The Siren 2022 Dozen

Part 2: My top six favorite new (yes, new) movies of last year

No throat-clearing, just listing, and a repeat from yesterday of my OVERALL SPOILER WARNING. I didn’t write these with an eye to concealing plot points. Like I said, you can always come back and read a section after you’ve seen the movie. See it big, see it at the cinema, and see it cold.

1. Decision to Leave (dir. Park Chan-wook) 

As you probably know, Park Chan-wook has spent some considerable time making movies famous for shock value and next-level violence. This year, Park released Decision to Leave, which I would unhesitatingly call a romantic melodrama, a sadly unfashionable genre at the multiplex. The film’s violence is (by Park’s standards) restrained, there is little swearing and even less sex. The detective-mystery plot is complex and rewards close attention, with pivotal moments tucked quietly into a camera movement or a single shot. Key dialogue is delivered via a smartphone translator.