2025 is another banner year for cinema, and, once again, the annual best-movies selection becomes a challenging but rewarding responsibility.
I gladly experienced 226 new films in 2025 and proudly chronicled my 20 favorites, my Top 20 of the year!
Thank you for reading.
20. “One Battle After Another” – Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) exclaims, “Viva la revolucion!” And why not! He’s part of the French 75, an assembly of domestic vigilantes, terrorists, or folk heroes, depending on your perspective, in director/writer Paul Thomas Anderson’s action film. Anderson includes plenty of car chases, explosions, and on-foot pursuits, but “Battle” is also effectively grounded in a personal conflict between Bob and Col. Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) stemming from their opposing sides of a Rebels vs. the State confrontation and the affection over Bob’s girlfriend, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). Don’t forget Chase Infiniti, who plays Bob’s daughter, and the always-on Benicio del Toro, who wonderfully steals every scene as Bob’s friend, the never-stressed Sensei Sergio St. Carlos.
19. “Black Bag” – Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rege-Jean Page, Naomie Harris, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, and Pierce Brosnan gladly decided to join director Steven Soderbergh’s ultra-cool spy flick. Soderbergh doesn’t waste a moment with a thrifty and intense 93-minute runtime, and neither does George Woodhouse (Fassbender), who is tasked with finding a traitor within the National Cyber Security Centre. Naturally, George and his wife Kathryn (Blanchett), who also works with the agency, invite the top suspects to dinner in their home, and “fun and games” are on the menu. Yes, “Black Bag” is an appetizing time at the movies.
18. “Splitsville” – Dakota Johnson won the 2025 Worst Actress Razzie for her performance in the unintentionally funny “Madame Web”, but this talented, charismatic thespian shines in this purposefully hilarious comedy from her co-stars, director/co-writer Michael Angelo Covino and co-writer Kyle Marvin. Paul (Covino) and Carey’s (Marvin) friendship becomes ruthlessly strained when Carey tests the boundaries of Paul and Julie’s (Johnson) open marriage. Yikes! Look, “Splitsville” is a rom-com that even men can enjoy, which also includes the longest, unexpected fight scene since the Keith David-Rowdy Roddy Piper clash in John Carpenter’s “They Live” (1988).
17. “Whistle” – Eighty-eight years ago, Snow White encouraged us to whistle while we work, and the contestants of the Masters of Musical Whistling competition are following her lead! Director Christopher Nelius’ documentary seems like a Christopher Guest mockumentary as several creative, imaginative, and eccentric domestic and international personalities descend on Los Angeles to compete for the World Champion whistler title. Often stressed-out but capable taskmaster Carole Anne Kaufman runs the event like a third-world leader or a caring mom (depending on the moment) to support the whistlers and entertain the audience. Nelius also offers in-depth profiles of the contestants – like Yuki, Molly, Jay, and Anya – both off-stage and on-stage during their biggest moments. Odd, funny, and charming, “Whistle” is a harmonious 84-minute doc.
16. “The Last Viking” – Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) robs a bank, and just before the police arrive, he instructs his younger brother, Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen), to hide the money. Manfred, however, isn’t entirely reliable, and when the system releases Anker from prison, the pair embark on a dysfunctional treasure hunt for the loot! Director/writer Anders Thomas Jensen pens several colorful characters in a kooky, wild, and violent dramedy that is paired with a haunting Viking tale. Mikkelsen’s physical comedic gifts and flawless timing create a couple of flabbergasting moments, and he also brings convincing dramatic depth to his portrayal of the ever-so-fragile Manfred.
15. “Marty Supreme” – Director/co-writer Josh Safdie’s sweeping, blustery affair – starring Timothee Chalamet - carries a similar hectic pace as the Safdie Brothers’ “Uncut Gems” (2019), but travels into threatening criminal elements reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” (1990). Cutting through the cinematic chaos, “Marty Supreme”, at its core, is a sports movie, and one unexpectedly about ping pong. Safdie even sprinkles in some eclectic 80s tracks that make appearances 30 years after the film takes place, which make welcome additions to the free-spirited vibes. Meanwhile, Chalamet’s sensational work – that includes showing off ping pong skills that he developed after six years of lessons – could earn him a Best Actor Oscar, and he wouldn’t need any topspin to do it.
14. “The Voice of Hind Rajab” – Director/writer Kaouther Ben Hania’s agonizing 89-minute movie is almost entirely set in one location: a Red Crescent office in the West Bank, where workers attempt to coordinate a rescue of a six-year-old girl under fire in Gaza. Ben Hania’s movie is based on real events, and she uses actual recordings of the child, Hind Rajab, in peril. Omar (Motaz Malhees), Rana (Saja Kilani), and Nisreen (Clara Khoury) each speak with Hind to reassure her, but they each feel helpless – and so does the audience - because the ambulance that could whisk her to safety has difficulty receiving clearance to reach her. A gut-wrenching film.
13. “Sound of Falling” – Director/co-writer Mascha Schilinski’s haunting epic captures ordinary and disconcerting milestone events over multiple generations, for over 100 years, in Northern Germany. Schilinski frequently shifts back and forth between the periods at seemingly natural breaks, but also without warning, as connections between individual traumas of each era slowly materialize. With a sprawling 149-minute runtime, stunning imagery, astonishing sound design, and no easy answers, “Sound of Falling” resonates as a tragic work of art and an emotional maze that needs multiple viewings to absorb, see, and hear all its intricate details and messages.
12. “Homebound” – Chandran (Vishal Jethwa) and Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) are best friends in a North Indian village, and they aspire to become police officers by taking the national exams. The odds are stacked against them, because of the highly competitive process, but also in the game of life due to the existing caste system. Jethwa and Khatter give heartfelt, convincing performances as their on-screen personas’ friendship is tested during their roller-coaster journey towards hopeful futures. Director/co-writer Neeraj Ghaywan’s movie emphasizes the slim chances for these young men’s success, given the institutional and cultural barriers stacked 10 miles high.
11. “Deaf President Now!” – Gallaudet University, located in Washington, D.C., is “the only university in the world specifically designed for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students.” For a week during the spring of 1988, the campus became a thunderous epicenter of students’ outrage that sparked a national debate. At the time, the school never had a Deaf president, and the students wanted a “Deaf president now!” Directors Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim, with assistance from their crew and four former students – Jerry Covell, Greg Hilbok, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, and Tim Rarus – retell the unrelenting fight against the system in an utterly compelling 100-minute documentary.
10. “Weapons” – At 2:17 a.m. in a suburban town, 17 third-grade children simultaneously wake up, run out of their individual homes, and disappear into the night. The next day, the outraged community suspects the kids’ teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), but director/writer Zach Cregger methodically leads the audience down a frightening path to solve the baffling mystery. Cregger cleverly constructs his (often) petrifying puzzle through the shifting point of view of the on-screen players, played by Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, Alden Ehrenreich, and child actor Cary Christopher, but Amy Madigan deserves a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her memorable portrayal in this creepy and compelling horror film.
9. “I Swear” – A crowd-pleaser! Robert Aramayo delivers an endearing performance as John Davidson, a real-life Scotsman with Tourette syndrome (also referred to as Tourette’s), in a heartbreaking, hilarious, and tender biopic. Director/writer Kirk Jones (“Waking Ned Devine” (1998)), Aramayo, and the terrific supporting cast – led by Maxine Peake, Peter Mullan, and Shirley Henderson – wield the aforementioned emotions and more in a film that dives headfirst and close-up into Davidson’s struggles that began during his teenage years. Unwanted verbal (and sometimes physical) outbursts could occur at any second, which obviously lead to John’s constant anxiety – but also the sympathetic audience’s - in anticipation of the ill-timed, unsavory moments, as we curse the disorder and hope for a cure as much as Davidson does.
8. “Sentimental Value” – Celebrated director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard) returns to his Oslo home to film his new movie and wishes to cast his actress daughter, Nora (Renate Reinsve), in the lead. However, Gustav’s long-standing estrangement from Nora and her sister, Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), complicates his hope to reconnect and make his picture. Director/co-writer Joachim Trier delves into the Borg family’s personal lives, including Gustav’s past emotional abandonment and its present impact on his daughters, as he struggles to find an effective way to repair the damage. Trier also devotes precious minutes to the inside baseball of showbiz, especially script rehearsals and on-location planning, and a zany, unforgettable backstage sequence at a theatrical play that should – by itself – earn Reinsve a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Skarsgard and Lilleaas deserve Oscar nods as well.
7. “Warfare” – “Alpha Two, we might have guys starting to move on our position.” This position is located at a home in Ramadi, Iraq. On November 19, 2006, Alpha One, a Navy SEAL team, occupies a residence in a residential neighborhood and soon identifies subtle Iraqi rebel movements from across the street. What began as an initially benign encounter then escalates into a ferocious confrontation between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents, placing the audience squarely in the middle of the visceral, perilous circumstances alongside the SEALs in “Warfare”, one of the most stressful war films in recent memory. Directors Alex Garland (“Ex Machina” (2014), “Civil War” (2024)) and Ray Mendoza’s distressing and must-see whirlwind movie is based on an actual 2006 clash and the memories of the soldiers who fought for their lives, their country, and each other on that day.
6. “Checkpoint Zoo” – The human toll of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has been well documented in film and news, but director Joshua Zeman’s documentary captures the war’s trauma on animals, specifically ones living at Feldman Ecopark, located near the Ukraine/Russia border. As Russian shells rain down on the zoo, 5,000 to 6,000 animals – including goats, turtles, ostriches, lions, and more – found themselves in immediate peril. Thankfully, Ecopark owner Oleksandr Feldman, Ecopark workers, and volunteers, including a young veterinarian Tymofii Kharchenko, answered the call and toiled tirelessly in a daring rescue to save thousands of animals. Zeman’s camera fearlessly follows these heroes as they try to transport these Ecopark residents to safety in this nerve-wracking and moving documentary.
5. “A Horse Named Winx” – Horse racing fans will likely call out Secretariat as the greatest of all time, but there’s a particular Australian mare, Winx, and an entire continent that beg to differ. Director Janine Hosking’s documentary chronicles the extraordinary life of Winx, along with her trainer Chris Waller, jockey Hugh Bowman, a dedicated team, and the country down under who love this cherished horse. (After watching this movie, you will too!) Hosking and narrator Andrew Rule find plenty of on-screen minutes for an incalculable number of informational and affecting behind-the-scenes moments of hardship and joy, and recount Winx’s astonishing winning streak on the track. While watching Winx’s dramatic races and thrilling finishes, you might just leap out of your seat, applaud, and cash in your ticket to buy another viewing of this inspiring doc.
4. “No Other Choice” – Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is content, fulfilled, and living his best life! He’s a long-time executive with a paper company and lives in a beautiful, spacious home with his loving wife and two children. However, his happy reality falls into jeopardy when he loses his job, and the bills pile up. Director/co-writer Park Chan-wook (“Old Boy” (2003), “The Handmaiden” (2016)) and Lee determine that our lead’s desperate times call for extreme actions. You see, Man-su has “no other choice” during his uncharted trek to provide for his family, and Park spins his cinematic gifts into the idea that one unfortunate corporate judgment can crumple a secure existence into a precarious, unstable one. Please hand the Best Director Oscar to Park.
3. “Train Dreams” – Joel Edgerton is Robert Grainier, a lonely soul who sets roots in Idaho during the early 20th century, earns a living as a logger and railroad hand, and finds a new sense of purpose when he meets and falls in love with Gladys (Felicity Jones) in director Clint Bentley’s beautifully constructed, acted, and shot picture that depicts an ordinary man’s journey. Bentley introduces key supporting characters – played by Nathaniel Arcand, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, and more - throughout the picture who enter our reserved lead’s world and add contemplative words to enrich his perspective. Narrated by Will Patton, “Train Dreams” has some feels of Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life” (2019) and Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It” (1992), but Robert’s story is uniquely his own while simultaneously offering insight for all of us. Bring tissues.
2. “Sirat” – Director/co-writer Oliver Laxe’s searing and surreal road-trip movie feels like “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) meets “Tracks” (2013), and this comparison does not do this movie justice. Set in the desolate, despairing Moroccan desert, a distressed father, Luis (Sergi Lopez), searches for his daughter. He travels with his young son, Esteban (Bruno Nunez Arjona), to a rave in the middle of nowhere with the hopes of finding her. After this rhythmic party breaks up, the fish-out-of-water parent-child duo follows a small group of counter-culture attendees to the next one. However, gas stations, fast-food joints, and Airbnbs are nonexistent in this barren landscape, as the on-screen ensemble hopes that they don’t also become missing.
1. “Nouvelle Vague” – Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless” (1960) is a milestone film that helped splash the French New Wave movement into world. Sixty-five years later, director Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” (which translates to “New Wave”) gives the same planet an insider’s look at Godard’s tricky, unconventional, and minimalist shoot. Guillaume Marbeck is flat-out fantastic as Godard. Marbeck brings bravado and astute comedic timing to his first feature film role, as his Godard confidently delivers his avant-garde instructions to the frequently befuddled cast and crew, including “Breathless” stars Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo, delightfully played by Zoey Deutch and Aubry Dullin, respectively. Meanwhile, cinematographer David Chambille and the location management team recapture the gorgeous look and feel of the famous picture, and the fast-paced, whip-smart script is bound to make cinephiles everywhere smile, reach out again to “Breathless”, and then back to “Nouvelle Vague” for an encore. Bravo! Encore!
