Batman (Matt Reeves)
TV shows of the year: Smiling Friends, Cabinet of Curiosities, Exception, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, Life After Life
1. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
2. Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
3. Brian and Charles (Jim Archer)
4. Cyrano (Joe Wright)
5. Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar)
6. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
7. Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)
8. True Things (Harry Wootliff)
9. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
10. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe)
Honourable Mentions: Ali & Ava (Clio Barnard), This Much I Know to Be True (Andrew Dominik), Europa (Haider Rashid), Playground (Laura Wandel), Jockey (Clint Bentley)
Re-releases of the year: Nil By Mouth (Gary Oldman, 1997), Paris, Texas (Win Wenders, 1984), The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Stinker of the year: Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)
Stefania Sarrubba
1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)
2. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
3. She Will (Charlotte Colbert)
4. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde)
5. On the Count of Three (Jerrod Carmichael)
6. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
7. Nope (Jordan Peele)
8. Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
9. Turning Red (Domee Shi)
10. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
Honourable Mentions: Scream (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett), The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Tom Gormican), Catherine Called Birdy (Lena Dunham)
Re-releases of the year: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
TV shows of the year: Severance, Station Eleven, A League of Their Own, Only Murders in the Building S2, Derry Girls S3
Stinker of the year: Don’t Worry Darling (Olivia Wilde)
1. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
2. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
3. Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniels)
4. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
5. No Bears (Jafar Panahi)
6. Fire of Love (Sara Dosa)
7. Strawberry Mansion (Albert Birney, Kentucker Audley)
8. Benedetta (Paul Verhoeven)
9. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
10. The Batman (Matt Reeves)
1. Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
3. Red Rocket (Sean Baker)
4. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (Arthur Harari)
5. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
6. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
7. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
8. Happening (Audrey Diwan)
9. Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror (Kier-La Janisse)
10. Funny Pages (Owen Kline)
Honourable Mentions: Benediction (Terence Davies), Paris, 13th District (Jacques Audiard), Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), The Souvenir: Part II (Joanna Hogg), The Batman (Matt Reeves)
Re-releases of the year: The Films of Kinuyo Tanaka (touring retrospective), Avatar (James Cameron, 2009), Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
TV shows of the year: Derry Girls, House of the Dragon, Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror, The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time
Stinker of the year: Tomorrow Morning (Nick Winston)
Adam Stafford
1. Licorice Pizza (PT Anderson)
2. Hit the Road (Panah Panahi)
3. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Daniels)
4. Mad God (Phil Tibbot)
5. Pleasure (Ninja Thyberg)
6. Il Buco (Michelangelo Frammartino)
7. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
8. The Souvenir Part 2 (Joanna Hogg)
9. Earwig (Lucile Hadzihalilovic)
10. Prayers for the Stolen (Tatiana Huezo)
Honourable Mentions: Nope (Jordan Peele), Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodòvar), We're All Going to the World's Fair (Jane Schoenbrun), Faya Dayi (Jessica Beshir), Taming the Garden (Salomé Jashi)
Re-releases of the year: Daisies (Věra Chytilová, Second Run Blu-ray, 1966), The Kingdom (Lars Von Trier, Mubi, 1994)
TV shows of the year: Louis Theroux's Forbidden America, We Own this City, Sensationalist: Bad Boys and Girls of British Art, The Bear, Ozark 5, TraumaZone
Stinker of the year: The Black Phone (Scott Derrickson)
1. Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
2. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
3. Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino)
4. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
5. Cow (Andrea Arnold)
6. Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
7. Neptune Frost (Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman)
8. One Second (Zhang Yimou)
9. Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
10. Benedetta (Paul Verhoeven)
Honourable mentions: Pleasure (Ninja Thyberg), The Northman (Robert Eggers), Corsage (Marie Kreutzer), Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen), Girls Girls Girls (Alli Haapasalo)
Stinker of the year: The Menu (Mark Mylod)
1. Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
3. Living (Oliver Hermanus)
4. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
5. RRR (S. S. Rajamouli)
6. The Northman (Robert Eggers)
7. Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)
8. Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford)
9. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
10. Armageddon Time (James Gray)