“Godland”
Hlynur Pálmason’s rainswept third feature is easily his most ambitious and accomplished work to date. A young Danish priest, played by Elliott Crosset Hove, travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. The result is a grave hieratic drama, similar to “Diary of a Country Priest,” mixed with the grandeur—and occasionally the ferocity—of “The Northman.” Our Cannes review noted, “In this simultaneously unchanging and impermanent place, this slow rhythm simply makes sense; it is hard to imagine any other way of truly looking at these unique landscapes.” – OW
Release Date: February 3, via Janus Films.
“The Five Devils”
French filmmaker and writer Léa Mysius is a name you should know. Super in-demand in France, she’s co-written recently with Arnaud Desplechin (“Ismael’s Ghosts,” and “Oh Mercy!”), Jacques Audiard (“Paris, 13th District”) and Claire Denis (“Stars at Noon”). That’s what you call a superstar writing CV. All that and she struck out on her own last year with “The Five Devils” starring French icon Adèle Exarchopoulos and Sally Dramé. The premise is striking too: a young girl has a magical gift: she can smell and reproduce any scent of her choosing. She collects these in carefully labeled jars and eventually uses them to track down her mother. Our Cannes review called the film “stunning,” and said and called Exarchopoulos “a force of nature.” We are so sold. – RP
Release Date: TBD, and still needs to find a U.S. distributor.
“Emily”
Known for Steven Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” and a long and worthy acting career, actor-tuned filmmaker Frances O’Connor really knocked it out of the park with her feature debut, “Emily.” An Emily Bronte biopic of the famous poet, O’Connor’s film imagines the transformative, exhilarating, and uplifting journey to womanhood. It’s the story of a rebel and a misfit, one of the world’s most famous, enigmatic, and provocative writers who died too soon at the age of 30. Our Toronto review called the film “dazzling,” and that’s enough for us. The film features an outstanding cast of up-and-comers too, including Emma Mackey in the lead role, Fionn Whitehead, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Alexandra Dowling, Amelia Gething, Adrian Dunbar, and Gemma Jones. – RP
Release Date: TBD 2023, via Bleecker Street Films.
“Blue Jean”
In 1988, a closeted teacher is pushed to the brink when a new student threatens to expose her sexuality. That’s the dark premise of “Blue Jean” from U.K. writer/director Georgia Oakley, making her feature-length debut after several short and a TV movie. Starring Rosy McEwen, Lucy Halliday, Kerrie Hayes, and more, the film received great reviews at Cannes last year. Our reviewer on the Croisette called the film, a “brilliant debut” and an astonishingly credible, complex queer ’80s drama.” All three leads put in breakthrough performances, and man, we can’t wait.
Release Date: TBD, though MUBI released the film in the U.K.
“Other People’s Children”
Belgian actress Virginie Efira has been steadily moving up the international ladder in the last few years (“Elle,” “Sibyl”), but things kinda took off for her when she played a hot lesbian nun in Paul Verhoeven’s wild and naught “Benedetta.” So she was all over the festival circuit last year, including “Other People’s Children” by French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, known for “Grand Central” and 2016’s “Planetarium” with Natalie Portman. The film centers on a childless woman (Efira) who forms a deep bond with her boyfriend’s young daughter. Co-starring Roschdy Zem and Chiara Mastroianni, our review from Venice wrote, “’Other People’s Children’ is a moving rumination on the pains caused by the unbudging pillars of traditional parenting. It is a rare offering in its enlightened kindness, and a heartbreaking one, too.”
Release Date: TBD
Follow along with all our Best Of 2022 coverage here.
Over 25 More Films Coming Out in 2023, and you can read our reviews now.
‘The Young Arsonists’ Review: Sheila Pye’s Striking Feature Debut Wants To Burn It All Down [TIFF]
‘Sick Of Myself’ Review: A Hilarious, Razor-Sharp Portrait Of The Worst Person In The World [Cannes]
‘War Pony’: Gina Gammell & Riley Keough’s Debut Is Admirable But Overstuffed [Cannes Review]
‘Other People’s Children’ Review: Virginie Efira Stuns in Moving Rumination on Parenting [Venice]
‘Princess’ Review: A Touching Character Study About A Sex Worker Rooted in Nature [Venice]
‘Viking’ Review: Stéphane Lafleur’s Latest Matches Absurdism With Shocking Beauty [TIFF]
‘The Innocent’ Review: Louis Garrel’s Crime, Comedy, Romance Caper Is Breezy, Elegant Fun [Cannes]
‘De Humani Corporis Fabrica’ Review: Unflinching Medical Doc Zooms In On Life & Death [Cannes]
‘Smoking Causes Coughing’ Review: Quentin Dupieux Returns With A Zany Horror Anthology [Cannes]
‘The Woodcutter Story’ Review: A Surreal & Strange Story About The Nature Of Existence [Cannes]
‘Scarlet’ Review: Pietro Marcello’s French Drama Is A Lukewarm Exercise In Magical Realism [Cannes]
‘Babysitter’ Review: A Sardonic, Lynchian, Mostly-Feminist Fever Dream [Sundance]
‘Tantura’ Review: An Israeli Documentary Remembers A Village Whose Truth Remains Buried [Sundance]
‘Alice’ Review: Blaxploitation-Inspired Thriller Feels Like A Lost Opportunity [Sundance]
‘Mija’ Review: A Personal & Sincere Look At The Struggles Of Undocumented Families [Sundance]
‘Aisha’ Review: Letitia Wright Stuns in a Moving Character Drama [Tribeca]
