10 Best Films of 2025
by Leo Mikaia
Have I seen all the films from the past year? Of course not. Have I seen enough to be making a list like this? Probably not. But I have seen a decent number of pictures that I really loved, and I feel confident I can pick a solid ten. I’m gonna keep the spoilers to a minimum so that everyone who’s hunting for recommendations feels safe. If you don’t see a film that really touched you on this list, you can find me on Wednesday evenings at Amirani Cinema and beat the shit out of me (And yes, I’m feeding off those half-priced Wednesday tickets as well). Here are my picks for the ten best films of the year, in no particular order:
One Battle After Another
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
There’s a time jump in this film accompanied by a Dirty Work needle drop that, to this day, gives me goosebumps every time it pops into my mind. I’ve watched One Battle After Another three times in a theater, and each time I left with newfound excitement. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Most of the chatter around Anderson’s new picture circles back to politics, even though Paul himself doesn’t seem all that interested in them. Honestly, I find that whole discourse a little boring. Sure, it’s a story about revolutionaries rebelling against fascism, but the politics act mainly as a backdrop for a film that is actually about aging, parenthood, and the hope that the next generation might finally make things right.
It Was Just an Accident
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi is angry and he is not afraid to show it. But anger doesn’t overwhelm the narrative. He has everything under control. What amazed me most about Panahi’s film was his masterful balance of tone. Usually, the biggest laughs I have at the cinema come during dramas; those little comedic moments catch you by surprise, acting as a release mechanism for the tension built by the heavier themes. The darker the subject, the harder it is to pull off. But Jafar Panahi is a great conductor. He knows exactly when to go light and when to lean into the total darkness. It Was Just an Accident has an unforgettable third act where Panahi doesn’t hold back. He lets his wrath take hold for a moment and then follows it with, probably, the best ending of any film this year.
Sinners
Dir. Ryan Coogler
Genre sells. If you want to tell a personal story on a massive scale, you have to work within specific genre constraints. Ryan Coogler understood the assignment, and Sinners is a marvelous achievement in that sense.
It’s hard to imagine how someone can tackle the weight of capitalism feeding off Black culture and the realities of Afro-pessimism in a story where gangsters face off against vampires, but here we are. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the astounding musical sequences. It breaks my heart that a record-breaking number of Oscar nominations triggered people to slap an “overrated” stamp on this beauty.
Blue Moon
Dir. Richard Linklater
I love reading criticism. I can’t get enough of people being mean or full of praise about art. Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon actually features the best piece of criticism I’ve encountered all year: Ethan Hawke goes on a fantastic rant about the Broadway premiere of Oklahoma!, and it’s not to be missed.
I can’t even fathom how hard it was to memorize that much dialogue and deliver every line with such precision. The result is heartbreaking. You end up pitying him even though you know he’s the last person who wants your pity. Linklater is at his absolute best when he simply lets his characters talk their talk.
Sirat
Dir. Oliver Laxe
Writing about Sirat makes me feel like a war veteran. It’s a trauma that stays in your system. But it’s also a one-of-a-kind audiovisual experience. This is a film about how there’s no rock bottom and how there’s always something worse on the way. This is a bleak way to look at life, and Oliver Laxe really doubles down on it. In Islamic theology, Sirat is the bridge over hell that every soul must cross on Judgment Day to reach paradise… which tells you exactly what kind of film you’re in for. If you decide to give it a chance, crank the volume to the absolute max.
Marty Supreme
Dir. Josh Safdie
Dreams can eat you alive. They take everything you have, everything you can quietly steal, and everything you can forcefully take. It’s not pretty. But who’s to say how someone should chase their silly goals? Who said there are rules to following your dream? Marty Supreme never preaches. The film doesn’t tell you what’s right or wrong. Instead, Safdie plays a perfect ping-pong match between critiquing the American Dream and being in total awe of it. This is 2.5 hours of pure chaos, fun, and never-ending anxiety.
Chalamet is so dangerously charming in EVERY DAMN SCENE that you almost forget his character is a total douche. It might as well be a performance of the year. And it’s not just him. Every character is a standout. Even with less than a minute of screen time, they’ll grab you by the throat and make sure you don’t forget them. Phenomenal casting, top to bottom.
28 Years Later
Dir. Danny Boyle
I shed a tear at a zombie flick, and I don’t feel an ounce of shame. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have once again crafted something truly special. They found the heart of the story in the exploration of grief and handled it with humanism and compassion. It’s been almost a year since I saw it, and the film’s emotional climax still hasn’t left my mind.
It’s a different picture from the original, but that innovative frame of mind towards filmmaking is still there. It’s present in every department: lighting, camera work, editing, and even storytelling. I didn’t expect to pile so much praise on this, but it’s actually an avant-garde piece of cinema that just happens to have zombies in it. Pretty much the same case as Sinners, but 28 Years Later is a bit more concerned with the form than with social commentary.
Sorry, Baby
Dir. Eve Victor
Films about traumas are tricky. They can easily slip away into the darkness of self-pity. That makes Eva Victor’s work in Sorry, Babe all the more impressive. She strikes an inch-perfect balance, not just by alternating between funny and sad scenes, but by layering the scenes themselves. The jokes sting a little, and the heavy moments still have room to breathe. The patience required to achieve this is usually found in the work of mature filmmakers, but this is Eva’s directorial debut. She made a lot of noise already with this essentially very quiet and restrained film.
Die My Love
Dir. Lynne Ramsay
This is the kind of picture that makes you want to bash your head against the wall. It’s a small story, but not a simple one. The film consists of manic little vignettes of life, most of which are not meant to be taken literally. There is not much dialogue. The performances from Lawrence and Pattinson are very physical and animalistic. Two huge Hollywood stars act their asses off in a basically experimental picture. That is something very rarely seen these days. In the hands of a lesser director, this might have been a mess, but Lynne Ramsay just nails it. She has a singular vision that gives the film a personality and energy that no screen in the world can contain.
Weapons
Dir. Zach Cregger
I had a blast watching Weapons. I gravitate towards films with an ensemble of well-written characters, and Zach Cregger’s picture just spoiled me. It’s structured like Magnolia, and the director has spoken often about the influence of Anderson’s epic. Every character gets their own short film here, and each one unveils the big mystery step by step, at just the right pace. At one point, I caught myself thinking that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to spend more time with these guys and their stories. That’s how much I was enjoying it. And just when you think the big twist is behind you, Cregger drops the real punchline, and it’s one of the most satisfying endings in recent memory.
Honorable Mentions
Well, 2025 weirdly gifted us two films about houses and their memories.
Sentimental Value
Dir. Joachim Trier
Sentimental Value is a pretty straightforward family drama. Joachim Trier is not experimenting much here and is just leaning into familiar territory. He does an incredible job in creating the myth around the house. The main shift from his previous work is the sheer number of major characters. And that’s the aspect where he bit off more than he could chew. Aside from Skarsgard, the characters felt a bit underwritten and carried by the astounding performances from Reinsve, Lilleaas, and Fanning. It didn’t really bother me until the film reached for those high emotional notes. Those big moments felt like a falsetto, not genuine enough because the script hadn’t laid the foundation. Or, you know, maybe I’m just dead inside. Regardless, Sentimental Value is definitely worth checking out for the well-crafted story, dark humor, masterclass performances and those final few minutes where Trier finds a perfect landing for his film.
Sound of Falling
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Sound of Falling, on the other hand, is anything but linear or straightforward. It’s a massive challenge to tell a tale that spans different generations of women sharing the trauma. Mascha Schilinski isn’t concerned with making it easily digestible. She’s interested in evoking raw emotion and creating sensual, haunting imagery in a style that is entirely her own. The film is really hard to pin down. You feel it with every inch of your body, with every sense you possess. And it’s not a particularly nice feeling but it gets under the skin and stays there. The picture slightly overstays its welcome. There are a few moments toward the end that feel like they could’ve been a decent conclusion, but Schilinski keeps pushing until the narrative feels lost. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive work with some of the most memorable imagery of any film from last year.
About the Author
Leo Mikaia is a self-declared film expert who enjoys sharing his thoughts about under-appreciated pictures in short and disjointed paragraphs.
“It started at age nine with a magnetic pull toward Jackie Chan leaping across rooftops on TV. Years later, realizing I needed to be part of the spectacle, I turned to writing. My career began with creating video essays about films for Adjaranet.com and writing articles for Cinemania.ge. I’ve spent my life chasing that feeling, writing wherever I can to keep the connection alive.”
He will be writing film reviews for our new column The Kids Aren’t Alright. Stay tuned!