Top 15 must-watch films from Hollywood and beyond that caught former US President Barack Obama’s fancy

Former president Barack Obama, who has gained a reputation as a cultural critic with wide-ranging appreciation for film, literature and music, released his annual list of favourite movies. But how many have you seen - or even heard of? Ranging from blockbusters (“Top Gun: Maverick”) to foreign films that cover issues of reproductive rights (“Happening”), Obama’s tastes are varied. Here’s his list, with some critical appraisals and information on how to watch them.

The Fabelmans: This semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale loosely depicts director Steven Spielberg’s formative years falling in love with storytelling. Washington Post movie critic Ann Hornaday agreed with the hype, giving it 3 1/2 stars in her review, writing: “From an early age, Spielberg is telling us, he’s understood cinema’s power to entertain, immerse, inform and transport, and as a way to create a usable past. ‘The Fabelmans’ does it all, with an expansive spirit and that quintessential Spielbergian combination of honesty and sentiment.” (In theaters and available for purchase on several streaming services, including YouTube and Apple TV Plus)

Decision to Leave: A South Korean romantic thriller, “Decision to Leave” follows a detective investigating a man’s death while battling emerging feelings for the widow involved in the case. Post movie critic Michael O’Sullivan gave this film two stars and a less sparkling recommendation than the former president. “’Decision to Leave’ is also needlessly complicated and at times almost impossible to follow, its narrative inscrutability often coming across less as the result of nonlinear storytelling than as simply a cinematic affectation,” O’Sullivan wrote. (Streams on Mubi and available for purchase on Apple TV Plus)

The Woman King: Set in the 1800s, a collective of female warriors protects their African kingdom from danger. But as a new, foreign threat emerges, the next generation must step up to continue their way of life. Hornaday, who gave the film 3 1/2 stars, praises Viola Davis’ performance: “’The Woman King’ may be a fable, but its power is real: Her name is Viola Davis, and she’s nothing less than magnificent,” she wrote. (Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video)

Aftersun: A young woman reflects on the holiday she spent with her father 20 years ago, when she was 11 - coming to terms with the father she knew in her youth and the man she didn’t really understand. This melancholic recollection of childhood earned three stars from O’Sullivan, who wrote about the film: “The seemingly happiest moments of childhood, [director Charlotte] Wells seems to argue, can take on somber overtones when seen in the rearview mirror.” (Available for purchase on several streaming services, including Apple TV Plus and Amazon Prime Video)

Emily the Criminal: A college graduate (Aubrey Plaza) with overwhelming debt and no career prospects becomes immersed in a scam where she acts as a dummy shopper and buys increasingly luxurious products with stolen credit cards. O’Sullivan gave the film three stars but credited most of what he enjoyed to Plaza. “A kind of gravitational pull emanates from Aubrey Plaza as the title character in ... a passably diverting crime thriller where, in place of a moral center, Plaza delivers a performance that is entertainingly blackhearted,” O’Sullivan wrote. (Streams on Netflix)

Petite Maman: This French fantasy drama centers on an 8-year-old girl named Nelly who lost her grandmother and is cleaning out her home. After Nelly’s mom abruptly departs, she meets a girl her age in the woods. O’Sullivan gave it a strong, four-star review: “’Petite Maman’ is what every film should be: powerfully, even arrestingly original; grounded in emotional truth; hyper-specific; deeply universal; strange; mesmerizing; and not a minute longer than necessary.” (Streams on Amazon Prime Video)

Descendant: One of the films Obama touted is a documentary from the production company he heads with his wife, Michelle. This film follows the descendants of the survivors from the last known slave ship to arrive in the United States as they try to take control of their legacy and find connection with their ancestors. (Streams on Netflix)

Till: Based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler), who relentlessly pursued justice after her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, was brutally lynched in 1955. O’Sullivan gave it four stars, writing that the film “is many things: a portrait of Emmett Till, vibrant with the promise of life; the riveting retelling of a true-crime tale; a doomed courtroom drama about justice undelivered; and a glimpse at the backroom strategising of the early civil rights movement’s players.” (Available for purchase on several streaming services, including Google Play and Apple TV Plus)

Everything Everywhere All At Once : An aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) is set on a multiversal course to save the world and better connect with the people she loves. O’Sullivan gave the film 2 1/2 stars, writing: “It’s hard to know what to make of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ It’s a tour de force - but of what? It’s exhausting. It’s funny. It’s confusing. It’s way too long and feels like it has multiple endings.” (Streams on Paramount Plus)

Top Gun: Maverick: The sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” dominated the box office and earned critical acclaim. Maverick (Tom Cruise) is back and training a group of graduates for an assignment where he must confront his past ghosts. Hornaday put it on her top 10 movies of the year and wrote in her 3 1/2 star review: “This is what the movies looked like, once. And this is what they can look like again.” (streams on OSN Demand)

The Good Boss: This Spanish workplace comedy starring Javier Bardem focuses on the owner of an industrial scales manufacturing business who tries to resolve any problems that his workers have while he waits to hear if his company will be given an award. Contributing critic Pat Padua gave the film two stars, writing, “Despite some quality craftsmanship, ‘The Good Boss’ ultimately doesn’t pay off. Capitalism should be more fun than this.” (Available for rent on several streaming services, including YouTube and Apple TV Plus)

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy: A Japanese romantic drama in which three women deal with relationship issues: a young woman’s friend falls in love with her ex; a student asks his partner to trap his professor; and two old friends reunite after decades apart. (Available for rent on several streaming services, including YouTube and Prime Video)

A Hero: In this Iranian film, a man who is imprisoned because of a debt uses a two-day leave to try to convince his creditor to withdraw part of the complaint. In O’Sullivan’s three-star review, he wrote: “The movie takes place in Iran, yet it’s really situated in the crack of daylight that separates truth from a lie. It’s a tight squeeze, [director Asghar] Farhadi seems to say, and one whose pinch this tragedy of the everyday makes us feel, acutely.” (Streams on Prime Video)

Hit the Road: Another Iranian film, this one about a middle-aged couple and their two sons who drive across the countryside to bond, bicker and grapple with the future. (Streams on Osn Plus)

Tar: Famed (and fictional) conductor Lydia Tr (Cate Blanchett) begins to spiral as she embarks on a symphony recording that will elevate her career. Another film on Hornaday’s top-10 list, the critic gave the film four stars and wrote: “Watching Cate Blanchett inhabit the most indelible character to materialize on-screen this year is to witness a fascinating feat of artistic doubling, wherein Blanchett brings her angular physicality and a quick, slashing intelligence to bear on a woman who’s creating herself in real time.” (Available to watch on Apple TV Plus)