Under-the-radar Canadian movies and TV of 2022 and where to watch

This year, there was a veritable glut of impressive Canadian content.

From Chandler Levack'sI Like Movies, to the dreamlike Jehova's Witness dramaYou Can Live Forever, to Drake'sBlack Icedocumentary, toBrother,Bones of Crows,Riceboy Sleeps,Eternal Spring,When Morning Comes, Little Birdand seemingly a hundred more but most of these titles from Canada's heavy hitters still aren't available to the public.

That's not to say there aren't any impressive Canadian releases from this year you can watch some of them are just harder to find.

So CBC has compiled some of the year's bestCanadian-made productionsthat are available to stream and screen, as well as where you can watch.

Altar Boy

Rent on Apple TV

An understated coming-of-age flick if there ever was one, Altar Boy is the first feature effort by Filipino Canadian director Serville Poblete. Created alongside screenwriter, star and Poblete'sreal-life friend since elementary school, Mark Barcolcol, it follows 17-year-old Daniel an overgrown altar server at his local church. He'sbalancing every adolescent stress you can think of: Struggling in school, fighting with his parents, managing crippling awkwardness around the cutest girl in classit can feel a bit shallow in description.

But it's a well-told character study that actually shines most in the performances that surround thelead. Shai Barcia, who plays Daniel's mother, is particularly impressive as she switches between shouting matches and quiet desperation at the kitchen table. Though there are rough edges, and the going can be a bit slow, it's worth the time.

Scarborough

Streamon Crave

Though it's been almost a year since it premiered on streaming services, and even longer since it debuted at TIFF, Scarboroughstill stands as one of the best movies of 2022. Adapted from Catherine Hernandez's novel of the same name, it follows three children as they navigate a system seemingly designed to shut them out. Like Altar Boy, the film is slow and long at 136 minutes but theperformances by the child actors are transcendent.

Bing, Sylvie and Laura (played by young stars Liam Diaz, Mekiya Fox and Anna Claire Beitel) carry the story, but their parents and their teacher, played by Aliya Kanani are impressive as well. Even though Scarborough swept the Canadian Screen Awards earlier this year, it deserves a larger audience than it got.

The Grizzlie Truth

Screenin select theatres

Filmmaker Kathleen Jayme explores whatever happened to the Vancouver Grizzliesin a documentary (her fourth film aboutthe team) that feels equal partsThe Last Dance and American Vandal. Jayme, who reveals herself as a lifelong fan of the team thatplayedin the city for sixseasons before relocating to Memphis, is never too serious. She spends as much time playing one-on-one withmascot Grizz as she does uncovering big truths, but those reveals are all worth it.

While it's not yet streaming (or even officially released), The Grizzlie Truth has a number of screenings in cities across Canada this week, including in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and more.Jaymemanages to trackdown some stellar names in the Grizzlies' world including president Stu Jackson, infamous draft pick Steve Francis and perhaps the most adorable pint-sized Memphis Grizzlies fan to ever live. The whole film just feels fun, but be warned: after watching, you'll likely be gunning for a return of the franchise, too.

Into the Weeds

Stream on CBC Gem

Canadian director Jennifer Baichwal marked her second time opening Hot Docs this year with Into The Weeds. The David and Goliath story showcases the court battle between groundskeeper Dewayne (Lee) Johnson andagrochemical company Monsanto.

The documentary, which aired Sept. 16 on CBC and CBC Gem as the season premiere of The Passionate Eye, is in some ways a typical takedown of corrupt business practices, but it'sheld together but the unflinching look at Johnson himself. Johnson was closely involved in the three-year creation of the project, which follows thetrial stemming from hislawsuit allegingthat Monsanto'sweed killerRoundUpcaused his cancer.

Sort Of

Stream on CBC Gem

With the kind of attention that Sort Of has received, it isn'texactly underrated. Butaudiences still might be unfamiliar with just how much has changed, and drastically improved,in the just-released second season of this dramedy, starring creator Bilal Baigas Sabi: a non-binary nanny struggling to find their place in the world.

There are notes of Fleabaghere, and Baig's dry writing and delivery have earned them a spot on Time Magazine's"next generation leader" list as well as a full profile by the New York Times.

While the first season was good, the second turns up the dialon both narrative and emotion. It's funny, butalso filled with heartache. Sabi's growing detachment from their parents draws viewers even as ithurts to watch in some ways.

Stay Tooned

Stream on CBC Gem

Eric Bauza has been doing both Canada and the world of animation proud for a while now. The voice actor has been in the business for 20 years, buthis popularity exploded in 2018 when hetookon the role of Bugs Bunny.Now, he's taking a bitof a meta turn.

In hisseriesStay Tooned, Bauzaexaminesthe tropes and tendencies of animation, an art formthat has picked up more stereotypes and hidden messages than most would care to admit.Stay Toonedalso boasts some of the biggest names in the voice acting industry, includingBobby Moynihan,Tara Strong,Grey DeLisleand more. They showcase the waycartoons, which many think of as much more than kids'entertainment,handleeverything from sexuality to gender topolitics.

We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel)

Stream on Crave

Popular Mechanics For Kids alum Jay Baruchelfaces the end of the world with his usual dark humour in this six-part miniseries on Crave that examines potential end-time scenariosfrom the extreme planet-ending asteroids andalien invasions to themore believable armageddons of disease and climate catastrophe.

LISTEN | Jay Baruchel on his new series:

It's a study in contradictions thatsomehowworks fantastically. If you have the stomach to look in the abyss or just into our own collective future it's definitely worth streaming. Just make sure the kids are out of the room, as the How to Train Your Dragon star throws around words with overtired scientists that definitely weren't in that franchise.