My top 10 films of 2022 kick off with the return of one of my favorite directors, and a special spotlight for a character actress in a leading role. These films also highlight the very different stories centered around women.
#10) Women Talking, directed by Sarah Polley – It’s so very exciting to see Sarah Polley back in the director’s chair after taking an extended hiatus to raise a family and to recover from a serious concussion, and she is in fine form. Polley’s adaptation of a novel based on actual events explores the discussions held by a group of women in an isolated religious colony after years of sexual abuse by the men in their colony have been uncovered. The title of the film is not wrong, this is all about the conversations these women have, and the sharing of very differing points-of-view of what should be done. Polley does a masterful job at having the narratives flow in a way that is natural, and also absorbing for the viewer. She is assisted by a phenomenally talented ensemble of women actors who bring each character’s story to vivid life. I hope this is the first of along string of films directed by Polley now that she’s back in the chair.
#9) A Long Song, directed by Max Walker-Silverman – This exploration of love, loss, and aging is a lovely story in and of itself, but as a vehicle to showcase the magnificent performance by character actor Dale Dickey, it’s a real show-stopper. Dickey is known for lots of memorable performances from films such as Winter’s Bone, Leave No Trace, and The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, but never has she been given a leading role that is so internalized and beautiful realized. A solitary widow, Dickey plays Faye, who waits in her trailer to meet a childhood sweetheart that she hasn’t seen for decades. Walker-Silverman spends luxurious amounts of time on Dale’s exquisitely weathered face as she spends her days catching fish, enjoying the magnificent vistas of the Colorado Rockies, and pondering her life thus far. She’s eager, she’s wary, she’s lonely, she’s sad… she’s a human being living a quiet life with hope and expectation, but also reality and experience. Aided ably by a great supporting performance by Wes Studi, A Love Song is a very special film, and one that is worth every moment.