Must-watch films from 2022

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

An Cailín Ciúin, The Quiet Girl

“This is such a beautiful movie, gently sweeping you along as the poor girl receives love for probably the first time in her life. Fabulous acting, poignant & moving. There wasn't a dry eye in our house at the end. A classic.” - Review from the Audience on Rotten Tomatoes

Notes from the Irish Film Institute - “Adapted from a short story by Claire Keegan, it centres on nine-year-old Cáit, a shy and withdrawn child who receives scant attention or affection from a family ruled by an uncaring patriarch. When she is sent to spend the summer with her aunt Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) and her husband Seán (Andrew Bennett), she comes out of her shell, blossoming in their care, especially when Seán’s initial aloofness fades. At the end of the summer, difficult decisions and realities must be faced. This is a work of small moments and details, anchored by Catherine Clinch’s remarkable performance as the titular quiet girl, that make for a film of pure artistry, as uplifting as it is heartbreaking.”

Available to view on YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV

Argentina, 1985

A team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time.

This is a very well-crafted movie centering on a time that is particularly difficult for Argentina. The acting is impeccable. While the accounts of the witnesses is particularly harrowing, there is a lovely light touch in the movie showing beautiful relationships among friends, spouses and siblings. It’s very well done.

Available to view on Amazon Prime

The Good Nurse

Crime. Drama. Not the faint-hearted. It tells the story of an infamous caregiver who is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients.

This movie has all the elements of a great viewing: a good flow, well-crafted script, impeccable acting, appealing visuals, etc. It’s altogether a very good movie.

What is hard to fathom in all this story is how one man was able to do this and not get caught, but the movie does explain this as you are carried along. A good suspenseful movie.

Available to view on Netflix

Mass

“Mass requires a lot of its audience, but rewards that emotional labor with a raw look at grief that establishes writer-director Fran Kranz as a filmmaker of tremendous promise.” - Film Critic from Rotten Tomatoes

Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward. In Fran Kranz's writing and directing debut, he thoughtfully examines their journey of grief, anger, and acceptance by coming face-to-face with the ones who have been left behind.

Available to view on Amazon Prime