20 Films to See in December
The final month of 2022 brings the first sequel to the highest-grossing movie in history, potential Oscar contenders from Damien Chazelle, Sarah Polley, Sam Mendes, Darren Aronofsky, and Antoine Fuqua, arthouse fare from Hirokazu Kore-eda, Joanna Hogg, and Jafar Panahi, and more. In the gallery on this page our editors have selected the most interesting films debuting in North American theaters this month, listed in alphabetical order.
Additional content by Jason Dietz.
Drama | Directed by Sam Mendes
Opens in theaters December 9
Watch trailer
Sam Mendes’ follow-up to 1917 is a decidedly smaller affair. Set in 1981 at the fictional Empire cinema in the seaside town of Margate and shot by frequent collaborator Roger Deakins, Mendes’ first original screenplay brings together two lost souls who work at the theater—its manager (Oscar winner Olivia Coleman) and a new ticket-seller played by Michael Ward (Top Boy). With supporting turns by Colin Firth as the theater’s owner and Toby Jones as its projectionist, the film is well-acted, and Deakins’ images are, once again, luminous, but critical opinion varies widely on the success of Mendes’ script and the occasionally contrived nature of the narrative.
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