NYFF: The Best Movies and Performances at the 60th New York Film Festival

Put a bow on the New York Film Festival for 2022. Moreover, that’s likely it for festivals this year for me, allowing me to really settle in with my own bed (though, yes, I sleep at home during NYFF). Each year, NYFF puts on a classy and diverse show, with the 60th installment no exception. So, with the festival now in the books, it’s time to share with you all my final thoughts. As always, when a fest ends, we commemorate it by having me give out some awards/prizes, as well as a general sense of what it was like. Today, obviously, will be no exception!

This year, I was lucky enough to see several of the higher profile NYFF titles at previous festivals. So, while the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival did some of the heavy lifting for me, there were plenty of big movies I still saw in the Big Apple. Those were highlighted by She Said and White Noise, just to name two. So, it was a bit of a hybrid fest for me, all in all.

Below, you can see what I found to be the various NYFF highlights. I’ll include the top films and performances, as well as a full ranking from what I saw. Well, why don’t we get down to it now? Behold the best of the fest…

The Best Films

Without question, one film stood heads and tails above the rest, and that was She Said. As I raved about in my review, it’s brilliantly done. One tier down, Sr., Women Talking, and TÁR also are excellent. Those titles are the ones that are the best of the bunch, even if plenty of other movies are more than worthwhile.

The Best Performances

There was no shortage of strong performances at NYFF this year. I was very taken by both Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan in She Said. Cate Blanchett is magnificent in TÁR. Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union highlight The Inspection. The entire ensemble of Armageddon Time shines, with Anthony Hopkins best in show. Plus, literally everyone in Women Talking is excellent. As an actor/actress showcase, the festival really went above and beyond in 2022.

NYFF Awards

Best Film: She Said (Runner Up: Sr. and Women Talking)

Best Director: Todd Field for TÁR (Runner Up: James Gray for Armageddon Time and Sarah Polley for Women Talking)

Best Actor: Jeremy Pope for The Inspection (Runner Up: Adam Driver for White Noise and Paul Mescal for Aftersun)

Best Actress: Zoe Kazan for She Said (Runner Up: Cate Blanchett for TÁR and Carey Mulligan for She Said)

Best Supporting Actor: Anthony Hopkins for Armageddon Time (Runner Up: Jeremy Strong for Armageddon Time and Ben Whishaw for Women Talking)

Best Supporting Actress: Claire Foye for Women Talking (Runner Up: Jessie Buckley for Women Talking and Gabrielle Union for The Inspection)

Best Screenplay: She Said (Runner Up: Armageddon Time and Women Talking)

Final Thoughts

As always, NYFF offered up a ton of interesting things. there are titles I missed that I still need to catch up on, like Decision to Leave and EO, just to name two, but I definitely got a solid sense of what New York had to showcase this year. Now, as these flicks begin to hit theaters, you’ll have those opportunities too, so be sure not to sleep on them…

Full NYFF Ranking

1. She Said

2. Sr.

3. Women Talking

4. TÁR

5. The Inspection

6. Armageddon Time

7. White Noise

8. Till

9. Return to Seoul

10. Is That Black Enough For You?!?

11. Aftersun

12 All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

13. All That Breathes

14. Descendant

15 Bones and All

16. Showing Up

17. Triangle of Sadness

18. Master Gardener

Stay tuned to see how the NYFF titles do throughout the rest of the year!