"Descendant," "The Quiet Girl," and "Aftershock" are three movies with perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores in 2022.
Courtesy Netflix, Break Out Pictures, Onyx Collective
Insider rounded up films that received perfect scores of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes in 2022 with over 20 reviews.
Most of the titles are documentaries or international films that you may have missed.
Iranian drama "No Bears" was secretly filmed and "The Pez Outlaw" follows a Pez dispenser smuggler.
"The Pez Outlaw"The documentary follows a Pez dispenser smuggler and was directed by Amy and Bryan Storkel.
Gravitas Ventures
Number of reviews: 24
What it's about: The documentary follows a Pez collector, Steve Glew, on his adventure to find a factory with valuable Pez dispensers to help get his family out of debt. His success was interrupted when a former Pez president, nicknamed The Pezident, went after him for transporting and selling the collector's items.
"Aftershock""Aftershock" was directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Courtesy of Onyx Collective
Number of reviews: 28
What it's about: "Following the deaths of two young women due to childbirth complications, two bereaved families galvanize activists, birth workers, and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises today: the US maternal health crisis." — IMDb
What critics have said: "'Aftershock' is a disturbing but necessary documentary to watch for a reality check about how systemic racism in the U.S. health care system results in Black women dying shortly after childbirth at disproportionately higher rates than women of other races." — Culture Mix
"Saint Omer""Saint Omer" was directed by Alice Diop.
Srab Films, Les films du losange
Number of reviews: 35
What it's about: "Young novelist Rama attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, the words of the accused and witness testimonies will shake Rama's convictions and call into question our own judgment." — Rotten Tomatoes
"Free Chol Soo Lee""Free Chol Soo Lee" was directed and produced by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi.
Mubi
Number of reviews: 41
What it's about: "In 1970s San Francisco, 20-year-old Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee is racially profiled and convicted of a Chinatown gang murder. After spending years fighting to survive, investigative journalist K.W. Lee takes a special interest in his case, igniting an unprecedented social justice movement." — Rotten Tomatoes
What critics have said: "Given the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and ongoing miscarriages of justice today, Free Chol Soo Lee sadly offers plenty of lessons the world has yet to learn from" — We Love Cinema
"No Bears""No Bears" was directed, written, and produced by Jafar Panahi.
Celluloid Dreams
Number of reviews: 43
What it's about: The Iranian drama, shot secretly due to director Jafar Panahi's 20-year banon film-making in the country, follows "two parallel love stories in which the partners are thwarted by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the force of superstition, and the mechanics of power," according to IMDb.
What critics have said: "A challenging film, made by a surprisingly self-aware filmmaker, who is using his art to talk about himself, about his country, and about the borders that divide us (and have taken away a lot of his freedom for several years)." — Cinencuentro.com
"The Quiet Girl"The Quiet Girl was directed by Colm Bairéad.
Break Out Pictures
Number of reviews: 46
What it's about: "Cait is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. Quietly struggling at school and at home, she has learned to hide in plain sight from those around her. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth." — Rotten Tomatoes
What critics have said: Critics praised director Colm Bairéad's debut as a heartbreaking gem with a beautiful, simple story and a must-see hug scene.
"The Quiet Girl" won best film at the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) awards.
Where to watch: in select US theaters on December 16
"Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down""Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down" was directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West.
Briarcliff Entertainment
Number of reviews: 46
What it's about: The documentary looks "at the former congresswoman's courage and perseverance in the aftermath of the 2011 assassination attempt that left her partially paralyzed and with a language impairment, aphasia," according to IMDb.
What critics have said: A moving and inspiring documentary that also doubles as a love story and makes you appreciate Gifford's tenacity.
"Louis Armstrong: Black & Blues""Louis Armstrong: Black & Blues" is directed by Sacha Jenkins.
Apple TV+
Number of reviews: 50
What it's about: "'Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues' offers an intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and personal conversations." — Rotten Tomatoes
What critics have said: "Black & Blues" isn't a straightforward biography so much as a collection of engaging anecdotes and keen observations, meant to spark a renewed appreciation for someone too often misunderstood." — Los Angeles Times
"All that Breathes""All That Breathes," directed by Shaunak Sen, won the Golden Eye award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for best documentary.
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Rise Films
Number of reviews: 56
What it's about: "Amidst the darkening backdrop of Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite." — IMDb
What critics have said: "A subtle, haunting reflection on the meaning of humanity — on the breathtaking kindness and heartbreaking cruelty that define our wounded, intrepid, predatory species." — The New York Times
"Descendant""Descendant" was directed by Margaret Brown.
Courtesy of Netflix
Number of reviews: 60
What it's about: "Follows descendants of the survivors from the Clotilda, the last ship that carried enslaved Africans to the United States, as they reclaim their story." — IMDb
What critics have said: "Brown roves across the land, crowding her film with a wide spectrum of voices for a living oral history that reckons with the long shadow of slavery." — Associated Press
