BEST MOVIES OF 2025
2025 offered cinephiles another excellent slate of remarkable and noteworthy films. Hollywood and the American movie machine churned out a new genre classic, a bonkers, unconventional biopic about ping pong, and one of the best movie made in several years, among many other great entries. The rest of the world delivered an impressive catalogue including the best effort yet from a rising Norwegian star, and spectacular new visions from two well-established foreign auteurs. We also got a front seat to the long-awaited renaissance of feature-length comedy. I would say this is the best year for theatre yuks since 2010 and the box office would indicated that audiences were hungry for it. For too long, lukewarm joke servings from comic book movies had to suffice, but no more. All of this and more had to factor in to my 17th (dear god) annual installment of my year end movie list. Full disclosure, with a major move, a new job, and tending to an infant, I did not see everything I would have liked. Most notably Best Picture nominee The Secret Agent and the seemingly right up my alley Blue Moon have eluded me. But we press on and we do our best. So here we go. My 10 Best Movies of 2025.
#10. FRIENDSHIP
#10. FRIENDSHIP
With the rebirth of comedy in 2025 I would have been remiss to not factor that into the list. Representing the best slate of comedy we have seen in probably 15 years is the film that captures the new generation’s comedic sensibilities more than any other and that was Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship. DeYoung’s sharp script portraying an absurdist view of the pitfalls of adult friendships was a ready-built winner, but the decision to bring on Gen Z comedy’s new rocket ship, Tim Robinson, was the tide that raised all boats. Robinson’s incapability to be anything but what he is steadies the film through the quieter patches and elevates it in ways only his brand of humor can. His unique persona embeds into the identity of the film and adds exhilaration to every line delivery. DeYoung however keeps a firm enough grasp on the insanity to prevent it from devolving into a 100-minute I Think You Should Leave sketch. Instead we are left with the happy marriage of thoughtful satirical examination on an understudied phenomenon strapped happily to the first feature-length Tim Robinson vehicle.
In the movie, Robinson’s Craig is a prime example of naive contentment. He works a benignly evil advertisement and marketing job and lives a cozy but unspectacular suburban life with his wife and son. His wife, played beautifully by Kate Mara, is less fulfilled, and is further frustrated by Craig’s seeming unwillingness to be anything more, even to the point of not attempting to make new friends. This dynamic is upended when Craig mistakenly receives a package meant for a neighbor, played by the always reliable Paul Rudd. Craig is immediately taken by Rudd’s character's relaxed but confident energy and a tenuous friendship buds. Scene after scene of hilarious awkwardness and second hand embarrassment ensues.
Like much great comedic work there is a vein of underlying sadness to the film. We live in a time where we feel less equipped for interpersonal relationships than ever before. Many of our interactions with one another are performative at best and genuine friendship, especially new adult friendships are often fraught. It is a naturally farcical conceit and DeYoung and Robinson seem to understand it intimately. This was the funniest movie of the year, in a year with some fantastic comedy, but the smoldering darkness makes this one especially fruitful and worthy of exploration. There’s not much out there like this and maybe that’s for the best, but this is a winner through and through.
(HBO Max)
#9. IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
In the movie, Robinson’s Craig is a prime example of naive contentment. He works a benignly evil advertisement and marketing job and lives a cozy but unspectacular suburban life with his wife and son. His wife, played beautifully by Kate Mara, is less fulfilled, and is further frustrated by Craig’s seeming unwillingness to be anything more, even to the point of not attempting to make new friends. This dynamic is upended when Craig mistakenly receives a package meant for a neighbor, played by the always reliable Paul Rudd. Craig is immediately taken by Rudd’s character's relaxed but confident energy and a tenuous friendship buds. Scene after scene of hilarious awkwardness and second hand embarrassment ensues.
Like much great comedic work there is a vein of underlying sadness to the film. We live in a time where we feel less equipped for interpersonal relationships than ever before. Many of our interactions with one another are performative at best and genuine friendship, especially new adult friendships are often fraught. It is a naturally farcical conceit and DeYoung and Robinson seem to understand it intimately. This was the funniest movie of the year, in a year with some fantastic comedy, but the smoldering darkness makes this one especially fruitful and worthy of exploration. There’s not much out there like this and maybe that’s for the best, but this is a winner through and through.
(HBO Max)
#9. IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
The first of a record breaking three foreign language films to make the list is the heavy-hearted dark comedy from Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident. The fascinating and innovative story picks up with our hero Vahid, a former political prisoner working as a humble mechanic when the man he believed to be his former captor enters his shop looking for repairs. Vahid, possessed by vengeance, uncharacteristically follows the man home, kidnaps him, and plans to kill him before a flood of uncertainty overtakes him. He instead decides to seek out his fellow prisoners to verify that this is in fact the man he thinks he is before acting. This decision sets off a series of wild, often silly, encounters in hopes to find someone to corroborate his claims.
The story is presented with a great deal of levity but there is always the great tragedy of political corruption and human suffering simmering underneath. The seriousness of the accounts from the prisoners would be sobering if Panahi’s script wasn’t so dead set on keeping the ridiculous front and center. This is safely the most amusing film about seeking revenge on one’s torturer I have ever seen. The work from Panahi behind the camera is excellent without a lot of fuss. He understands that human stories don’t need to be superfluously dressed up. The camera work is grounded, lingering, palpable. The framing is carefully crafted but simple in its delivery. The script is where the movie finds its flourish. It picks its spots with the more melodramatic excerpts and is riddled with poetic little nods.
Panahi now faces jail time in his home country of Iran for having the confidence of his convictions. He unabashedly depicts the unscrupulous nature of the more sinister aspects of his homeland’s political elite. The film was an act of bravery which makes it all the more marvelous that it never took itself so seriously. When the state of the world is ludicrous, just point and shoot, and let it unearth itself. It Was Just an Accident is powerful in its restraint, and possibly the new blueprint for the protest picture for our modern times.
($6 Rental on Prime)
The story is presented with a great deal of levity but there is always the great tragedy of political corruption and human suffering simmering underneath. The seriousness of the accounts from the prisoners would be sobering if Panahi’s script wasn’t so dead set on keeping the ridiculous front and center. This is safely the most amusing film about seeking revenge on one’s torturer I have ever seen. The work from Panahi behind the camera is excellent without a lot of fuss. He understands that human stories don’t need to be superfluously dressed up. The camera work is grounded, lingering, palpable. The framing is carefully crafted but simple in its delivery. The script is where the movie finds its flourish. It picks its spots with the more melodramatic excerpts and is riddled with poetic little nods.
Panahi now faces jail time in his home country of Iran for having the confidence of his convictions. He unabashedly depicts the unscrupulous nature of the more sinister aspects of his homeland’s political elite. The film was an act of bravery which makes it all the more marvelous that it never took itself so seriously. When the state of the world is ludicrous, just point and shoot, and let it unearth itself. It Was Just an Accident is powerful in its restraint, and possibly the new blueprint for the protest picture for our modern times.
($6 Rental on Prime)
#8. IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU
Mary Bronstein’s second feature, after sliding back behind the camera after nearly 20 years, is a thorny little rose. It's very rare for a clearly metaphorical picture to feel as universal and rooted as If I Had Legs I Would Kick You. Bronstein stages out the methodical march toward a legitimate nervous breakdown with callous detail. The vessel through which the madness is conveyed is a revelatory Rose Byrne in what one could certainly argue is the single best performance of the year. The term tour de force is probably overused but if this isn't one, then they don't exist. Byrne plays our beleaguered heroine with monumental commitment. Exasperated, disheveled, messy, and holding the audience completely captive. This is not righteous indignation, but it is justifiable exhaustion. We don’t so much sympathize as much as we just simply relate.
The story follows Linda as she is unsuccessfully trying to care for a sick daughter while everything fails or literally collapses around her. Their home suffers massive flooding that requires they relocate, the husband is away on business, and her work-life balance is muddied beyond recognition. We witness as Linda fumbles through, truly trying her hardest to hold it all together as the stressors and instigators continue to mount. Very few movies can capture such a specific feeling so expertly. This is helplessness incarnate. No one hardly listens to Linda, let alone attempts to help, as she bleeds out from thousands of tiny cuts.
When the break does occur it is earned. In fact, Bronstein and Bryne make the response seem like the only reasonable choice. Without condoning, we understand. Linda is not a great person, or a great therapist, or a great mother. She is only a human, bent to her breaking point by an unfeeling wheel of frustration. The movie has been panned by some as anxiety inducing, and those people aren’t wrong, they’re just weak. This is an important movie. An honest look at how beneficial it could be for us to be better to one another, how easy it could be to do just that, and how shameful it is that we choose not to.
(HBO Max)
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#7. BUGONIA
Yorgos Lanthimos simply does not miss and especially not with Emma Stone along for the ride. The pair has collaborated on four projects with Stone being Oscar nominated for three of them. In Bugonia, she plays a hard-nosed, no-fuss, eventually hairless CEO of a pharma company who is accused by a potentially paranoid conspiracy theorist of being an alien sent to study and eventually destroy Earth. Stone transforms into this character. A deeper, more curated voice, erudite diction and prim posture. For an actor whose calling card in her profusive charm, there is next to none to be found here. Her work in the film is incredible and I honestly believe if she wasn’t a two time winner already she would be in real consideration to take this one home. And she might not even give the best performance in the movie.
Jesse Plemons as the lead conspirator and kidnapper gives a remarkably nuanced turn that draws pity out of the audience for a character that may not be as sympathetic in the hands of a lesser actor. While he represents a potentially dangerous subset of modern man, and is suspect in the ways in which he carries out his plans, I could not help but root for him to a degree. This dichotomy is most clearly aired out in his relationship with his cousin and co-conspirator, Don. Don is played wonderfully by autistic actor Aidan Delbis in his first feature film. Plemons is manipulative of Don but also a very tender caretaker. He exploits him, but also supports him, and in doing so reveals a microcosm of his character’s split nature.
Outside of the performances, Bugonia just bangs on all cylinders for the entire runtime. The score is fantastic and the cinematography is predictably elite. The twists are magnificent and each breathless sparring scene between Plemons and Stone reveals a web of information that compels the audience to trade allegiances like baseball cards. Eventually the movie cannibalizes its own tail en route to its spectacular yet divisive ending. Without spoiling, I will say I was conflicted by the climax because while it made for a fun little finale, I don’t believe it made for a better film. But I am not going to let that little personal peccadillo sour what was another beautifully bonkers exhibition from Lanthimos and company.
(Peacock)
The story follows Linda as she is unsuccessfully trying to care for a sick daughter while everything fails or literally collapses around her. Their home suffers massive flooding that requires they relocate, the husband is away on business, and her work-life balance is muddied beyond recognition. We witness as Linda fumbles through, truly trying her hardest to hold it all together as the stressors and instigators continue to mount. Very few movies can capture such a specific feeling so expertly. This is helplessness incarnate. No one hardly listens to Linda, let alone attempts to help, as she bleeds out from thousands of tiny cuts.
When the break does occur it is earned. In fact, Bronstein and Bryne make the response seem like the only reasonable choice. Without condoning, we understand. Linda is not a great person, or a great therapist, or a great mother. She is only a human, bent to her breaking point by an unfeeling wheel of frustration. The movie has been panned by some as anxiety inducing, and those people aren’t wrong, they’re just weak. This is an important movie. An honest look at how beneficial it could be for us to be better to one another, how easy it could be to do just that, and how shameful it is that we choose not to.
(HBO Max)
#7. BUGONIA
Yorgos Lanthimos simply does not miss and especially not with Emma Stone along for the ride. The pair has collaborated on four projects with Stone being Oscar nominated for three of them. In Bugonia, she plays a hard-nosed, no-fuss, eventually hairless CEO of a pharma company who is accused by a potentially paranoid conspiracy theorist of being an alien sent to study and eventually destroy Earth. Stone transforms into this character. A deeper, more curated voice, erudite diction and prim posture. For an actor whose calling card in her profusive charm, there is next to none to be found here. Her work in the film is incredible and I honestly believe if she wasn’t a two time winner already she would be in real consideration to take this one home. And she might not even give the best performance in the movie.
Jesse Plemons as the lead conspirator and kidnapper gives a remarkably nuanced turn that draws pity out of the audience for a character that may not be as sympathetic in the hands of a lesser actor. While he represents a potentially dangerous subset of modern man, and is suspect in the ways in which he carries out his plans, I could not help but root for him to a degree. This dichotomy is most clearly aired out in his relationship with his cousin and co-conspirator, Don. Don is played wonderfully by autistic actor Aidan Delbis in his first feature film. Plemons is manipulative of Don but also a very tender caretaker. He exploits him, but also supports him, and in doing so reveals a microcosm of his character’s split nature.
Outside of the performances, Bugonia just bangs on all cylinders for the entire runtime. The score is fantastic and the cinematography is predictably elite. The twists are magnificent and each breathless sparring scene between Plemons and Stone reveals a web of information that compels the audience to trade allegiances like baseball cards. Eventually the movie cannibalizes its own tail en route to its spectacular yet divisive ending. Without spoiling, I will say I was conflicted by the climax because while it made for a fun little finale, I don’t believe it made for a better film. But I am not going to let that little personal peccadillo sour what was another beautifully bonkers exhibition from Lanthimos and company.
(Peacock)
#6. SINNERS
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of any movie this calendar year was Ryan Coogler’s bloodsoaked, genre-bending, allegorical period piece, Sinners. Not that I have ever doubted Coogler’s chops as a great filmmaker, but this is a magnum opus if I have ever seen one. Coogler has the ability to oscillate from studio friendly crowd-pleasers to more independent darlings whenever the mood strikes him, but I don’t think he has ever fused the two as perfectly as he did this time around. He managed to turn his R-rated, racial commentary vampire musical into the highest grossing original film of the decade and rounded up a record shattering 16 Oscar nominations in the process.
So what is the appeal? I had it explained to me by someone who enjoys movies but isn’t as much up their own ass about it as I am, that the movie “has everything”. It’s sexy, it's exciting, it has a perspective but isn’t overly complicated, and it has phenomenal music. All perfectly stated. No notes. What I saw was the blueprint moving forward. A genre film drenched through with messaging that gave you plenty of butter with your veggies. The type of movies that embattled studios can palate but that audiences can take something more substantive from. The problem there being that these types of movies don’t grow on trees. The unique and slick storytelling, the brilliant casting that saw 3 nominations including at long last one for Delroy Lindo, and the superb music, both score and original songs. "I Lied to You" is a new entry in the catalogue of iconic movie songs and the scene that showcases it is a slam dunk all-timer.
In the end, nearly everything in the film just soars and it ends up being one of the most generous movies of the year. It gives us so many moments, so many striking sequences, some destined for immortality and it gives us hope that new and fascinating original work can be bankable AND beautiful. Sinners was the buzziest and maybe most beloved movie of 2025 for one simple overarching reason, it's a new American classic.
(HBO Max)
#5. NO OTHER CHOICE
So what is the appeal? I had it explained to me by someone who enjoys movies but isn’t as much up their own ass about it as I am, that the movie “has everything”. It’s sexy, it's exciting, it has a perspective but isn’t overly complicated, and it has phenomenal music. All perfectly stated. No notes. What I saw was the blueprint moving forward. A genre film drenched through with messaging that gave you plenty of butter with your veggies. The type of movies that embattled studios can palate but that audiences can take something more substantive from. The problem there being that these types of movies don’t grow on trees. The unique and slick storytelling, the brilliant casting that saw 3 nominations including at long last one for Delroy Lindo, and the superb music, both score and original songs. "I Lied to You" is a new entry in the catalogue of iconic movie songs and the scene that showcases it is a slam dunk all-timer.
In the end, nearly everything in the film just soars and it ends up being one of the most generous movies of the year. It gives us so many moments, so many striking sequences, some destined for immortality and it gives us hope that new and fascinating original work can be bankable AND beautiful. Sinners was the buzziest and maybe most beloved movie of 2025 for one simple overarching reason, it's a new American classic.
(HBO Max)
#5. NO OTHER CHOICE
I’m starting to think that Park Chan-wook may be the most underrated director of his generation. Old Boy, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, among others, and now the honest to goodness uproariously funny No Other Choice. Park’s films always have some smirking humor in them but I have never seen him dive so committedly into comedy like has with this most recent effort. The premise is pristine; A family man living his Korean Dream is tossed asunder when he loses his job and his family must adapt to their unfortunate new normal. In an effort to regain his footing in the (evidently) hotly competitive field of paper manufacturing, our hero, with seemingly no recourse, sets out to kill the more qualified candidates for the job he is applying to. Hilarious mishaps abound.
The cherry concept is enough to justify the price of admission but it’s the unabated genius on display by the writer/director that makes this a nailed-on banger. Despite using several different cinematographers throughout his career, the common bond of all of Park’s movies is his incredible eye. Simply no one is playing on the same frequency as him in regards to cinematography. The anomaly of Asian actors unable to garner western award buzz for their work continues here as Lee Byung-hun (most recognizably from Squid Game) was criminally overlooked by most voting bodies. He is simply astounding in this role doing the comedic, emotional, and physical heavy lifting of the film. Son Ye-jin as the wife character is equally strong, and the fact that I do not know her from anything gives credence to the notion that we are not paying close enough attention to the great thespianship coming out of Korea.
The film pulsates with energy from open to close only becoming more and more assured as the insanity ramps up. As the lunacy swarms the characters draw closer to the fore and the relationships, so simple and loving, manage to give meaning to the madness. Right as we want to turn on our hero, we are confronted with the eternally human understanding of why he has gone to these violent ends. His actions, while unhinged and abhorrent, contain motives that are honorable and justifiable. Strangely, Park’s most unserious film may have tapped into his most human vein. No Other Choice is a chaotic parable that is aan absolute pleasure to watch unfurl.
($15 rental on Prime)
The cherry concept is enough to justify the price of admission but it’s the unabated genius on display by the writer/director that makes this a nailed-on banger. Despite using several different cinematographers throughout his career, the common bond of all of Park’s movies is his incredible eye. Simply no one is playing on the same frequency as him in regards to cinematography. The anomaly of Asian actors unable to garner western award buzz for their work continues here as Lee Byung-hun (most recognizably from Squid Game) was criminally overlooked by most voting bodies. He is simply astounding in this role doing the comedic, emotional, and physical heavy lifting of the film. Son Ye-jin as the wife character is equally strong, and the fact that I do not know her from anything gives credence to the notion that we are not paying close enough attention to the great thespianship coming out of Korea.
The film pulsates with energy from open to close only becoming more and more assured as the insanity ramps up. As the lunacy swarms the characters draw closer to the fore and the relationships, so simple and loving, manage to give meaning to the madness. Right as we want to turn on our hero, we are confronted with the eternally human understanding of why he has gone to these violent ends. His actions, while unhinged and abhorrent, contain motives that are honorable and justifiable. Strangely, Park’s most unserious film may have tapped into his most human vein. No Other Choice is a chaotic parable that is aan absolute pleasure to watch unfurl.
($15 rental on Prime)
#4. MARTY SUPREME
Hey guys, what if Rocky Balboa was a
real piece of shit? I believe this may very well have been Josh Safdie’s
elevator pitch for the electric tap dance that is Marty Supreme. Having
seen the Safdie brothers’ first individual efforts since their split is
illuminating. It is not that Benny isn’t great, but we can see that the
torch-bearer of their unique style that made their first efforts so
singular belongs to Josh.
Marty Supreme and the vigorous lead performance
from Timothy Chalamet are spiritual cousins to the protagonists from
Good Time and Uncut Gems in that they are flawed people but captivate
our curiosities to the point of begrudging respect. Marty,
played brilliantly in a likely Oscar winning performance by Chalamet,
truthfully might be the least redeemable character of the bunch but we
find ourselves rooting for him nonetheless. He is conniving, manipulative, self-centered as well as
shamelessly self-aggrandizing. He is poor-boy spoiled, a term I didn't think possible until I saw it, firsthand. He drains every resource from everyone in his
orbit for his own gain without a shred of remorse and yet I hope for nothing
but his unfiltered success. This is why his rival, the Japanese table
tennis phenom Endo, is the perfect foil to be his antagonist. He is
quiet, contemplative, honorable, and decent. He, along with his country,
have been humbled by the climax of WWII, but he builds back the respect
brick by silent brick. Endo’s movie would be a much more traditional
installment to the genre, but it also wouldn’t challenge like Marty’s
does. In some ways the relationship between the two characters
epitomizes the relationship between the two countries. The American is
brash, braggadocious, and without a trace of tact to be found. But he is
also relentless, and scrappy, and transparent. Marty Supreme is how I
feel watching every Olympics. We wince at the hubris, but I feel my heart pound for the flag. Maybe the film is
a commentary on that programming. Or maybe it just precisely captures
the complex nature of people and the political entities that they
comprise.
Marty Supreme is an artist’s take on a standard sports film. It is an old-fashioned underdog story but one like you have never seen before. It is an obscure jazz cover of your favorite song. The final scene strikes a remarkable chord that feels dissonant from the rest at first but eventually defines the whole measure. As Marty looks on at his newborn child this is not an epilogue. There is no final text to wrap up the remaining, less spectacular, years of his life. It is the true beginning of the story that his grandchildren would recognize. The movie we watched, eyes dried from the unwavering intrigue, was a whirlwind year in someone’s larger tale, where they briefly held the world in their hands before committing to a new life with less sensational, but no less rewarding, riches to explore. A surprising gut punch that felt contextualized the whole endeavor for the better.
(In Theatres and VOD)
Marty Supreme is an artist’s take on a standard sports film. It is an old-fashioned underdog story but one like you have never seen before. It is an obscure jazz cover of your favorite song. The final scene strikes a remarkable chord that feels dissonant from the rest at first but eventually defines the whole measure. As Marty looks on at his newborn child this is not an epilogue. There is no final text to wrap up the remaining, less spectacular, years of his life. It is the true beginning of the story that his grandchildren would recognize. The movie we watched, eyes dried from the unwavering intrigue, was a whirlwind year in someone’s larger tale, where they briefly held the world in their hands before committing to a new life with less sensational, but no less rewarding, riches to explore. A surprising gut punch that felt contextualized the whole endeavor for the better.
(In Theatres and VOD)
#3. HAMNET
If
the sole criteria for a great movie was invoking the most emotional
response then Hamnet would have topped this list in a landslide. Chloe
Zhao’s exposed nerve of a film is on a very short list of movies that
have made me cry to this degree. I was a puddle. I don’t often include
my personal theatre-going experiences in my reviews, and especially not
ones that would be as traditionally emasculating as this one, but I
cried during the movie, as the credits rolled, at the urinal after the
movie, and for the first 10 minutes of the drive home. I’m honestly
scared to watch it again. I have never seen a more disturbing or
affecting PG-13 movie before in my life.
Hamnet tells the story of Shakespeare and his first wife Agnes and their struggle to overcome the loss of their son, Hamnet, to the bubonic plague. It boasts not one, but three of the best performances of the year in Jessie Buckley as Agnes, Paul Mescal as the bard, and Jacobi Jupe in the title role. Mescal’s work was tragically overlooked by the Academy, but he is building a case to be the best actor of his generation. But Buckley is the story here. This is solidly the best performance of the year, and a legitimate masterclass. What this film demands from her is herculean and she surpasses all expectations. Director Chloe Zhao also puts forth a career best effort and I say that fully knowing that she already has won a Best Director award. Every frame is a line of a poem. All sound and visuals serve the purpose of flooding the audience with unadulterated sensation. Love has never felt so warm, loss has never felt so visceral.
While every aspect and every parcel of the film is exquisite, the success of the story hinges largely on two key sequences; Hamnet’s death and Agnes watching the play dedicated to his life. They are both beyond reproach. Having a young son myself, I was worried that Hamnet’s death was making a promise the rest of the film could not deliver on. It was so punishing to watch that I did not think any catharsis could justify it to me. I was wrong. Grief is not a linear nor universal process. We all go about it differently. Some delve deeply into their work or art as a method of processing. Others numb themselves to protect from the seemingly never-ending torment. What we all share is that it forces us to withdraw inward. We stop seeing and hearing each other, and tunnel deeper into the hole until the sound and fury drowns out. Hamnet shows us that we must resist this. That the only way through is to go together. That sharing grief doesn’t compound grief but splits it into more bearable portions. It is a beautiful thing to feel this revelation unfurl in this gorgeously crafted film.
Hamnet tells the story of Shakespeare and his first wife Agnes and their struggle to overcome the loss of their son, Hamnet, to the bubonic plague. It boasts not one, but three of the best performances of the year in Jessie Buckley as Agnes, Paul Mescal as the bard, and Jacobi Jupe in the title role. Mescal’s work was tragically overlooked by the Academy, but he is building a case to be the best actor of his generation. But Buckley is the story here. This is solidly the best performance of the year, and a legitimate masterclass. What this film demands from her is herculean and she surpasses all expectations. Director Chloe Zhao also puts forth a career best effort and I say that fully knowing that she already has won a Best Director award. Every frame is a line of a poem. All sound and visuals serve the purpose of flooding the audience with unadulterated sensation. Love has never felt so warm, loss has never felt so visceral.
While every aspect and every parcel of the film is exquisite, the success of the story hinges largely on two key sequences; Hamnet’s death and Agnes watching the play dedicated to his life. They are both beyond reproach. Having a young son myself, I was worried that Hamnet’s death was making a promise the rest of the film could not deliver on. It was so punishing to watch that I did not think any catharsis could justify it to me. I was wrong. Grief is not a linear nor universal process. We all go about it differently. Some delve deeply into their work or art as a method of processing. Others numb themselves to protect from the seemingly never-ending torment. What we all share is that it forces us to withdraw inward. We stop seeing and hearing each other, and tunnel deeper into the hole until the sound and fury drowns out. Hamnet shows us that we must resist this. That the only way through is to go together. That sharing grief doesn’t compound grief but splits it into more bearable portions. It is a beautiful thing to feel this revelation unfurl in this gorgeously crafted film.
(In Theatres and VOD)
#2. SENTIMENTAL VALUE
#2. SENTIMENTAL VALUE
More than 130 years of film history and empathy is still an
underexamined theme. Joachim Trier provides one of its best explorations
in his quiet and contemplative masterpiece, Sentimental Value. The
incredibly rich story follows the Borg sisters as they hold their
mother’s funeral in their family home (which is more thematically
important than you might think) and are upended by a visit from their
estranged father, the famous filmmaker, Gustav Borg, played by a
never-better Stellan Skarsgaard. Nora, the older sister and frequent Trier
player Renate Reinsve, has not had any contact with the man in years
while the younger sister, a new to me but show-stealing Inga Ibsdotter
Lilleaas is the intermediary that attempts to keep the peace through the
difficult time. What unfolds is a tale about generational trauma,
expression versus repression, and the binding nature of inherited
familiar traits.
What is most superlative to me is the sheer emotional labor of the screenplay. Every conversation between the characters is generous in its exploration of difficult, often ineffable emotional frameworks. This was true to the most meaningful exchanges in terms of plot, and also the less vital but equally rich ones. The crux of the film is that Gustav’s mother (the girls' grandmother) committed suicide in the family home when Gustav was a boy. His new film aims to address this indirectly along with some other opaque themes. Gustav is insistent that Nora, an actor in her own right, play the role. It is in his script that we learn how well Gustav intuitively knows his daughter despite not being there to help raise her. Because as the movie demonstrates with a sensationally lit sequence, they are eternally connected. The same unanswerable questions Gustav has for his mother are the ones his daughter has for him. “Why did you leave?” and “why did you leave ME?” are one word apart linguistically but worlds apart emotionally. These are monumental and heavy themes that are addressed with masterful finesse. Yet my favorite scene might be the smaller one between the sisters where the younger, admittedly more well-adjusted sister, notes to Nora that they did not feel the absence of their father the same way because she had Nora to shield her from it. As the youngest of three this resonated deeply with me.
It is these types of investigations into the psyche and ruminations on the conundrum of family that make Sentimental Value so valuable. It is what makes it stand out against other films that endeavored to tread the same territory but fall short. The trope of the artist only being able to express their feelings through art has been thoroughly vetted which only makes it more impressive that it feels so fresh and honest here. This is what "earning it" looks like. This is empathy portrayed in its most earnest and sincere form. The final scene shows us that understanding is not necessarily forgiving, but that understanding might be what we owe to each other. It is in the greater cosmic dialogue between generations that we stand to better know ourselves. That forgiving others for their humanness, enriches our own humanity.
($10 rental on Prime)
#1. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
What is most superlative to me is the sheer emotional labor of the screenplay. Every conversation between the characters is generous in its exploration of difficult, often ineffable emotional frameworks. This was true to the most meaningful exchanges in terms of plot, and also the less vital but equally rich ones. The crux of the film is that Gustav’s mother (the girls' grandmother) committed suicide in the family home when Gustav was a boy. His new film aims to address this indirectly along with some other opaque themes. Gustav is insistent that Nora, an actor in her own right, play the role. It is in his script that we learn how well Gustav intuitively knows his daughter despite not being there to help raise her. Because as the movie demonstrates with a sensationally lit sequence, they are eternally connected. The same unanswerable questions Gustav has for his mother are the ones his daughter has for him. “Why did you leave?” and “why did you leave ME?” are one word apart linguistically but worlds apart emotionally. These are monumental and heavy themes that are addressed with masterful finesse. Yet my favorite scene might be the smaller one between the sisters where the younger, admittedly more well-adjusted sister, notes to Nora that they did not feel the absence of their father the same way because she had Nora to shield her from it. As the youngest of three this resonated deeply with me.
It is these types of investigations into the psyche and ruminations on the conundrum of family that make Sentimental Value so valuable. It is what makes it stand out against other films that endeavored to tread the same territory but fall short. The trope of the artist only being able to express their feelings through art has been thoroughly vetted which only makes it more impressive that it feels so fresh and honest here. This is what "earning it" looks like. This is empathy portrayed in its most earnest and sincere form. The final scene shows us that understanding is not necessarily forgiving, but that understanding might be what we owe to each other. It is in the greater cosmic dialogue between generations that we stand to better know ourselves. That forgiving others for their humanness, enriches our own humanity.
($10 rental on Prime)
#1. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Life
is not fair, and unfortunately some movies are just better than others.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is one of those movies.
He is flexing on the entire industry. This is downright unfair
filmmaking prowess. PTA is one of the greatest and most well respected
directors in the history of film and he might be an even better writer. The plot, character, cinematography, music, crafts are all the best of the
year. He ate the whole thing and left measly crumbs for everyone else.
The synopsis of the unconventional and unpredictable story would take up too much of the review, so for brevity’s sake it’s about the kidnapping of an aging revolutionary’s daughter by an old rival and man who was in love with the daughter’s mother and is her actual biological father due to a quid pro quo dalliance, who now must eliminate her so he can gain admittance into a white supremacist skulls club, while the rightful father figure rallies his drug-addled mind and atrophied resolve with the help of old and new friends to try to rescue her. That old chestnut. Some hardline morons bristle at the politics of the movie claiming it touches too close to home and is an irresponsible depiction that lionizes violent revolutionaries and undermines the rule of law. It doesn’t really do those things. The movie never endorses or even really romanticizes the exploits of the revolutionaries. It does however paint fascism and white supremacy in an appropriately disparaging light. If that ruffles your feathers then you have larger problems than the opinion of one filmmaker.
One Battle After Another, in actuality, is a father-daughter story. A story about how our parents' decisions permeate into our lives. About the often incongruent relationship between one’s responsibility and metier. It contemplates what is more important, directly raising our children or fighting to ensure the world they grow into is a just one. For a movie with such densely explorative themes and saturated through with such careful symbolism, it is remarkably light on its feet. Most movies that venture into hefty territory like this are bogged down but not so here. This zips by with mirth, levity, and style. A lot of that can be attributed to the impeccable editing and the phenomenal script, but mostly to the rolodex of iconic characters portrayed by a fabulous cast. Honestly, like 6 of the 10 best characters film had to offer in 2025 came from this movie. Chase infinity gives a star making performance as the daughter. Leo is pitch perfect and continues to put out top-tier work. Teyana Taylor’s performance lingers over the entire runtime despite essentially disappearing after twenty minutes. Regina Hall delights, every bit character has Coenesque depth that begs for further exploration, but it is Benecio Del Toro and especially Sean Penn that steal the show. Del Toro is the deep controlled exhale to Leo’s frenzied hyperventilation. He represents what Leo’s group should have always been, calm and focused and whose cause is nestled in the dignity of community. Penn plays the aspirational bigot like if Pinocchio became a real boy and then also a fascist prick. From his disjointed walk where it seems his body is going to split apart with self-hatred to the cartoonish speaking mannerism and jagged gesticulation, he reads like a possessed GI Joe doll, and it's my favorite performance of the year.
Sometimes movies come around and you are keenly aware you are watching greatness. One Battle After Another feels like one of those movies. It’s action, its comedy, its drama, it is commentary but also satire but also deeply earnest with its core concentrations. It strives for many things and achieves them all. It wants you to laugh at the absurdity but contemplate the meanings. The essence of the film is right there in the title. Each generation has its war to wage. The enemy remains constant but changes clothes. It is the rock that breaks our backs if we allow it and, unfortunately, sometimes when we don’t. Resistance may in fact be futile, but it is also essential and perpetual. You CAN have it all. You can take care of those most important to you and also help carve out a future for all that contains more hope. In fact the former may be a component of the latter. This is a movie of its time and for all time. And in its time it was the best movie of the year.
(HBO Max)
So there you have it. One humble man's opinion on the best that film had to offer in 2025. I can't wait to see what 2026 brings with it. I also want to note that every movie in my top 7 was a movie I saw in theatres and I don't call that a coincidence. Keep going to the shows, folks. In the meantime, argue with me in comments. If your favorite movie didn't crack the list, pretend I didn't see it and that's why. If you don't think One Battle is the best movie of the year you are entitled to you wrong opinion. Thanks guys!
The synopsis of the unconventional and unpredictable story would take up too much of the review, so for brevity’s sake it’s about the kidnapping of an aging revolutionary’s daughter by an old rival and man who was in love with the daughter’s mother and is her actual biological father due to a quid pro quo dalliance, who now must eliminate her so he can gain admittance into a white supremacist skulls club, while the rightful father figure rallies his drug-addled mind and atrophied resolve with the help of old and new friends to try to rescue her. That old chestnut. Some hardline morons bristle at the politics of the movie claiming it touches too close to home and is an irresponsible depiction that lionizes violent revolutionaries and undermines the rule of law. It doesn’t really do those things. The movie never endorses or even really romanticizes the exploits of the revolutionaries. It does however paint fascism and white supremacy in an appropriately disparaging light. If that ruffles your feathers then you have larger problems than the opinion of one filmmaker.
One Battle After Another, in actuality, is a father-daughter story. A story about how our parents' decisions permeate into our lives. About the often incongruent relationship between one’s responsibility and metier. It contemplates what is more important, directly raising our children or fighting to ensure the world they grow into is a just one. For a movie with such densely explorative themes and saturated through with such careful symbolism, it is remarkably light on its feet. Most movies that venture into hefty territory like this are bogged down but not so here. This zips by with mirth, levity, and style. A lot of that can be attributed to the impeccable editing and the phenomenal script, but mostly to the rolodex of iconic characters portrayed by a fabulous cast. Honestly, like 6 of the 10 best characters film had to offer in 2025 came from this movie. Chase infinity gives a star making performance as the daughter. Leo is pitch perfect and continues to put out top-tier work. Teyana Taylor’s performance lingers over the entire runtime despite essentially disappearing after twenty minutes. Regina Hall delights, every bit character has Coenesque depth that begs for further exploration, but it is Benecio Del Toro and especially Sean Penn that steal the show. Del Toro is the deep controlled exhale to Leo’s frenzied hyperventilation. He represents what Leo’s group should have always been, calm and focused and whose cause is nestled in the dignity of community. Penn plays the aspirational bigot like if Pinocchio became a real boy and then also a fascist prick. From his disjointed walk where it seems his body is going to split apart with self-hatred to the cartoonish speaking mannerism and jagged gesticulation, he reads like a possessed GI Joe doll, and it's my favorite performance of the year.
Sometimes movies come around and you are keenly aware you are watching greatness. One Battle After Another feels like one of those movies. It’s action, its comedy, its drama, it is commentary but also satire but also deeply earnest with its core concentrations. It strives for many things and achieves them all. It wants you to laugh at the absurdity but contemplate the meanings. The essence of the film is right there in the title. Each generation has its war to wage. The enemy remains constant but changes clothes. It is the rock that breaks our backs if we allow it and, unfortunately, sometimes when we don’t. Resistance may in fact be futile, but it is also essential and perpetual. You CAN have it all. You can take care of those most important to you and also help carve out a future for all that contains more hope. In fact the former may be a component of the latter. This is a movie of its time and for all time. And in its time it was the best movie of the year.
(HBO Max)
So there you have it. One humble man's opinion on the best that film had to offer in 2025. I can't wait to see what 2026 brings with it. I also want to note that every movie in my top 7 was a movie I saw in theatres and I don't call that a coincidence. Keep going to the shows, folks. In the meantime, argue with me in comments. If your favorite movie didn't crack the list, pretend I didn't see it and that's why. If you don't think One Battle is the best movie of the year you are entitled to you wrong opinion. Thanks guys!
HONORABLE MENTIONS 11-15 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
THE NAKED GUN
SORRY, BABY
TRAIN DREAMS
WEAPONS
A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE
THE NAKED GUN
SORRY, BABY
TRAIN DREAMS
WEAPONS
Ryan Garasich
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