2022 has been packed with great performances, from beloved stars likeBrendan FraserandKe Huy Quanreturning to the screen in a major way, to known greats likeCate BlanchettandEmma Thompsondoing continued great work, not to mention a ton of newcomers promising years of great work to come. 2022 has been an excellent year for film, and a major part of that has been thanks to these performances, which could elevate bad material, and make great material sing. With so much talent on the screen this year, it’s almost impossible to narrow down the bests to just 25 performances, but here are our picks for the best performances of 2022.
One important note before we get to the list: with only 25 choices, we had to leaveColin Farrelloff the list, since at least three of these spots would be taken by his incredible work inThe Batman,The Banshees of Inisherin,After Yang, andThirteen Livesthis year alone.Farrell is our MVP of the yearand it’s not even close. Therefore, this is essentially The Best Movie Performance of 2022: The Colin Farrell-Gave-Too-Many-Great-Performance-This-Year-to-Include-Him List.
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Cate Blanchett - TÁR
There are plenty of moments inTÁRwhen directorTodd Fieldjust letsCate Blanchettgo, whether in a prolonged conversation about her career, in a sequence where Blanchett’s Lydia Tár belittles a music student, or watching her loudly sing a song to her complaining neighbors from her gorgeous apartment. Field knows that if you have Blanchett, all you really need in a filmisBlanchett. Yes,TÁRis an incredibly precise and impeccably told story by Field. But it’s through Blanchett that this comes to life, as we see the impressive work and career of composer and conductor Lydia Tár in the first half, followed by the second half, when the indiscretions and people Tár has used to get to the top start to pull these layers apart. At this point, we know there’s nothing Blanchett can’t do as an actor, but watching her go from completely in control to the type of person who will run and tackle a conductor during a performance, now that’s range.
Diego Calva - Babylon
Thereisa lotgoing on inDamien Chazelle’sBabylon, like drug-fueled orgies,Margot Robbiegetting bit in the neck by a snake, andTobey Maguireyelling that a man should eatanotherrat. Mayhem and excess are a major part ofBabylon, yet all this insanity wouldn’t work without a beating heart at the center of all the craziness. Robbie andBrad Pittare both expectedly excellent in this massive ensemble, but it’sDiego Calvaas Manny Torres, that stands out in this cast packed with stars. As the Mexican-American assistant to Pitt’s Jack Conrad, who dreams of greater aspirations in the film industry, we see the wonder and beauty of what draws people to the film industry through Manny. As Manny’s star rises, we see how he’ll do anything to make his films succeed, as his passion only grows for moving pictures. It’s inBabylon’s final moments where we really feel the power of Calva’s performance, as he sees his part in the bigger picture of film history, as Chazelle shows us a montage of the last 100+ years of film, from silent black-and-white shorts toAvatarandThe Matrix. Calva’s reaction to this realization is staggering, as he sees the cyclical nature of film, but also understands that the stories he was a part of will live on forever. The film business has its positives and negatives for sure, and we see the highs and lows in aching detail through Calva’s performance.
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin
Poor Siobhán Súilleabháin (Kerry Condon) might be the only one on the isle of Inisherin with any sense. Between the complaining of her brother Pádraic (Colin Farrell) about the falling out in the friendship between himself and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), and dodging the advances of the simple Dominic Kearney (Barry Keoghan), it’s no wonder that Siobhán wants to work at a library off the isle and get away from all the exhausting nonsense. Even though Siobhán has every right to be frustrated inThe Banshees of Inisherin—and shows her lack of patience with these feckin' idiots—there’s also a compassion and love for these odd characters in Condon’s performance, even at their most irritating. Siobhán attempts to get Dominic And Pádric to bury their hatchet over and over, while she lets down Dominic’s advances carefully, even while poking fun at the boy. But this balance of care and annoyance is what makes Condon’s performance so great, as Siobhán is clearly over this shit, but can’t fully turn her back on these fools. While Inisherin is full of men being morons, Siobhán is the sole lighthouse of sanity.
Tom Cruise - Top Gun: Maverick
Remember whenTom Cruiseused to make dramas? In the 2010s, it seems like Cruise made a dedicated effort to focus solely on action films, which, to be fair, has led to some of the best action films of the last decade, likeEdge of TomorrowandMission: Impossible — Fallout. Even though Cruise loves risking his life to leave the audience in shock and awe, it’s also hard to not miss when Cruise would make films likeEyes Wide Shut,Magnolia, andBorn on the Fourth of July. But in Cruise’s return as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell inTop Gun: Maverick, we see all the different sides of Cruise that made him an undeniable star, all in one performance. Sure, there’s the action side, but we also see Cruise’s capabilities at being a romantic lead alongsideJennifer Connelly’s Penny, his penchant for humor, and his abilities as a great dramatic actor. While it’s easy to call out Maverick’s scene withVal Kilmer’s Iceman, maybe Cruise’s best scene inMaverickis when he watches Rooster (Miles Teller) from outside the local bar, as he reckons with his past mistakes and worries about what pain working with his old partner’s son could cause. We get all of that through Cruise’s nonverbal performance as he watches Rooster playing “Great Balls of Fire” on the piano just like his father did. At this point, it makes sense that Cruise is known as an action star, but withMaverick, we see everything that made Cruise one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood history.
Danielle Deadwyler - Till
I’ll go ahead and say it:Danielle Deadwyler’s performance as Mamie Till inChinonye Chukwu’sTillis the best performance of the year, full stop. Deadwyler’s incredible performance shows a mother going through indescribable pain, losing her only son through horrific circumstances, and watching as her worst nightmares come to life. Even though it would be completely understandable for Mamie Till to scream, cry, and explode at any second, instead, Deadwyler’s performance shows that all of that terror lies within Mamie, yet she will use this incredible anger and loss that she feels to try and make things better for others. Mamie Till didn’t ask for the responsibilities that were asked of her, but Deadwyler shows the difficulties of attempting to maintain composure while it feels like your world is crumbling around you.
Claire Foy - Women Talking
Deadwyler might be the best performer of the year, but the cast ofSarah Polley’sWomen Talkingmight just be the best ensemble of 2022. Literally any performer could’ve made this list, but it’sClaire Foyas Salome that voices the anger and frustrations that the audience is feeling as this group of women decides what to do after years of abuse from the men in their community. As many of these characters attempt to find the right answer to their situation, Salome is full of righteous fury, more worried about what she’ll do to the men than trying to find a solution that fits into their belief system. Through Foy’s performances, we see decades of suffering and exhaustion coming out all at once, a woman who is tired of talking and wants to take action to protect herself and family.
Brendan Fraser - The Whale
It’s a shame thatBrendan Fraser’s long overdue return to the spotlight comes in what is arguablyDarren Aronofsky’s worst film (and easily the worst film on this list). DespiteThe Whale’s problems, however, lies a wonderful performance at the center by Fraser as Charlie, an obese English professor that just wants to do something meaningful with his life. Below the layers of makeup and prosthetics and the brutal amount of abuse this man takes from others and himself, Fraser is giving a heartbreaking performance as a man who still believes in the beauty and good in people. This man, in his dingy apartment eating himself to death, is largely secluded from the world around him, but Fraser makes Charlie a character who can find the light among the darkness, in something as simple as a basic book report onMoby Dick. Fraser has always been a wonderful performer, and even withThe Whale’s many weaknesses, Fraser also provides a light in the darkness.
Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin
AsBrendan Gleesonhas proved in bothIn Brugesand nowThe Banshees of Inisherin, the actor might be at his best when he has to deal withColin Farrellbeing an absolute moron. As the finger-lobbing Colm Doherty, who has grown tired of his best friend Pádraic (Farrell), Gleeson shows the absolute exhaustion that comes from trying to avoid someone you no longer want to associate with and stillcan’t get them to leave you alone. Gleeson balances Farrell brilliantly, and shows that doing what’s best for one’s self might not be what is “nice.” Gleeson means business, as we see throughoutThe Banshees of Inisherin, and our uncertainty of how far he’ll take this finger-cutting business makesMartin McDonagh’s latest both tense and absolutely hilarious.
Mia Goth - X/Pearl
Ti Westmight have found his muse withMia Goth, who in a great year for horror, gave three of the genre’s best performances. InX, Goth plays both the young porn actress Maxine Minx and the elderly Pearl, an incredible transformation thanks to some truly impressive makeup. But it’s inPearl, where Goth plays the younger Pearl in the 1910s, that Goth made this character a star. WhileXwas more of an homage to the grimy slashers of the 1970s,Pearlbecomes a surprising character study of a woman who wants more than her life trapped at her family’s farm. Pearl was somewhat of a one-note character inX, but withPearl, she finally gets the spotlight she deserves.Pearl’s biggest moments, like the “I’m a star!” outburst and Goth’s terrifyingly long smile at the end of the film, have become memes on their own, but these moments work in the context of the film because of how Goth brings very real, heartbreaking emotion to a woman who just wants more and can’t get there, no matter how hard she tries.
