The 10 Best Movies of 2025

Movies impact us in countless ways, influenced by everything from the weather to current events and our personal feelings. It’s easy to take them for granted these days, especially with so many streaming options – we often treat them as background noise while we multitask. However, each year brings a few films that truly grab our attention, and 2025 was no different. This is a collection of movies that I found both enjoyable and thought-provoking – films that really made an impression. I hope you find them equally captivating and meaningful.

10. One of Them Days

Struggling to make ends meet? You’re definitely not the only one. “One of Them Days” is a funny and upbeat comedy about two friends in Los Angeles, played by Keke Palmer and SZA, who have 24 hours to come up with $1500 to cover their rent. Their attempts to earn money – from selling blood to reselling shoes – don’t go as planned, and they even end up wearing hilariously bright donated clothes. Despite all the setbacks, they manage to pull through, making this film, directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Syreeta Singleton, a surprisingly feel-good experience. And honestly, we could all use a movie like that right now.

9. Kill the Jockey

Argentine filmmaker Luis Ortega’s film, Kill the Jockey, is a wild and dreamlike neo-noir that brings to mind the work of directors like Buñuel and early Almodóvar. The story follows Remo (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a jockey who’s always drunk and goes into hiding after a bad accident involving his mob boss’s valuable racehorse. Waking up with amnesia, he transforms himself into a woman named Dolores—maybe the person he always felt he was inside. The film is visually stunning, playfully suggestive, and often puzzling, a truly inventive work that’s a welcome change of pace. It’s great to see filmmakers still taking risks and creating movies like this.

8. The Mastermind

Kelly Reichardt’s film is a subtly funny and moving story about a somewhat clueless art thief in 1970s Massachusetts. The movie paints a compelling picture of a man who, despite having privilege, feels lost and unfulfilled. Josh O’Connor plays J.B., an art student who drops out and impulsively decides to steal several valuable paintings. He tells his wife, Alana Haim, that he’s doing it for his family, though his reasons are unclear—it’s a line that’s both amusing and sad. O’Connor’s charming performance makes it easy to understand why anyone would believe him, even when they shouldn’t. While you never quite condone J.B.’s actions, you still find yourself feeling empathy for him throughout the film.

7. Sinners

In Ryan Coogler’s film, Michael B. Jordan stars as twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who return to their Mississippi hometown after fighting in World War I and living in Chicago. They use their savings to open a lively juke joint, and the opening night is a hit—until the arrival of three menacing white musicians disrupts everything. The film beautifully captures the power of music to both connect and separate people. Sinners is thrilling, visually striking, and even haunting, suggesting that the freedom and happiness its characters seek remain elusive, even a century later.

6. Roofman

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about what it means to be a man in America, but it’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. The film Roofman, based on a true story, offers a thoughtful look at this issue. Channing Tatum gives a fantastic performance as Jeffrey Manchester, a former criminal who tries to turn his life around, finding love with Kirsten Dunst’s character and building a new family. The film taps into a common desire among men – the simple ability to provide for their loved ones. While that used to be a standard expectation, Roofman illustrates how challenging that’s become.

5. Peter Hujar’s Day

I recently saw Ira Sachs’ Peter Hujar’s Day, and it’s a truly special film. It all started with a simple conversation back in 1974 – writer Linda Rosenkrantz, brilliantly portrayed by Rebecca Hall, just asked photographer Peter Hujar to detail his entire day. That conversation is the movie. Ben Whishaw is captivating as Hujar, showing us a man who could find humor and beauty in the most ordinary – and sometimes heartbreaking – moments. It’s poignant knowing Hujar didn’t achieve widespread recognition until after his death in 1987 from AIDS-related pneumonia. This film isn’t just a gorgeous snapshot of New York City; it’s a lovely reminder that powerful art often comes from the quiet corners of everyday existence.

4. Sentimental Value

Family life is a complex mix of joy and hardship, often revolving around love, loss, and the places we call home. In this film, director Joachim Trier explores these themes with sensitivity. The story centers on two sisters, played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who must confront their complicated relationship with their distant father (Stellan Skarsgård) after their mother’s death, all while dealing with their family home. The film suggests that while a house can be a backdrop for family life, it’s the people who truly support and care for each other that make a family strong.

3. Blue Moon

Richard Linklater, a remarkably subtle filmmaker, has delivered two excellent movies this year. In one of them, Ethan Hawke gives a standout performance as Lorenz Hart, the former songwriting partner of Richard Rodgers (played by Andrew Scott). Blue Moon unfolds over a single night, after Rodgers and his new collaborator, Oscar Hammerstein, achieve huge success with Oklahoma! Hart is left to confront the fact that his friend and creative partner has moved on without him. The film is clever, inventive, and tinged with sadness, offering a thoughtful look at one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century.

2. An Officer and a Spy

Roman Polanski is a remarkably talented filmmaker, though he remains a deeply controversial figure. His latest film, released this year after premiering in 2019, beautifully depicts the Dreyfus Affair. Jean Dujardin delivers a powerful performance as the officer who bravely worked to exonerate Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain falsely accused of espionage. In a time when our values are being challenged, it’s crucial to approach stories like this with an open mind.

1. Nouvelle Vague

Richard Linklater, a celebrated independent filmmaker, lovingly recounts the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking film, Breathless. Set in 1960 Paris, the story follows Godard (played with captivating energy by Guillaume Marbeck) as he teams up with an American actress (the brilliant Zoey Deutch) and a charismatic French boxer (the agile and alluring Aubry Dullin) to create a revolutionary film in a daring, unconventional way. Breathless forever altered the landscape of cinema, and Nouvelle Vague is a passionate and beautiful homage to its enduring legacy, celebrating the power of art and the joy it brings.

I wanted to quickly shout out a few other films that really stuck with me. There’s Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, the incredibly unique Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass by Stephen and Timothy Quay, Lynne Ramsay’s short Die My Love, Raoul Peck’s Orwell: 2+2=5, Souleymane’s Story from Boris Lojkine, Train Dreams by Clint Bentley, Harris Dickinson’s Urchin, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, and finally, Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. They all deserve a watch, too!

2025-12-03 23:07