25 Films for 2025

Movies That Got Away

Before we get to the amazing films I did see this year, I wanted to spotlight some that I didn't. I always say no list is comprehensive, but mine get pretty damn close. Despite that, here are some movies from 2025 that I wanted to see, but couldn’t due to time, availability etc. Regardless, I know that if I saw some of these films they'd have made the top 25, and I hope you take the time to look into them!

10.     Magellan

I'm a big Lav Diaz fan and was excited to hear his first non-Tagalog includes Gael García Bernal portraying the titular explorer during his colonial campaign across Asia. The way this looks, you'd think they had much fancier cameras than they really did. Painterly, political and historical, I can't wait to watch this.

9.     The Testament of Ann Lee

Amanda Seyfried is an amazing actress, especially in musicals, so I’m sure she does a fantastic job as the leader of a religious sect in the 18^th century. This came out on Christmas, but I can’t find showtimes anywhere.

8.     Kennedy

Insomniac ex-cops out for revenge, Vertigo-esque lighting, and high-octane action. Need I say more? This 2023 Hindi neo-noir from Anurag Kashyap is now available exclusively via the new Letterboxd video store! Only until January 9^th, so I’ll make sure to watch it soon.

7.     My Father’s Shadow

I’ve heard great things about Akinola Davies Jr.’s feature length debut about two boys spending a day with their father during Nigeria’s 1993 presidential election, but I couldn’t find it anywhere! Hopefully this becomes available soon.

6.     Remake

Ross McElwee’s documentary following him reevaluating his artistic process in the wake of immense grief seems like a very personal, intimate offering from one of cinema vérité’s best.

5.     With Hasan in Gaza

It’s a real shame I couldn’t catch Kamal Aljafari’s documentary about searching for a former teenage prison mate across the Gaza Strip. Shot during the second Intifada, the footage has a renewed power 25 years later as the ongoing genocide is still at the front of everyone’s mind.

4.     Peter Hujar’s Day

After loving Passages (2023), I was very excited to learn Ira Sachs has a new film out.  Detailing a conversation between the titular photographer and his friend, with award-winning performances and nominations still pending, this is near the top of my watchlist going into next year.

3.     What Does That Nature Say to You

Readers of this blog know I love Hong Sang-soo. I usually watch his new movies at the New York Film Festival, but I didn’t go this year due to work, so I'll have to rent this beautiful looking film about a young poet meeting his girlfriend’s parents whenever it comes out.

2.     Mare’s Nest

If you know where to find Ben Rivers’ new movie about a young girl exploring a strange, adult-less world, let me know! I’m a fan of his other stuff, and this adaptation of Don DeLillo’s one act play using fiction, documentary, poetic essay and fable sounds fascinating.

1.     Dry Leaf

Alexandre Koberidze is one of the more interesting directors working right now, and this experimental road movie seems like another addition to one of the most singular filmographies to date. Tracing a father journeying through Georgia with an invisible person to find his daughter and shot in a beautifully fuzzy low resolution, I have to see this.

25 Films for 2025

            With the growth of AI and several large media companies seeming to merge with no regulation, there’s a lot of talk going into 2026 about the death of cinema; it’s important to remember this is not the first apocalypse movies have faced. Initially, many worried the use of color would cheapen the artform. When sound was introduced, some thought it was the death of an industry. The same goes for digital cameras, home video, and streaming. I think what my favorite films of this year all have in common is that they are testaments to the fact that you can’t stop people from coming together and being creative. It’s kind of what makes us human. Long live the movies! Here are my 25 favorites from 2025:

Honorable Mentions:

1.     The Voice of Hind Rajab

2.     Universal Language

3.     The Life List

4.     Tendaberry

5.     Ne Zha 2

6.     The Legend of Ochi

7.     Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

8.     Sorry, Baby

9.     The Smashing Machine

10.  Sauna

25.     Resurrection

I can’t even tell you exactly what Bi Gan’s newest film is about, but it’s so mesmerizing and poetic in its linking of images, its use of editing and lighting to craft emotion, that you needn’t worry about something as useless as plot. It should stream soon, and I guarantee you won’t see anything like it for a long time.

24.     Dracula

Radu Jude’s nearly three-hour satire about a screenwriter using AI to come up with several ridiculous vignettes for a Dracula script features some of the ugliest uses of GenAI I’ve ever seen, and it completely works with what he’s trying to do here. This film almost feels prescient, with Romania just announcing a Dracula theme park enhanced with ‘AI experiences’ coming soon. Chaotic, slightly problematic and deeply cynical, this is the feel-bad movie of the year. It’s absolutely bonkers, and from what I hear it will be available for rent on January 2^nd!

23.     The Shrouds

It always feels special when David Cronenberg gives us another one of his morbid, meditative looks at technology and the body. Centered around a grieving cemetery owner getting caught in an international conspiracy, it blends the absurd and the profound in ways only Cronenberg has managed to do. Now on the Criterion Channel!

22. Good Fortune

Nobody had more misgivings walking into the theater for Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut than me, but man was this a funny, smart takedown of class society. Every cast member brought so much commitment and flawless comedic timing, but Keke Palmer is undoubtedly the heart of this movie about a lowly worker getting body swapped with his rich boss. Now on VOD!

21.     No Other Choice

No one can move a camera quite like Park Chan-wook. This movie about a desperate job applicant killing his competition returns to some themes he’s played with his entire career, this time with a bit more of an intimate, quieter approach. It works in some areas and falls flat in others, but you’ll never be bored. Streaming soon!

20.     The Naked Gun

I literally can’t remember laughing this hard in a theater. Liam Neeson gives one of the most surprising performances of his career, and Pamela Anderson’s comedic timing is as perfect as it gets. Danny Huston also has a lot of fun hamming it up as the villain; a great continuation of an iconic comedy franchise. Stream this on Paramount+ if you’re looking for some good puns!

19. Sore: A Wife from the Future

This Indonesian sci-fi romance from Yandy Laurens is a beautifully earnest look at love, fate and time. As we follow a photographer who wakes up one day to find a woman claiming to be his future wife in his bed, we’re soon taken on a journey through unhealed traumas and unearthed truths. I don’t want to spoil too much, but just make sure to watch this! It’s streaming exclusively on the new Letterboxd video store until 01/09.

18.     Predator: Badlands

Maybe one of the biggest surprises on this list, Dan Trachtenberg’s story of a Yautja runt learning the importance of community and found-family is surprisingly touching, beautifully shot and jam-packed with heart-pounding action. It’s available to rent on 01/06, but you should try catching it in theaters while you still can! It’s worth the watch.

17.     Frankenstein

I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed by Guillermo del Toro’s gothic epic; the costuming and production design couldn’t save it from some fairly flat performances and an overly-sentimental score. Despite that, it’s really hard to mess up this classic from Mary Shelly, especially with such a talented team both in front of and behind the camera. Now on Netflix; give it a try! Full review here.

16.     Magic Farm

When a documentary crew goes to the wrong South American country, they’re left with a few days to cobble together a story for their project. Amalia Ulman’s newest film is filled with great performances and laughs that will leave viewers thinking about the ethics of documentary filmmaking and cultural imperialism, and it’s one of the most visually chaotic things you can see this year. Now on VOD!

15.     Good Boy

Shot entirely from the perspective of a dog whose owner is being haunted, it would have been easy for Ben Leonberg’s feature-length debut to come off as gimmicky, but I found it to be an incredibly well-made piece of horror. Because its POV is necessarily limited, Leonberg and CO. (mostly just he, his dog, and his wife during COVID lockdown) use everything that makes the medium special (sound, music, camera angles) to create a strong sense of atmosphere in a way that’s very similar to cinema’s origins.

14.     The Secret Agent

Kleber Filho’s epic historical neo-noir about a professor trying to escape the turmoil of the Brazilian military dictatorship’s final years not only has an amazing performance by Wagner Moura at its center, but is formally bold enough to stick with us much like The Zone of Interest. There’s also some fantastic production design. I’m not sure where you can see this, but it will undoubtedly be on VOD soon.

13.     KPop Demon Hunters

As far as the general plot goes, the title basically says it all; but this is a film so stunningly animated, so well-acted and well-sung, and most importantly so well-written that it really takes on a life of its own. One of the best coming-of-age films I’ve seen in years, this masterpiece is now on Netflix!

12.     The Mastermind

Only Kelly Reichardt can deconstruct the heist genre’s masculine tropes so effortlessly. Following a struggling family man turned art thief in 1970s USA, it’s a great look at the selfish shortsightedness that undergirds most films in this genre (and the American dream as a whole!) The subtle politics really worked for me, and I love both the production design and score here, even if the performances are a bit stilted. Despite its small flaws, you should definitely rent this on VOD!

11.     Souleymane’s Story

If we’re talking about underrated performances from this year, I think Abou Sangaré would be a serious contender for all leading actor categories if this were a sane world. Portraying an immigrant worker who only has two days to prepare for an interview that determines his asylum status, it’s an adrenaline-packed thriller that takes you through the seediest parts of Paris, leaving you exhausted in a way similar to your favorite Safdie brothers movie, which is a compliment to Boris Lojkine’s fantastic direction. It released in French cinemas this past October, but keep an eye out for this one!

10.     The President’s Cake

Hasan Hadi’s historical drama about a young girl trying to bake a mandatory cake and celebrate Sadam Hussain’s birthday in 1990s Iraq has a neorealist feel in the camerawork and lighting that I love, and there’s something about its fantastic use of child actors that’s reminiscent of The White Balloon or Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite. This is one that will pull at your heartstrings. Out soon!

9.     Sentimental Value

Joachim trier’s family drama about an aging director trying to reconcile with his estranged daughters through the medium of cinema is a beautiful exploration of art’s healing potential. Wonderfully directed and edited, with some of the most beautiful shots this year (not to mention Renate Reinsve yet again being a potential Oscar winner), you can now rent this amazing film online.

8.     Marty Supreme

I don’t know why I doubted Josh Safdie’s 1950s ping-pong drama about a brash dreamer, but shame on me. It’s a surprisingly layered narrative about the (fake) American Dream, cultural imperialism and class struggle. With huge names behind and in front of the camera, this is an absolute stunner that takes audiences on a whirlwind tour of New York’s grimy streets, where dreams are made or broken. Now in theaters!

7.     Left-Handed Girl

Shi-Ching Tsou’s solo directorial debut takes viewers on a warm journey through Taipei’s bustling night markets as we follow three generations of women trying to find their place in the world. Now on Netflix! Full review here.

6.      The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

When a mysterious plague affects a small mining town in 1980s Chile, Lidia and her family have to navigate homophobia, violence and romance. Selected as Chile's Oscar entry, I guarantee this is a must-watch! It's on the new Letterboxd video store until January 9th.

5.    It Was Just an Accident

The only director on this list to receive a prison sentence for his film is Jafar Panahi, and I think that speaks to how important it really is. Filmed in secret, it follows a man who thinks he’s found his prison torturer and must make a choice whether to exact revenge or learn to move on with his life, if such a thing is possible. I love the guerilla style brought to this project, and I deeply respect the necessity that shaped such stylistic choices. It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking movie that you have to see to fully appreciate. Now on VOD!

4.     A Poet

Simón Mesa Soto’s tragicomedy about a down-and-out poet thinking he’s found his golden ticket in a talented young writer is an aching look at redemption/the lack thereof. There’re shades of Bukowski in the best way, and it’s a seriously funny watch. With some great acting and wonderful location shooting, I highly recommend this great piece of Colombian cinema in theaters this month!

3.     Caught by the Tides

There are some films that somehow transcend plot in their ability to blend light and shadow, sound and silence to produce a sense of emotion. Jia Zhangke’s latest might seem like a straightforward story following the ins and outs of a relationship over the years, but it’s really a fantastic look at longing, modernity, the inevitability of change and our resilience to it. Combining footage from several of Zhangke’s past films, this lush, heart-wrenchingly human piece of cinema is now on the Criterion Channel.

2.     All That’s Left of You

Tracing three generations of a Palestinian family’s struggle to not just survive, but live amidst Israel’s genocidal occupation, this epic historical drama has some of the most committed, embodied acting I’ve ever seen. Wonderfully shot by director Cherien Dabis and her DP Christopher Aoun. I’m probably more obsessed with this score than any other this year. There’s no telling when a studio will be brave enough to distribute a movie like this, but with big names like Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem on the production side, I hope you can see this soon.

1.     Avatar: Fire and Ash

In a year filled with doom and gloom about the future of cinema, James Cameron’s latest installment in history’s biggest franchise feels like a balm for the soul. Following the Sully family’s continued resistance to the colonization of their home planet, it’s a beautiful, epic exploration of neocolonialism, family, friendship and coming-of-age. This is one of the all-time epic war films! CATCH THIS IN THEATERS! Full review here.