And just like that, it was all over.

After 12 days, hundreds of films/shorts/shows/experiences/Q&As, a bunch of galas, dozens of premieres, and the many friends made along the way, London Film Festival 2022 is officially done.

With the standard throughout as high as it’s ever been, it really was a vintage one, and after a couple of pandemic-troubled years, that LFF buzz is well and truly back!

Of course, despite the high standard across the board, not everything can be a winner, and as tough as it was to do, I’ve gone and distilled all my viewing experiences down into one list of particularly praise-worthy films. My LFF MVPs, if you will.

So, here we go then. Behold, my top 10 films of London Film Festival 2022…

10. BROTHER (dir. Clement Virgo)

Beautifully shot, wonderfully written, fantastically acted. Clement Virgo crafts an affecting reflection on identity, brotherhood, and love in all its forms. Brother gets a little lost in its own meditative state at times, yet never lets its emotional engagement slip.

9. GETTING IT BACK: THE STORY OF CYMANDE (dir. Tim MacKenzie-Smith)

The fascinating, heart-breaking, heart-warming story of the greatest band you’ve never heard of. While Getting It Back never pushes as many boundaries as Cymande themselves, it manages to succinctly capture the incredible tale of a band lost to time, then rediscovered years later. A smartly put together documentary that really gets to the heart of the band and the timelessness of their music.

8. THE WHALE (dir. Darren Aronofsky)

With heart, humour and aching humanity, Brendan Fraser puts in a deeply affecting, career-high performance that lifts The Whale above its contrivances and outside its claustrophobic theatrical confines. This man is a gift. He must be protected at all costs.

7. WOMEN TALKING (dir. Sarah Polley)

A captivating slow burn with an inspiring payoff, Women Talking steadily grows into a powerful, poignant story of courage and conviction. Clair Foy and Jessie Buckley lead a phenomenal cast, with Sarah Polley’s superb writing and dedicated direction helping elevate the film’s restrictive plot and setting.

6. PALM TREES AND POWER LINES (dir. Jamie Dack)

What a debut from Jamie Dack. A creeping, slow-burn tale of adolescent vulnerability and exploitation. Extremely difficult to watch at times, Dack nonetheless crafts an unflinching and dishearteningly plausible exploitation story that offers no easy answers, led by a phenomenal breakout performance from Lily McInerny.

5. GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (dir. Rian Johnson)

Written with jagged wit and executed with diamond-cut precision, Glass Onion marks a more than worthy follow-up to Knives Out. Gleefully toying with our expectations and whodunit preconceptions, Rian Johnson and Benoit Blanc twist and turn their way into our hearts once again. And watch out for all the well-deserved awards buzz coming Janelle Monáe’s way.

4. MY FATHER’S DRAGON (dir. Nora Twomey)

They’ve done it again. Their first hook-up with Netflix offers something far broader and more young-skewing than anything Cartoon Saloon have done before, yet My Father’s Dragon still burns with the same level of emotion, storytelling skill and animated prowess we’ve come to expect from the Irish animation studio.

3. GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO (dir. Guillermo del Toro)

Heartfelt and heart-breaking, Pinocchio is a beautifully textured, wonderfully animated retelling of a classic. As mortifying as it is magical, Guillermo del Toro blesses us with a dark and delightful rumination on love, life and loss, and one of his finest efforts to date.

2. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (dir. Martin McDonagh)

Martin McDonagh’s best work since In Bruges. The Banshees of Inisherin is a beautifully balanced blend of heartbreak and macabre humour brought to life by a lyrical, razor-sharp script and a collection of terrific performances. A parable-laced, contrary crowd pleaser that will stick with you.

1. AFTERSUN (dir. Charlotte Wells)

Went into Aftersun knowing nothing about it and left an emotional wreck. Fractured and fragmented recollections fade in and out of the film’s consciousness, as Charlotte Wells’ assured direction hits right to the heart of the complex relationship we have with cherished memories. Also possesses one of the most devastating finales of this year’s LFF, and that’s saying something considering the level of heart-wrenching emotion floating around the festival.