‘Pacifiction’ Tops Cahiers du Cinema’s Best Films of 2022 List

For fans of lists ranking movies, days don’t get much better than today. Sight & Sound just released the results of its once-in-a-decade Greatest Films of All Time poll, and IndieWire has revealed our 25 Best Movies of 2022. And now, the world’s oldest film publication, Cahiers du Cinema, has joined the action as well.

The magazine famously launched the careers of French New Wave icons such as Jean-Luc Godard, but it has recently been plagued by a staff revolt that led to mass resignations. But that didn’t stop Cahiers du Cinema from releasing its top 10 films of 2022 (via World of Reel).

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The list features plenty of familiar faces, including films from acclaimed international directors like Hong Sang-soo, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi. American directors are also well represented, with Paul Thomas Anderson, Jordan Peele, and Richard Linklater being recognized as well.

The publication deemed “Pacifiction,” Albert Serra’s boundary-pushing arthouse thriller about colonization in Tahiti, the best film of the year. “Pacifiction” will not be released in the United States until 2023, but a strong reception to its Cannes premiere propelled it to the top of the list.

The staff of Cahiers du Cinema is certainly not alone in praising “Pacifiction.” In his review of the film, IndieWire’s Christian Blauvelt wrote that “’Pacifiction’ is vital because it’s a movie for a culture constantly patting itself on the back but in desperate risk of repeating all its previous mistakes. Where every little bit of progress is imperiled. We delude ourselves in thinking colonial exploitation was left behind in the 20th century (along with nuclear tests). Or maybe we choose to ignore what’s right in front of us. What do you want next when you already have paradise? Well, it’s only a paradise if you can keep it.”

Read the complete Cahiers du Cinema best films of 2022 list below.

1) “Pacifiction” (dir. Albert Serra)

2) “Licorice Pizza” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

3) “Nope” (dir. Jordan Peele)

4) “EO” (dir. Jerzy Skolimowski)

5) “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

6) “Bowling Saturne” (dir. Patricia Mazuy)

7) “Apollo 10 1/2” (dir. Richard Linklater)

8) “Introduction” (dir. Hong Sang-soo)

9) “Nobody’s Hero” (dir. Alain Guiraudie)

10) “Qui A Part Nous” (dir. Jonas Trueba)

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