2022 was a wild year for media, a return to form for many artistic and inspiring films, the year I personally got into concerts, and the busyness of life and work slipping me into something of a reading slump saved with recs from friends and exploration outside of my usual genres. Against this backdrop, selecting the five stories which were the most impactful, the ‘best,’ of the year was uniquely difficult. The stories below were the ones which spoke most to the current state of life, I think. They were stories about existence itself, of the power and rot of ambition, the beauty of simplicity, examinations of power and purpose, and introspective lenses for helping one better understand the confusing mass that’s just life.
My usual disclaimer remains, these are not stories which necessarily came out in 2022, but ones that I encountered in 2022. Story is likewise a broad category, as we see novels here beside movies and yes, even a song! Overall a good reflection of the year and rather fortifying for what promises to be an eventful and productive 2023!
5- Poison for Breakfast, Lemony Snicket
In a year of personal literary triumph and exploration, where the goading of friends led to me encountering a range of stories about stories, it has been Lemony Snicket’s small book of philosophy which has stuck with me as having set the tone for 2022. I read it earlier in the year and blogged about it in more depth, but to reminisce now and think about the depth of wisdom, humor, and reflection contained in so tight a work is to smile fondly and think of it, as Snicket encourages us all to consider great works of that magical word literature, as an old friend. I hope to re-read it soon, and have purchased many a copy for friends. There is much to be said about a work which so effortlessly ties eggs to death, supermarkets to surrealism, and words to meaning. Snicket flawlessly incorporates a plethora of themes in an easily-digestible and rewarding work it is worth exploring.
Top Quote: “We never know when some scrap of literature will have its finest hour.”
4- “All You Wanna Do” from SIX
It may seem odd at first to put a song on the list of one’s top stories of the year, but “All You Wanna Do” is a tour de force in emotional storytelling, layered lyrics, and historic and present-day weight which cannot go unmentioned. It is the longest of the songs from SIX, a musical detailing the challenges facing Henry VIII’s wives as they battle it out to see who among them had a worse run via song. “All You Wanna Do,” belongs to Katherine Howard, a character as tragic in history as she is in the musical. Themes of sexual abuse from an early age, manipulation from men in power, and the slowly-dawning horror of one’s own uniquely powerless place swirl around a deceptively catchy number until it comes to a powerful, traumatic head (resulting in the loss of Katherine’s own, it should be noted.) Whether listening to the official album’s recording, where the progressive rage is palpable, or Samantha Pauly’s exceptional live Broadway version rippling with unease and the breaking of a woman, “All You Wanna Do” teaches impactful lessons not only from history, but in writing, storytelling, and pacing. It’s a song I frequently return to now for character work and catharsis, and worth a listen on its own for anyone who sympathizes with the plight depicted behind someone’s smile.
Top Quote: “But it’s never, ever, different…”
3- The Menu
A latecomer to the list and one I am all the more happy to discuss again! The Menu is a chilling waltz through the shadows of the restaurant industry, catharsis against the various annoyances for those who work in it and sympathy for those ensnared in its toxic practices. This film is still fresh in my mind, quoted fairly often behind the scenes and work, and a common recommendation to other industry professionals. The script and the acting work in tandem to draw the viewer into a world many find only fleetingly familiar, but remains relatable enough to ensnare and elicit a wash of emotions. It is flawless in its executions (punpun) and manages somehow to strike a perfect balance of nervous, if genuine, laughter between deeply unsettling scenes and lines. I recently blogged about this one as well, so check out a more in depth review here!
Top Quote: “You’ll eat less than you desire and more than you deserve.”
2- The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbary
There are too few words to describe the wealth of impactful moments and quotes from this deeply moving novel. Barbary manages to capture through minute interactions and too-astute-to-be-fair observations the ways in which we construct facsimiles of ourselves and others. Her characters swim through the depths of human experience, challenging despair with hope, listlessness with productivity, and falsehoods with the reality of existence. The novel is as gentle as it is heartbreaking, a tapestry of quiet beauty found in something best compared to summer rains. This one also received its own blog post, and my praise now remains as effusive as it was then. A highly encouraged read for anyone dealing with the tumult of existence, or whoever desires something like a cup of tea and a good cry with a book with many a shoulder and pot to offer.
Top Quote: “What matters is what you are doing when you die, and when June 16th comes around, I want to be building.”
1- Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
At some point I will do a full and proper review of this film, but for now whenever I try I find that words, to a certain extent, escape me. It can be challenging, when faced with so personal and passionate a work as this, to fully encapsulate the depths to which one is touched. In that sense, this masterpiece’s focus at once on the meaning of life and in another breath its opposite lives up to and then surpasses its name. Everything, Everywhere, All At Once does more than make me reevaluate my list of favorite movies of all time (such a designation does not give it proper justice), it helps me reevaluate the order of my own life and the ways in which we interact with people in it. I will never forget clutching my crying mother after I showed it to her, hearing her implore me not to go into the bagel (it makes sense, believe me.) The way this movie introduces and explores generational trauma and pressure, nihilism, joy, and the concept of truth while being engaging, beyond entertaining, and cathartic and heroic as any great film of our time or any previous times cannot be overstated. As one of my writing friends put it: “If you can make me cry at rocks with googly eyes, you’ve done something right.” Everything, Everywhere, All At Once stands tall as the best story I encountered in 2022, timely and timeless at once, and one which I cannot recommend enough to everyone who struggles with questions of where they are going in life and whether any of it means anything at all.
Top Quote: “There are no rules.”
Runner-Ups, in no particular order: Haunted, Foundryside, SIX, All Quiet on the Western Front, Final Girls
See you all in 2023!! Happy New Year!!