The 2022 Cannes Film Festival was a typical mix of blockbuster pazazz, auteur flare, and lesser-known indie gems, and it saw Swedish director Ruben Östlund scoop the coveted Palme d'Or for his film Triangle of Sadness at the festival's closing ceremony.
Each year Cannes is a giddy frenzy of critical fervor and it can be hard for the casual cinephile to keep tabs on the seemingly endless carousel of new movies that debut at the festival, and even harder to root out the diamonds in the rough. Thankfully, Metacritic is a useful aggregated source for ascertaining which new movies critics loved and which ones did not live up to the hype.
Showing Up - 81
With Meek's Cutoff and First Cow achieving close to modern classic status in recent years, director Kelly Reichardt's newest festival offering Showing Up, starring Michelle Williams, drew plenty of attention at Cannes this year. The movie is somewhat of a departure from Reichardt's previous work in the Western genre, with the central plot revolving around the life of a ceramicist.
The critical consensus for Showing Up has been mixed, but Reichardt's work is as emotionally rewarding as it is complex and with every new film Reichardt is firmly establishing herself as one of the world's leading female directors.
Corsage - 81
Starring Vicky Krieps of Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, Marie Kreutzer's biopic of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Corsage, was a period hit at this year's festival. Krieps is fast becoming a renowned actor and festival star, with appearances in Mia Hansen-Løve's Bergman Island and M.Night Shyamalan's Old adding to the long list of well-known movies in her back catalog.
With a cigarette lodged firmly in the silk-gloved fingers of the Empress throughout much of the film's running time, Corsage is reminiscent of the doomed self-absorption evoked in another Cannes classic, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.
Close - 82
Given the acclaimed rubberstamp of approval after its acquisition by the popular A24, Lukas Dhont's somber and poetic film Close was such a success with the Cannes jury that it scooped up the Grand Prix award for joint second place at the festival this year. Critics were equally as enamored with Dhont's film, praising its heartfelt depiction of friendship.
The movie traces the ups and downs of a dysfunctional friendship between two boys, Léo and Rémi, and has been lauded for its central performances. A24's interest and acquisition of the film is a testament to its quality.
One Fine Morning - 84
Starring contemporary French icon Léa Seydoux, auteur Mia Hansen-Løve's most recent movie One Fine Morning pulled at critics' heartstrings after its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Hansen-Løve is known for her semi-autobiographical works that explore rich themes of love and loss and One Fine Morning is no different.
The film follows the heartwrenching ordeal facing a single mother as she cares for her father who is suffering from dementia. Never one to shy away from emotionally-heavy topics, Hansen-Løve's resilient and provocative new work was a hit at this year's festival.
Moonage Daydream - 85
David Bowie has long been overdue a movie that is befitting of his considerable cultural influence and 2020's critical flop Stardust was not that. Thankfully, the Bowie-estate-backed new documentary Moonage Daydream has sought to right those critical wrongs whilst showcasing Bowie's elegant and explosive career.
One of only a handful of documentaries at this year's festival, Moonage Daydream was a standout and was lauded by critics for its ethereal and sensitive approach to documenting one of rock music's most elusive figures.
Godland - 86
Icelandic cinema has been in a resurgent mood in recent years with last year's folk-horror gem Lamb receiving plenty of praise from critics worldwide. Following the travails of a late 19th-century Danish priest, Godland drew comparisons with the work of Werner Herzog from critics at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Surprisingly for some, Godland failed to feature in any of the festival's competitions but nevertheless won a vast amount of praise from critics in attendance at its premiere. Godland could be a dark horse for several end-of-year best movie lists.
All That Breathes - 87
Following the breakout success of Moonage Daydream at this year's festival, many expected the Bowie documentary to win Cannes coveted 'Golden Eye' award for best non-fiction film. That prize, however, went to an Indian film, All That Breathes, which is building a lot of traction in critical circles since its debut at Sundance earlier this year.
Part nature documentary, part character study, All That Breathes follows two brothers who attempt to restore the health of wounded birds in the Indian city of Delhi. This sensitive and beautiful film has been a critical hit ever since it entered the festival circuit.
Leila's Brothers - 87
Iranian cinema has been mostly associated in recent years with the films of Asghar Farhadi, whose films A Hero and The Salesman both came close to winning the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes. This year, though, the most prominent Iranian film at the festival was Saeed Roustayi's Leila's Brothers.
The movie follows the complexities of family life and economic hardship in Iran and is a feminist tale of a woman, who against the odds, battles to find the money that her family desperately needs to survive. Leila's Brothers achieved for Roustayi what Farhadi had done in years before and wowed critics at the festival.
Decision To Leave - 88
Park Chan-Wook's absence from the festival circuit in recent years stoked the flames of anticipation for his newest work Decision To Leave which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. Unsurprisingly for such a gifted director, critics lavished praise on the South Korean director's most recent masterpiece.
Decision To Leave gripped critics with its heady mix of romance and thrills in typical Chan-Wook style. Out of all the films from established directors that premiered at Cannes this year, critical consensus deemed Chan-Wook's newest film the most worthy of praise.
Aftersun - 90
Despite Triangle of Sadness picking up the Palme d'Or award for best film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, it was Charlotte Wells' indie-gem Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal, that was almost unanimously well-received by critics. Like Close, A24 was quick to snap up the distribution rights to Wells' movie.
Aftersun is a tender movie that explores the relationship between a divorced father and his 11-year-old daughter and is mostly told from the perspective of newcomer Frankie Corio. Despite missing out on awards at this year's festival, Wells' film is surely destined for greatness when it is released.