In Review: Fantastic Fest 2022

Fantastic Fest is fully back, baby! Or at least it was, as it’s now come and gone. I think I’ve recovered? Honestly, it’s difficult to say, but either way, here are my top 10 films from the fest. Enjoy.

 

Plot: Maren (Taylor Russell) is an eater (or a cannibal, if you prefer), and she’s been left to fend for herself. As she travels in search of her birth mother, she encounters Lee (Timothée Chalamet), another like her, and the two join forces.

Review:  This is likely my favorite film from director Luca Guadagnino – it hits hard and has some visually gnarly moments, but it’s also one of the most compelling and engaging things I’ve seen all year. Furthermore, Russell and Chalamet turn in brilliant performances. I really can’t wait to see it again.

Plot: After a patients commits suicide in front of her, a therapist (Sosie Bacon) starts to see and experience unsettling things.

Review: Fans of horror entries like It Follows and The Ring will find a lot to like in Smile. On a different note, I’ll be surprised if we don’t start seeing a lot more of Bacon, as she’s pretty great in this.

Plot: Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson) are friends. Or at least they were until the latter suddenly decided that he would prefer they not be. This brings about a variety of consequences.

Review: Martin McDonagh’s “spiritual successor to In Bruges” is a well-layered gem. Expect to laugh and to gasp and to be sad. By the way, I’ll be bummed if it doesn’t land Farrell a “best actor” nomination.

Plot: Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) accompanies Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) on a exclusive dining experience with the renowned Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Things get weird.

Review: If you like your films sharp, then The Menu is absolutely for you. It’s got plenty to say about society as a whole, but the manner in which it cuts through food culture is what really makes it stand out.

Plot: In the midst of a party, a group of kids (and teens) suddenly find themselves being attacked by aliens.

Review: This film is from writer/director Jason Eisener, who did Hobo With A Shotgun back in 2011, so it’s got a real scuzzy, VHS feel to it. I thought it was a blast.

Plot: Maja (Josephine Park) and Leah (Ellie Kendrick) are in love and everything is great. That is until the latter needs to return to her mother in England, which sets off an increasingly strange set of events.

Review: I was pleasantly surprised by Attachment – I really didn’t know anything about it and had only selected it because I needed to fill a time slot. It’s a slow burn, but it’s paced perfectly and does well to let your mind run wild with theories on what’s actually happening.

Plot: A group of heroes called the Tobacco Force aren’t quite as in sync with each other as they should be, so their boss sends them on a retreat.

Review: This is from writer/director Quentin Dupieux, and it’s just as ridiculous and absurd as his other films (Rubber, Deer Skin, Mandibles, etc.). I loved it, but “your mileage may vary” based on how silly you like to get.

Plot: Determined to ride out some of the pandemic in style, Parker (Gideon Adlon) and Miri (Bethlehem Million) head off to a remote lake house to quarantine together. They are not alone.

Review: The COVID-angle is a nice hook in this fun, breezy (it’s only 80-ish minute long) slasher film. Definitely worth your time.

Plot: Noah (Dimitri Thivaios) gets looped into what should be a really easy job – he drives, his cohorts pick something up, and that’s it. Yep, it all goes wrong.

Review: I’m always down for a good action comedy, and that’s exactly what this is. It’s also very cleverly shot – nearly entirely from inside a vehicle – and I liked that a lot, too.

Plot: Set in Iran, a journalist (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) is determined to find a serial killer who is murdering sex workers.

Review: This is a great, masterfully made film that I never want to see again – it’s just so heavy and depressing. By the way, Denmark is submitting it for “best international feature.”

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

I actually saw this a couple of months back and not at Fantastic Fest, but I’m giving it a bit of love here anyhow. Simply put, it’s great. If you dig Ruben Östlund‘s other films, like Force Majeure and/or The Square, then Triangle Of Sadness will delight you.

DECISION TO LEAVE

Like Triangle Of Sadness, I also saw this before the fest got underway. And just like that movie, it’s great. Park Chan-wook is one of the best directors ever.

HELLRAISER

Admittedly, I wasn’t all that excited when this was announced as one of the fest’s “secret screenings” but it turned out to be pretty solid. It’s definitely worth a watch when it hits Hulu this month.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT

This “special presentation” is easily the most interesting thing to come out of the MCU in quite some time. Also, it’s only an hour long, which is nothing! Watch it when it hits Disney+ this month.