Justin Chang

Sarah Polley's superbly acted Women Talking is an adaptation of Miriam Toews' novel of the same name. It's about a Bolivian Mennonite colony in 2009, when a group of men was charged with raping more than 100 girls and women in their community.

Last year, the Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi, a longtime critic of his country's government, was arrested and imprisoned just a few months before his new movie, "No Bears," premiered at film festivals. Set in a small town, the movie stars Panahi as a fictionalized version of himself. "No Bears" topped the list of our film critic Justin Chang's best films of 2022.

Some of the movies on my year-end list passed quickly and quietly through theaters. Some are still in theaters, and a few will open more widely in 2023. Whether on the big screen or at home, I hope you'll take the time to seek them out.