Another year goes by, another list I put together ranking the films that left a footprint on me, whether throughout the year or very recently. I have to be honest: just like every year, the moment I start putting these lists together, I genuinely never expect to come up with at least 10, and every year I go well over that number. We really do get so many great films. Many of them, I have to admit, for one reason or another I never got around to, so don’t be shocked if you don’t see them here—though you will probably be shocked anyway. There’s also the chance I did see a film and it simply didn’t make the cut.

With this list, I’ll drop a few words justifying my decisions and/or doing a small review. Don’t expect everyone to be sold on it, but at least I can try. I played around with the rankings a few times; some were more difficult than others, to the point where there was a moment I seriously considered just listing them without ranking at all. Still, I committed, so we’ll be starting in descending order.

And without further ado, here we go. Please don’t kill me.

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Sentimental Value

I’m not Joachim’s biggest fan. Then again, I’ve only seen one or two of his films, which I don’t think is enough to fully form an opinion.

This is one of those films that rests squarely on the shoulders of its actors. Direction and writing are clearly important to the director’s work, and he does a solid job on that front (those DVD gifts will always live in infamy and deserve to be memed to death if they haven’t been already), but ultimately it’s the lead performances that carry the film. The way they convey conflicting emotions and complicated relationships is what makes it work. Stellan has never been better, and Renate has this incredible ability to express herself in a way that feels like looking straight into her soul.

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Train Dreams

This was one of those films I kept hearing about since its release, and honestly, not being the biggest fan (me saying this twice in a row should be a record) of filmmakers like Malick—whom many were comparing this film to—I didn’t have high hopes.

Yet, well, here we are.

This is such a stunningly beautiful film that you could watch it on mute and still get lost in its visual storytelling and imagery. But the acting is also splendid. Edgerton is fantastic here, delivering another one of those performances where so much is conveyed with so little, using physicality as a primary emotional tool—a great example of show, don’t tell. William H. Macy’s speech is incredibly moving, probably just as moving as the film itself.

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Left-Handed Girl

I’m not the biggest Sean Baker fan, and I’ll put that out there. I’ve liked some of his work more than others, but I’m also one of those weirdos who wasn’t particularly big on Anora last year, a film that went on to win major awards. If you scroll down this list, you’ll probably notice a bit of a pattern. I actually came into this film without knowing about his involvement, though that became obvious fairly quickly.

Putting that aside, on its own terms, this is a really good movie. It moves at a steady pace and, aided by its filming style, often feels almost documentary-like, as if we’re simply following this family through their lives—lives that appear mundane until the third act delivers a twist I wasn’t expecting, one that reframes much of what came before. The performances are solid across the board, especially from the young lead, who is an absolute standout.

Ultimately, it left me looking forward to the director’s future work, hopefully as she continues to find her own voice. Though there’s also that rumor that she’s actually influencing Baker. Hmm.

Sorry, Baby

Another film I wasn’t expecting much from, and one I was honestly worried I wouldn’t vibe with the way everyone else seemed to. I came out very surprised by how much it moved me—though in a very different way than something like Train Dreams.

This is a poignant, darkly comedic take on trauma, a theme that’s been all the rage lately, especially in horror-adjacent cinema. The film doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of new ideas to the table, but the writing is strong, and Victor, pulling double (and triple) duty here, is excellent. There’s a slight mumblecore vibe that doesn’t usually work for me, but it did here. I only wish we’d gotten more of the cat—that kitty was incredibly cute.

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Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra

I’m sure all my Indian friends will tell me there were better Indian films released this year that deserved this spot. But I’ll be honest: I only watched two Indian films from 2025, and while I considered Eko, I ultimately left that as an honorable mention.

That said, this was surprisingly fun—a great blend of the superhero genre and vampire mythology, paired with a story full of solid twists and turns. The action keeps the momentum going, and the humor leans into a light, almost rom-com tone that works well. The chemistry between the two leads is strong, and overall it made for a really enjoyable time.

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Eternity

Just when it feels like there are no good ideas left to explore, a film like this comes along. This one completely flew under my radar until people started hyping it up, which finally pushed me to check it out.

The premise is very creative and extremely well executed, elevated by strong lead performances and a fantastic supporting cast. Randolph, in particular, had me laughing every time she appeared on screen. This is one of those rare cases where a film truly delivers on both the romantic and comedic fronts.

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The Bad Guys 2

I’m probably as surprised as many of you are to see this here. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized just how much I liked this sequel to a film I remember enjoying but never really loving.

The animation is on another level. It genuinely feels like 2025 was a banner year for animated films willing to push boundaries and actually succeed. That entire chase sequence in the lucha libre setting is absolutely brilliant. On top of that, the story is engaging, and I found myself laughing a lot more than expected.

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The Secret Agent

It’s been two good years in a row to be Brazilian, with films managing to pull off that rare feat of earning nominations in both the International Feature category and the main Best Picture race, along with acting recognition.

Wagner Moura is fantastic here, and the film balances tension and fun remarkably well. I absolutely wasn’t expecting it to get as violent as it does in certain moments, nor for it to veer into surreal territory—but those elements only made it more memorable.

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It Was Just an Accident

The film not only earned an Oscar nomination in the International Feature category this year, but also one for its screenplay—and that recognition is very well deserved. The script is excellent, full of sharp twists, tonal shifts, and one of the strongest endings of the year.

Jafar Panahi crafts a film that’s both tense and entertaining. Up to this point, I’d mostly seen his smaller, more intimate dramas, like the one about a taxi driver and a girl with her balloon. Those films had their own creative spins, even when similar ideas had been explored by other Iranian filmmakers. Here, though, the dialogue is especially engaging, and the genre play feels confident and purposeful.

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Lurker

Films about fans crossing the line into obsession have been made countless times by directors across generations, so there isn’t much novelty in the setup here. Still, Pellerin’s unnerving performance alone earns this film a spot on the list.

Watching this unhealthy relationship unfold—and seeing the places it goes—kept me fully engaged. I appreciated that the film never goes completely overboard, remaining restrained while still packing a powerful punch.

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Bugonia

Kinds of Kindness was a major disappointment for me, especially coming off Poor Things and a long run of excellent films from Yorgos Lanthimos. On paper, the material here had all the makings of something special, and thankfully, it delivers.

Much of that success comes down to the committed performances, particularly the power dynamic between Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone, which is fascinating to watch as it escalates toward an explosive ending I genuinely didn’t see coming. I still need to catch up with the original film, but this version left me more than intrigued.

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Sinners

With its 16 Oscar nominations, Ryan Coogler’s film broke a major record, and that didn’t come out of nowhere. Plenty of people have been championing it as the best film of the year.

For me? I had a really good time with it. The way it plays with genre—shifting between period drama, social commentary, and vampire horror—is impressive, supported by strong, Oscar-nominated performances and a genuinely terrifying villain. I’m also completely obsessed with “Rocky Road to Dublin,” and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to it since.

That said, the film didn’t quite move the needle for me as much as it did for others. Maybe it’ll grow on me with a rewatch, but for now, it lands here.

One Battle After Another

I love me some PTA. The man has been delivering banger after banger since his very first film, and at this point it’s hard not to think of him as a genuine wunderkind. Based on current predictions, it also looks like this might finally be the year he takes home Best Director and Best Picture.

The film itself is a lot of fun. I’m genuinely surprised Sean Penn hasn’t been sweeping awards, because he’s excellent here—one of his best performances to date. The rest of the cast is equally strong, and the score is great. Overall, this is a really solid film and one that may grow even more on rewatch. That said, I’m not quite riding the hype train yet. This feels like another Anora situation, where a movie everyone seems to be losing their minds over just didn’t hit me as hard. Still, this is leagues better than Anora—no offense to its fans.

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Ne Zha 2

I wasn’t a big fan of the first Ne Zha, and I barely remember much about it. But one of the big stories of the year was this sequel making an absurd amount of money at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing animated film ever—something that many have questioned, given China’s history of inflating numbers for domestic releases.

That aside, this film is breathtakingly animated. The humor works, the story is strong, and it draws heavily from classic martial arts traditions in a way that feels both reverent and fresh. The action, in particular, is some of the best ever put to screen in animated form. Should this technically rank above Sinners or One Battle After Another? Probably not. But it earns a little extra nudge for just how mesmerized I was while watching it.

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Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert

The only real downside here is the very real possibility that I may never get to experience this live. We do get some great musical acts where I live, but the chances of Hans Zimmer performing here feel close to zero—which is a genuine bummer.

Watching this at home, though, was still a fantastic experience. This is an epic orchestral show, a rock concert, and a window into the mind of one of the three greatest composers working today. He may not have as many scores that have fully embedded themselves into the pop culture zeitgeist the way John Williams’ work has, but Zimmer still has an absurd number of bangers. Reliving many of these classics was a joy. “Circle of Life” was pure magic, and “Time” continues to move me in ways I can’t fully put into words.

Also, there’s a reason the percussion goes so hard here—the man had two or three drummers playing in sync at times, and it was absolutely insane.

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Hamnet

Stories about trauma and grief are everywhere these days, especially over the past few years, with horror leading much of that charge.

I was honestly worried I wouldn’t connect with this film as much as I did. Chloé Zhao has proven herself capable of crafting intimate, human stories, and she absolutely succeeds here, winning me over by the end. Jessie Buckley is riveting, carrying the film to the finish line with a towering performance that even makes the slower first half feel deeply moving, albeit for different reasons than the latter half. She feels like a lock for the Oscar.

Paul Mescal is also very good, though he does get slightly overshadowed. Still, by the third-act theater scene, his performance becomes incredibly affecting.

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Rental Family

I didn’t expect much going in. The trailers didn’t do a lot for me, and I mostly watched this because it was the only movie playing at the time that seemed worth checking out. I was supposed to go with friends for my birthday, but those plans fell through, so I ended up watching it alone in a packed theater full of older moviegoers. Every time I spotted someone my age, I was genuinely surprised.

What could have been a slightly depressing experience—watching a movie alone on my birthday—ended up being the opposite. I needed something that would bring me joy, and this film delivered in spades. This is easily one of Brendan’s best performances, probably top three. The entire cast is excellent. The film takes its interesting concept and pushes it into unexpected territory, resulting in a deeply human story with a twist that caught me—and likely everyone else—completely off guard. Crucially, it doesn’t feel random; it fits the narrative and enriches it.

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The Naked Gun

Before watching this, I rewatched the original Leslie Nielsen trilogy and realized I didn’t love it quite as much as I did growing up. That made me a little nervous going in, even though the trailers were solid. My confidence rose when I saw this was from the team behind Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, which ranked pretty high on my Best Of list the year it came out.

Thankfully, this was an absolute blast. The third act loses a bit of steam compared to the first two, but the wordplay throughout is fantastic. The town hall fight. Man’s Laughter. The shirt. But the film truly peaks with the Snowman sequence—one of the most hilarious and unexpected moments in recent cinema.

Liam Neeson is great in the role, and I’d happily watch several more films with him in it. If he can star in a million action movies that all blur together, he can absolutely do a million of these. Up until now, I mostly knew Pamela Anderson as a sex symbol, but she’s genuinely fantastic here. That club “singing” scene is hysterical.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Once in a while, I do something that doesn’t make a lot of sense: I watch a sequel or a continuation of something I’ve never actually seen, hoping I’ll be able to follow along without completely wasting my time. The last time I did this was when I went to see one of the Dragon Ball movies despite not having watched the show in more than two decades.

At least in that case, I had some basic familiarity. Here, I went in having only seen the trailer a few times and never getting around to watching the anime. So why did I watch this? Honestly, I just wanted to go to the theater, and this was the only thing I hadn’t seen.

Despite missing some context, I had a blast. The animation is off the charts—not as formally inventive as something like The Bad Guys 2 or Ne Zha 2, but the way the action is staged is absolutely mind-blowing (no pun intended). The story is simple in theory but incredibly engaging, and the central concept is executed extremely well. A guy with a chainsaw for a head rides a giant shark. Completely bonkers stuff. And poor Denji just can’t catch a break—he only wants to be loved, and instead he gets this.

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Weapons

Zach Cregger has quickly become one of the most exciting names in modern horror. Barbarian was a twisted, fun introduction, showing how well he can craft tension while making smart use of his comedic background. That said, many comedians-turned-horror auteurs have struggled to follow up their breakthrough films (and yes, I am looking at Jordan Peele).

Thankfully, Weapons proves Cregger is no one-trick pony. He delivers on a simple but compelling premise, packed with expertly constructed set pieces. The moment with the mother approaching with the scissors is creepy as hell. The film also gives us an instantly iconic antagonist in Aunt Gladys, a role that seems poised to earn its performer an Oscar nomination. I’ll admit I initially thought that kind of awards buzz was wishful thinking, but it’s starting to feel very real. The film isn’t outright terrifying, but it’s deeply unsettling, and that third act had me howling with laughter.

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Reflection in a Dead Diamond

This film wasn’t on my radar at all, and I never would have discovered it if not for Letterboxd. The description alone caught my attention, and the reviews sealed the deal.

I’m still processing it. This is an all-out assault on the senses and one of the most inventive spy films in years, largely because it completely bends and reshapes the genre. That action sequence involving the femme fatale is among the best in recent memory, and she’s an incredibly compelling and deadly character. You truly never know what’s coming next. I’m always down for a film that completely blows my mind, and this one absolutely did.

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Final Destination: Bloodlines

I’m a Final Destination diehard. I’ve binge-watched the entire series multiple times, and aside from the fourth entry—which is almost universally agreed to be the weakest—I genuinely love them all. The premise is simple, but the franchise always delivers when it comes to creative, absurd kills.

Bloodlines was the first Final Destination film I ever saw in theaters, and I had such a great time that I went back and watched it twice more, on top of two home viewings. That means I’ve seen it four times, and somehow I love it more with every rewatch. The theatrical experience was phenomenal both times—people were cheering, especially when that little a**hole finally got what was coming to him via a piano. The MRI death scene is gruesome, inventive, and wildly fun. While it didn’t exactly fill me with dread, this was easily my favorite horror film of the year.

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Marty Supreme

2025 was an experimental year for the Safdie brothers, as they decided to go their separate ways and direct solo projects instead of working together. One of them received major Oscar attention, while the other didn’t—though Benny did take home a prize at Venice. I still haven’t seen The Smashing Machine, so I can’t speak to its quality.

This, however, was electric. Josh Safdie managed to make a film about ping pong—sorry, table tennis—feel wildly entertaining. It’s such a breezy watch that I barely felt the runtime, completely glued to Timothée Chalamet as Marty, delivering a powerhouse performance in his relentless pursuit of success, no matter who he has to step on along the way. The score goes hard, and the filmmaking across the board is outstanding.

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No Other Choice

And here we are: the number one spot. My favorite film of the year, and the one I can already see myself returning to again and again.

First of all, fuck the Oscars—unless I ever make a movie and they decide to nominate me and hand me a trophy, in which case they’re suddenly great. Jokes aside, this film receiving zero recognition feels criminal. Sirât was fine, and Sound absolutely deserved its love, but this should have been here too.

This film is pure dynamite. Easily the most directed film of the year. What Park Chan-wook is doing with the camera and editing is masterful, pairing relentless kinetic energy with razor-sharp dark humor. Watching it felt like a rush—hit after hit, no downtime. Had it been nominated for Best Editing, it would have been a serious contender.

After seeing a good chunk of South Korean cinema, I feel confident saying Lee Byung-hun is one of the greatest actors working today, not just in his home country, but anywhere. The story itself is strong, and here it’s executed with absolute precision.