Well, here it is: my top films of 2025. To be clear, these are MY favorites. I’m not claiming they’re the “best” movies of the year in any objective sense—just the ones that stuck with me the most. They’re films I found not only well made, but ones I genuinely connected with. For example, One Battle After Another is a solid film, but it didn’t linger with me in the same way. So with that caveat out of the way, here are my favorites of 2025. (Where to find them streaming is noted after each entry. You can also rent them through whatever streaming service you use (Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Roku, etc.).
My Top Ten Films of 2025:
10. The Ugly Stepsister
Marketed as a body-horror film, this Norwegian feature from writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt is far more layered than it initially appears. A twisted reimagining of Cinderella, it blends comedy, drama, and horror into a sharp portrait of one woman’s obsession with beauty. (Shudder, Hulu, AMC+)
9. Eddington
I tend to be hit-or-miss on Ari Aster, and this Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone–led film was another divisive entry in his filmography. Still, I found myself endlessly fascinated by its topical themes, strong performances, and deeply strange characters. At two-and-a-half hours, I surprisingly wanted more. (HBO Max)
8. Sorry, Baby
Written, directed by, and starring the immensely talented Eva Victor, this film follows a lonely, self-isolating woman avoiding life after a traumatic event she refuses to confront. It’s a beautiful character study: funny, relatable, and profoundly moving. Having grown so attached to the characters (and the actors portraying them), I didn’t want it to end. (HBO Max)
7. Predators / The Twister: Caught in a Storm
To make room for both documentaries, I’ve combined them into a single entry. – Predators is a complex and unsettling examination of the mid-2000s TV series To Catch a Predator. It interrogates issues of entrapment, mental health, and the ethical gray areas of turning real lives into entertainment without asking us to sympathize with the accused. Instead, it forces a harder look at who benefits from this kind of spectacle and why. (Paramount+)
The Twister: Caught in a Storm documents the rare EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on graduation day in 2011. Told through survivor interviews and firsthand footage, it’s an intensely immersive experience. Between the sound design and visuals, it’s one of the most suspenseful films I’ve seen in years. I can only imagine how overwhelming it would be in a theater. (Netflix, take note: theatrical experiences still matter.)
6. Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s character-driven vampire film fuses social and racial themes with classic horror tropes, creating something that feels both fresh and familiar. It’s hugely entertaining and best experienced with an audience. Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance anchors the film, while the supporting cast is excellent across the board. (HBO Max)
5. Train Dreams
Based on Denis Johnson’s novella, this quiet, tender film is less about plot and more about the passage of time. Director Clint Bentley unfolds the life of Robert Grainier, a railroad laborer who builds a simple life with his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones). Tragedy and joy pass through his world with equal weight, and the film finds a kind of peaceful acceptance in both. It’s a deeply moving meditation on existence. (Netflix)
4. Marty Supreme
I wasn’t a fan of Josh Safdie’s frenetic Uncut Gems, so I approached this with caution, but I was happily surprised. Timothée Chalamet plays Marty Supreme as an obnoxious, deeply unlikeable character, yet his ambition and audacity make him impossible to ignore. Shot and written at breakneck speed, the 2.5-hour runtime flies by as Safdie pulls you into a vivid, original world.
3. Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s stunning reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic explores nature versus nurture and the fragile instinct for empathy in a cruel world. Oscar Isaac is chilling as Dr. Frankenstein, but it’s Jacob Elordi’s heartbreaking portrayal of the Monster that gives the film its soul. While it falls just short of its intended emotional finale, it’s a masterpiece in nearly every other respect.
2. Griffin in Summer
A joyful, hilarious coming-of-age story, this film is written and directed by Nicholas Colia and follows 14-year-old Griffin Nafly, a nerdy, closeted playwright whose new play becomes the talk of his summer. When he develops feelings for his mother’s twenty-something handyman, his world opens up in unexpected ways. Everett Blunck is a revelation, delivering a performance that feels effortless and deeply honest. The opening talent-show scene alone is worth the watch. Theater kids, this one’s for you. (Hulu)
1. Bob Trevino Likes It
Based on a true story from writer/director Tracie Laymon, this warm, heartfelt comedy-drama follows Lily Trevino, a lonely twenty-something whose strained relationship with her father leads her to accidentally befriend a different Bob Trevino on Facebook. What follows is an unlikely bond that gives both of them the connection they’ve been missing. John Leguizamo is wonderfully gentle here, but Barbie Ferreira is extraordinary. Known to many from Euphoria, she delivers the year’s most natural, emotionally grounded performance. In my eyes, it’s the best female performance of 2025 and one that deserved Oscar recognition. This film broke my heart and put it back together again. I love it. (Hulu)
***
Runners-up:
Disney’s Snow White (yes – don’t @ me), The Naked Gun (2025), Ick, The Baltimorons, My Dead Friend Zoe, M3GAN 2.0, Is This Thing On?, American Sweatshop, Lurker, Warfare, Twinless, and two 2024 releases I caught this year: Seed of the Sacred Fig and Armand.
