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# 2022 on screen
Here are the international films to watch out for in 2022
Get excited about the big screen this new year…
ONE OF THE joys of the new year is checking out what films are due to come out in the 12 months ahead.
After a strange couple of years, it’s great to know that there are some brilliant films set to grace the big screen in 2022. Here’s a peek at some of them.
Titane
- 31 December
The winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes, this is a gamechanger of a film from Julia Ducournau (Raw). The winding plot centres on Alexia, who suffered a skull injury as a child. We meet her as an adult doing some erotic dancing on the bonnet of a car… and it all goes wild from there. There literally is life before and after Titane – it’s like nothing else on screen this decade.
The Humans
- 31 December
Based on a play of the same name, this comes from writer/director Stephen Karam and stars Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb. It’s about a dad, Erik Blake, who gathers three generations of his family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s apartment in Manhattan.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
- 31 December
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular Louis Wain, an eccentric British artist whose drawings of cats made him famous. Claire Foy also stars – as well as Nick Cave doing a turn as HG Wells.
Licorice Pizza
- 7 January
A new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always a treat. This is set in California’s San Fernando Valley the 1970s, and focuses on teenagers Alana Kane (Alana from the band Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son) as they fall in love. The Licorice Pizza of the title? The name of a record store.
Scream
- 14 January
This reboot of Scream is in an interesting position, given that landlines just don’t have the same place in our lives anymore. The trailer for it though shows us that they manage to combine the world of the 2020s and 1990s in an enjoyable way. Also, it stars some of the original cast, like Courtney Cox and David Arquette.
Belfast
- 21 January
Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe star in Kenneth Branagh’s film inspired by his childhood in Belfast. Looks delightful and very emotional.
Morbius
- 28 January
Jared Leto takes up the role of this Marvel villain, who is accidentally turned into a vampire after trying to cure himself of a rare blood disease.
The Black Phone
- 4 February
Ethan Hawke takes an interesting turn here by starring as a weird child kidnapper. In a supernatural twist, his latest child can communicate with previous victims.
Jackass Forever
- 4 February
The boys are back, and most likely injuring themselves.
Ambulance
- 8 February
You want action? You got action. Michael Bay directs Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a remake of a Danish film about a bank heist that goes wrong, leading to the robbers hijacking an ambulance – which has an EMT on board.
The Batman
- 4 March
Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and Paul Dano star in Matt Reeve’s take on the iconic character of Batman. This looks even more dark and grim than Nolan’s take on Batman – it’s going to be interesting to see where Reeve takes us, and how Pattinson fares behind the mask.
Downton Abbey 2
- 18 March
In March we’ll probably all want to watch something mannered and sweet like this latest Downton film.
The Northman
- 8 April
Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) filmed this story about Vikings in Northern Ireland during the pandemic. It’s a bloody, action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder – the grown-up prince is played by Alexander Skarsgård, with Nicole Kidman as his mother. Also stars Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
John Wick: Chapter 4
- 7 May
No trailer yet, but who doesn’t want to see Keanu Reeves in the latest iteration of the John Wick franchise? Wonder how many he’ll kill this time around.
Top Gun: Maverick
- 27 May
Joseph Kosinski directs this Top Gun film where Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprise their roles as Maverick and Iceman. This time, they’re joined by new characters played by Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and John Hamm.
