Aedín Gormley's Top 10 movies of 2022

The host of Movies and Musicals and Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm picks her movies to remember from 2022...

10. The Northman

An epic revenge thriller set in Iceland, The Northman was in fact mainly filmed in Northern Ireland. Set at the turn of the 10th century, it explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father, yes, a Hamlet inspired Viking tale. We are in good hands with director Robert Eggers, whose previous films The Witch and The Lighthouse convey his unique vision and style. A fine cast led by Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and even an appearance by Björk. With full on battle scenes, this film was magnificently shot, and ideally watched on the big screen.

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9. Parallel Mothers

A new Pedro Almodóvar film is always a welcome event. Better still when the director casts Penélope Cruz. Parallel Mothers concerns two first-time single mothers, one (Penélope Cruz) who is excited at the prospect, the other (Milena Smit) who is young and nervous. Their lives are intertwined from the time they meet in a hospital. A subplot about unearthing Spanish Civil War graves figures in the story as well. As we have come to expect from this director, he tells us the story of women, of relationships, of what it means to be a mother. Almodóvar and Cruz make wonderful films together and this one, their seventh, did not disappoint.

8. Emily

An impressive directorial debut from Frances O'Connor that reimagines the life of one of the world’s most famous authors, Emily Brontë. An electrifying performance from Emma Mackey as Emily, a woman who is full of conflict, a woman ahead of her time and yet one who seeks the approval of her father, played by Adrian Dunbar. The author of Wuthering Heights is portrayed as a rebel and misfit. As she finds her voice and writes the literary classic, Emily explores the relationships that inspired her – her sisters, her beloved brother and her first forbidden love. It’s a visually arresting sumptuous, passionate affair.

7. Top Gun: Maverick

This exceeded all expectations. No one expected that this long-belated sequel would surpass its predecessor in such an entertaining style. Tom Cruise somehow looks better than he did back in 1986 and this time around as Maverick, he confronts his past while training a group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission. This film had to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The action sequences are thrilling but the film has an emotional core too. This was the summer blockbuster we had missed after two years. Audiences loved it, it became the highest-grossing film of 2022 and the highest-grossing film of Cruise's career. Go Tom!

6. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Not a bad year for comedic, entertaining mystery crime films. An honourable mention firstly for See How They Run starring Saoirse Ronan, a very enjoyable, tightly edited film in the murder mystery genre with a satirical edge and plenty of laughs. We need more comedy, right? I am loving Daniel Craig’s post Bond outing and southern drawl as detective Benoit Blanc, and I get the impression that he is having a ball. I was a fan of the original Knives Out and this sequel was hugely entertaining, taking us to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of suspects, all very well cast from Kate Hudson to Edward Norton to Janelle Monáe, not to mention a selection of wonderfully surprising cameos. Another one on the way I hear? Yes please!

5. The Banshees of Inisherin

Things were looking good for this one when it screened very successfully at the Venice Film Festival. It was greeted with a rapturous reception and took home two major awards, with Colin Farrell winning Best Actor and writer/director Martin McDonagh honoured with the Best Screenplay award. Let’s start with the stunning locations, Inis Mór and Achill Island, where we meet with two actors who are at the top of their game. Pádraic (Colin Farrell) is devastated when his pal Colm (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly puts an end to their lifelong friendship. Colin Farrell’s devastated expression when Colm says "I just don’t like you no more" is one of the most heartbreaking, tragic moments in cinema this year. There are plenty of laughs too, this really is a tragicomedy and one that you have to sit with. It didn’t all work for me, but I would happily have watched our two leading men for another hour, they are superb together.

4. She Said

An important and well-made film about power and abuse and about the importance and challenges of investigative journalism. The experiences of those who were abused is told through the story broken by New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. We see their quest to publish a report that exposes sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. A story that launched the #MeToo movement and really did make a difference. The main challenge for director Maria Schrader was to create tension when we knew how this story ended and she succeeded brilliantly, capturing my attention for the duration with an ensemble cast led by an always impressive Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan.

3. Living

Don’t judge a book by its cover, or a film by its trailer. The trailer for this beautifully moving and superbly acted film Living did it no favours at all. What appeared to be a rather twee, slightly soppy tale was anything but, thanks to a well-written screenplay, an incredible central performance from Bill Nighy alongside a fine ensemble cast, seamless direction and an era brilliantly captured. Set in 1953 London, it depicts a civil servant (Nighy) who, facing a fatal illness, looks at how he can live out the final days of his life with joy and make a difference before he exits this life. This British film directed by Oliver Hermanus from a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, was adapted from the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru directed by Akira Kurosawa. A fine balance is struck by all to make this a poignant, nostalgic, emotional, thoughtful watch without falling into sentimentality. A film that stays with you long after you’ve left the cinema.

2. Elvis

I was a little apprehensive about this one. Who was this newcomer, Austin Butler? Much as I am a Baz Luhrmann fan, was he going to go a little over the top with Elvis? When the first trailer was released, any fears were abated, the energy, the vibrancy, the music, the leading man – Wow! It was also good to hear that the film had the blessing of both Priscilla Presley and daughter Lisa Marie. The first half an hour of this film is a roller-coaster ride, a superbly edited sequence, hugely entertaining as we are introduced to the young Elvis and to all the music that inspired him. Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker was my least favourite part of the production, but I think that is down to the fact that he has to play such an unappealing character. Our director waited to find the perfect actor to play Elvis, and Austin Butler was superb. The film is beautifully paced and is brought to an emotional close. The best music biopics make you want to go home and listen to the artist in question, this was the case with Luhrmann’s love letter to a legend.

1. An Cailín Ciúin

Tá an scannán seo foirfe. This film is perfect. The source material, Claire Keegan's 2010 novella, Foster, was of course a stunning starting point. The plot is simple; a quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with her mother’s cousin Eibhlín and her husband Seán over the summer on their farm and she blossoms in their care. The tale was so beautifully brought to the screen by director Colm Bairéad, with wonderfully naturalistic cinematography by Kate McCullough. Then there's an impressive cast led by the extraordinary newcomer, Catherine Clinch, alongside heart-wrenching, tender performances from Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett. This is a moving, emotional but perfectly balanced understated film, that welcomes repeat viewings. An amazing success story for Irish cinema, for Irish language cinema, and one that has travelled so well and won over audiences right around the world, and rightly so. My film of the year.

Aedín Gormley presents Movies and Musicals (Sat 1-4pm) and Aedín in the Afternoon (Friday 1-4pm) on RTÉ lyric fm - listen back here and here.

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