Year two of listing down movies and television shows — a task I was so committed to do when I began it last year until it proved to be taxing, until my energy was simply needed elsewhere. Which is to say, I’m glad for putting myself out there: I became more active in the local film circuit (Cinemalaya, QCinema, MMFF) and in some other initiatives here and there. I had the opportunity to interview artists, writers, and filmmakers. I even saw a piece of theater. And of course, I wrote things.
Anyway, don’t be surprised to see releases from 2021 (although I squeezed in some titles I just saw this January), because I live in the Philippines. Go ask why. Given my consumption, I’m also creating separate lists for film and television. Now, here we go:
FILM
My Letterboxd says I managed to see and sit through 318 films, which is off by 29 more titles that are yet to be available on the platform, accounting for 455 hours of watching and, surely, complaining. It’s quite the figure, at least for me, as compared to last year’s 232 entries.
Also, I overhauled this list upon retrospection, or because I just like to be messy sometimes. I have a top 10, including some ties, honorable mentions (a.k.a. the 4.5-star titles, as per the L-app), 4-star titles, and some more recommendations (all good for 5 Letterboxd stars).
1. “Aftersun” (dir. Charlotte Wells)
The film I believe to be the best of the year. Frame to frame. Again, I simply lack the words to describe how incredibly beautiful it is — and a debut feature at that.
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin” (dir. Martin McDonagh)
Strange film, strange premise, strange characters that I absolutely feckin’ love.
3. “11,103” (dirs. Mike Alcazaren & Jeannette Ifurung) / “Fire of Love” (dir. Sara Dosa) / “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (dir. Questlove)
Three excellent documentaries about cinema as a site of memory: one about the paramount task of resisting historical whitewashing; one about the marvel of destruction (with some of the most beautiful montages I’ve seen to date); one about the transcendental power of music.
4. “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” (dir. Jonathan Butterell)
One of those accidental but glorious finds. Yeah, we should really talk about all the Jamies of the world.
5. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (dirs. Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan) / “Leonor Will Never Die” (dir. Martika Ramirez Escobar)
Best rendering of the multiverse trope. Pieces that actually say something and know how to say it with an assured visual language. Both hold and create spaces for women in a world that remains to sideline them.
6. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” (dir. Cooper Raiff)
If you’re going to ask me what life at twentysomething is like, I’m just going to sob uncontrollably like Andrew here. A spiritual sequel to “Shithouse,” the director’s debut feature.
7. “Close” (dir. Lukas Dhont)
Best film I saw at last year’s QCinema film fest. Tear ducts have been unclogged inside the theater. Countless times.
8. “Fire Island” (dir. Andrew Ahn)
A gay romcom that effortlessly feels like a gay romcom. I dig all of it. The shade, the vibe, the gay culture. All of it. One hell of a treat.
9. “River of Tears and Rage” (dir. Maricon Montajes)
Imagine an entire military personnel in full gear, as if ready to open fire at any moment, escorting an unarmed mother who only wants to grieve and see the remains of her dead child for one last time. Gross, insidious, infuriating.
10. “C’mon C’mon” (dir. Mike Mills)
One of 2021’s biggest surprises. Deserves so much more than people give it credit for.
Four more titles with 5 Letterboxd stars:
“Plan 75” (dir. Chie Hayakawa)
A drama buoyed by death and finality that surprisingly teems with life.
“Licorice Pizza” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
It comes off like a push and pull of things, but one I can totally live with. Like a stream of consciousness that is so beautifully mounted. Never mind the excessiveness. Never mind the occasional running out of steam.
“After Yang” (dir. Kogonada)
Endearing, tender, evocative.
“Don’t worry, we still hear you” (dir. Martika Ramirez Escobar)
Mad respect for Filipino filmmakers and cultural workers, particularly those who understand how paramount cinema is in shaping a better world. Martika, if you hear me, I just want to say that you are a gift to Philippine cinema.
The honorable mentions (all good for 4.5 L-app stars):
“Triangle of Sadness” (dir. Ruben Östlund)
“The Lost Daughter” (dir. Maggie Gyllenhaal)
“Great Freedom” (dir. Sebastian Meise)
“Joyland” (dir. Saim Sadiq)
“Nope” (dir. Jordan Peele)
“Decision to Leave” (dir. Park Chan-wook)
“The Novelist’s Film” (dir. Hong Sang-soo)
“Turning Red” (dir. Domee Shi)
“Luzonensis Osteoporosis” (dir. Glenn Barit)
“Nang Maglublob Ako sa Isang Mangkok ng Liwanag” (dir. Kukay Zinampan)
“Like People, They Change Too” (dir. JT Trinidad)
“Argentina, 1985” (dir. Santiago Mitre)
“Dikit” (dir. Gabriela Serrano)
“Miracle: Letters to the President” (dir. Lee Jang-hoon)
“Panambi” (dirs. various)
“Random People” (dir. Arden Rod Condez)
“Beauty Queen” (dir. Myra Aquino)
“Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi” (dir. Shiri Francesca De Leon)
“Sol” (dir. Joanna Vasquez Arong)
The 4-Letterboxd-star titles, ranked in order of preference:
“Historya ni Ha” (dir. Lav Diaz)
“Barbarian” (dir. Zach Cregger)
“Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon” (dir. Lav Diaz)
“The Fabelmans” (dir. Steven Spielberg)
“Bo Burnham: The Inside Outtakes” (dir. Bo Burnham)
“West Side Story” (dir. Steven Spielberg)
“Nocebo” (dir. Lorcan Finnegan)
“The Northman” (dir. Robert Eggers)
“The Batman” (dir. Matt Reeves)
“Tao Po” (dir. Mae Paner)
“Broker” (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
“Three Months” (dir. Jared Frieder)
“Belfast” (dir. Kenneth Branagh)
“Crimes of the Future” (dir. David Cronenberg)
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (dir. Edward Berger)
“Prey” (dir. Dan Trachtenberg)
“Eternals” (dir. Chloé Zhao
“On the Count of Three” (dir. Jerrod Carmichael)
“Family Matters” (dir. Nuel Naval)
“Shangri-La” (dir. Isabel Sandoval)
“RRR” (dir. S. S. Rajamouli)
“To The North” (dir. Mihai Mincan)
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (dir. Jon Watts)
“Last Days at Sea” (dir. Venice Atienza)
“Bold Eagle” (dir. Whammy Alcazaren)
“Last Twilight in Phuket” (dir. Naruebet Kuno)
“The Headhunter’s Daughter” (dir. Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan)
“Ajoomma” (dir. He Shuming)
“Rabid” (dir. Erik Matti)
“Henry” (dir. Kaj Palanca)
“Halawod” (dir. Anna Katrina Velez Tejero)
“An Sadit na Planeta” (dir. Arjanmar Rebeta)
“I get so sad sometimes” (dir. Trishtan Perez)
“Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” (dir. Vahn Leinard Pascual)
“The Sprayer” (dir. Farnoosh Abedi)
“Cut/Off” (dir. Von Victor Viernes & Sean Russel Romero)
“This Is Not A Coming Out Story” (dir. Mark Felix Ebreo)
“We Were Never Really Strangers” (dir. Patrick Pangan)
“See Us Come Together” (dir. Alyssa Suico)
“Baboy Talunon” (dir. Kevin Pison Piamonte)
“Gabby” (dir. Joanna Vasquez Arong)
“‘Ang Amomonggo Sa Aton” (dir. VinJo Entuna)
My top 40 film performances of the year, listed in alphabetical order:
Chieko Baisho (“Plan 75”)
Cate Blanchett (“Tár”)
Ram Charan (“RRR”)
Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)
Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Francesca Corio (“Aftersun”)
John Lloyd Cruz (“Historya ni Ha;” “Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon”)
Soliman Cruz (“To The North”)
Eden Dambrine (“Close”)
Dolly De Leon (“Historya ni Ha;” “Triangle of Sadness”)
Max Eigenmann (“12 Weeks”)
Claudia Enriquez (“12 Weeks”)
Mike Faist (“West Side Story”)
Colin Farrell (“After Yang;” “The Banshees of Inisherin”)
Chai Fonacier (“Nocebo”)
Sheila Francisco (“Leonor Will Never Die”)
Janine Gutierrez (“Ngayon Kaya”)
Max Harwood (“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”)
Hong Huifang (“Ajoomma”)
Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”)
IU (“Broker”)
Felix Kammerer (“All Quiet on the Western Front”)
Alina Khan (“Joyland”)
Gabriel LaBelle (“The Fabelmans”)
Ronnie Lazaro (“Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon”)
Nadine Lustre (“Deleter”)
Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”)
Amber Midthunder (“Prey”)
Woody Norman (“C’mon C’mon”)
Sandra Oh (“Turning Red”)
Keke Palmer (“Nope”)
Mae Paner (“Tao Po”)
Ian Pangilinan (“Family Matters”)
Park Hae-il (“Decision to Leave”)
Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”)
Cooper Raiff (“Cha Cha Real Smooth”)
Franz Rogowski (“Great Freedom”)
Bill Skarsgård (“Barbarian”)
Tang Wei (“Decision to Leave”)
Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”)
Top 30 non-2021/2022 titles that I’ve seen for the first time last year, all good for 5 Letterboxd stars, ranked in order of preference:
“Still Walking” (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
“A Brighter Summer Day” (dir. Edward Yang)
“City of God” (dir. Fernando Meirelles)
“Nostalgia” (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
“Moral” (dir. Marilou Diaz-Abaya)
“A Taxi Driver” (dir. Jang Hoon)
“Oro, Plata, Mata” (dir. Peque Gallaga)
“Un Chien Andalou” (dir. Luis Buñuel)
“Karnal” (dir. Marilou Diaz-Abaya)
“Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” (dir. Lino Brocka)
“I Wish” (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
“Biyaya ng Lupa” (dir. Manuel Silos)
“A Separation” (dir. Asghar Farhadi)
“Reprise” (dir. Joachim Trier)
“Nobody Knows” (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
“The Lives of Others” (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
“Like Father, Like Son” (dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)
“Hereditary” (dir. Ari Aster)
“Ex Machina” (dir. Alex Garland)
“Midsommar” (dir. Ari Aster)
“Les Roseaux sauvages” (dir. André Téchiné)
“Orapronobis” (dir. Lino Brocka)
“Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo” (dir. Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara)
“Kakabakaba Ka Ba?” (dir. Mike de Leon)
“Bituing Walang Ningning” (dir. Emmanuel H. Borlaza)
“Badil” (dir. Chito S. Roño)
“Violator” (dir. Dodo Dayao)
“Batas Militar” (dirs. Jon Red & Jeannette Ifurung)
“For Sama” (dirs. Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts)
“The Silence of Others” (dirs. Almudena Carracedo & Robert Bahar)
TELEVISION
To keep track of my TV watching, I created an account on Serializd, an application I just discovered last year, thanks to a cinephile friend. Based on my log, I’ve seen 47 seasons of 38 shows for the first time in 2022.
1. “Abbott Elementary” Season 1 (ABC; dirs. various)
The best pilot season of any sitcoms I’ve seen in a long while. What a brilliant mind Quinta Brunson has. C’mon, just give this show all the awards.
2. “The Sex Lives of College Girls” Seasons 1–2 (HBO; dirs. various)
Finds the perfect balance of humor, drama, and cringe.
3. “Derry Girls” Season 3 (Channel 4/ Netflix; dir. Michael Lennox)
In which every episode is an absolute banger. An all-time favorite.
4. “The Crime of the Century” (HBO; dir. Alex Gibney)
Although told in a very American way, this two-part documentary manages to offer a chilling critique of the nation’s healthcare inferno, perverted justice system, and so many other vile things under the grand banner of American capitalism.
5. “Industry” Seasons 1–2 (HBO; dirs. various)
Toxic hustle culture, substance abuse, raging hormones, politics, and global capitalism all rolled into one. Fun and stressful!
6. “Midnight Mass” (Netflix; dir. Mike Flanagan)
One that works not only in parts but as a captivating whole, and there isn’t a single thing that I would change about it.
7. “The Other Two” Seasons 1–2 (HBO; dirs. various)
Makes me crack up every damn minute. So white, so unhinged. That “Call Me By Your Name” ending parody will forever be etched in my mind.
8. “Heartstopper” Season 1 (Netflix; dir. Euros Lyn)
This is proof that it is possible to have a family-friendly show that remains hopeful, but not at the expense of the issues it tries to depict.
9. “Young Royals” Season 2 (Netflix; dir. various)
I don’t know what’s with Swedish/Norwegian teen dramas, but they always get it right.
10. “The Bear” Season 1 (Hulu; dirs. Christopher Storer & Joanna Calo)
Fantastically loud and chaotic like everyone is always at each other’s throats, but I loved every minute of it. Jeremy Allen White!
11. “The White Lotus” Seasons 1–2 (HBO; dir. Mike White)
The S2 finale is a bit of a downer, but still enjoyable overall.
12. “The Sandman” Season 1 (Netflix; dir. various)
I had a great time watching it as it is — a television show, not a text that pretends to be TV.
13. “The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself” Season 1 (Netflix; dirs. various)
Canceling this show is homophobia!
14. “It’s a Sin” (Channel 4; dir. Peter Hoar)
Like I’ve said before, why even bother producing longer television shows and end up ruining them when a five-episode miniseries could be this masterful?
15. “Scenes From a Marriage” (HBO; dir. Hagai Levi)
Oscar Isaac in “Inside Llewyn Davis” is still the best Oscar Isaac performance I’ve seen, but this one is a close second.
Honorable mentions:
“Queer as Folk” Season 1 (Peacock; dirs. various)
“Conversations with Friends” (Hulu/BBC; dirs. Lenny Abrahamson & Leanne Welham)
“Interview with the Vampire” Season 1 (AMC; dirs. various)
“Smiley” Season 1 (Netflix; dirs. David Martín Porras & Marta Pahissa)
“Peaky Blinders” Season 6 (BBC One; dir. Anthony Byrne)
“Reservation Dogs” Season 1 (FX; dirs. various)
My top 10 favorite TV performances; ranked in order of preference:
1. Ensemble (“Abbott Elementary” Season 1)
2. Ensemble (“Derry Girls” Season 3)
3. Drew Tarver (“The Other Two” Seasons 1–2)
4. Hamish Linklater (“Midnight Mass”)
5. Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”) / Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear” Season 1)
6. Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus” Season 1)
7. Amrit Kaur (“The Sex Lives of College Girls” Season 1)
8. Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)
9. Samantha Sloyan (“Midnight Mass”)
10. Myha’la Herrold (“Industry” Seasons 1–2 )
Here’s a link to my 2021 year-end list. Until next year!
