The Quiet Girl (Colm Bairéad)
Hankies out for the year’s finest film, based on Claire Keegan’s story set in early-1980s rural Ireland. A perfect heartbreaker.
Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
Hankies out again: a tormented single dad (Paul Mescal) puts on a brave face on holiday with his daughter (newcomer Frankie Corio).
Funny Pages (Owen Kline)
No movie this year was more grimy or hilarious than this cringe-worthy study of a budding comic-book artist (Daniel Zolghadri).
Great Freedom (Sebastian Meise)
One man, four decades: Hans (Franz Rogowski) is repeatedly imprisoned for his sexuality in postwar Germany.
Ascension (Jessica Kingdon)
Visually stunning documentary exploring the many corners of modern China, from etiquette classes to sex-doll assembly lines.
Happening (Audrey Diwan)
In the year that Roe vs Wade was overturned, this adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s novel about illegal abortion felt doubly urgent.
[See also: Oppenheimer’s tormented soul]
Nitram (Justin Kurzel)
Based on events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, with a remarkable performance by Caleb Landry Jones.
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest (Mads Hedegaard)
Arcade nerds aim to smash a record in this fresh and witty documentary.
Compartment No 6 (Juho Kuosmanen)
Before Sunrise vibes galore: a Russian miner (Yuriy Borisov) and a Finnish archaeology buff (Seidi Haarla) are cooped up on a sleeper-train.
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen)
A gay Afghan refugee escapes to Denmark in a moving animated documentary peppered with pop hits (A-ha, Roxette) and humour.
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This article appears in the 07 Dec 2022 issue of the New Statesman, Christmas Special