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My Top Ten Films of 2025

Dec 31, 2025
9 min read

As the last candle burns out on 2025, I reflect on what this year has offered in strength of the cinematic art. As we move aggressively to artificial production and media it has been encouraging to see a really push back in hand crafted visceral filmmaking with multiple large format films released on 70mm, and a big comeback for VistaVision, with a startling number of period movies immersing in forgotten ages and worlds of extravagant scope and vision. It has also been a year of heated political satire and rage centring on the totalitarian premonitions of Trump's America to ceaseless struggles in Eastern Europe. The importance of Film as an art form has never been more alive this year, with stories of musical rebellious leadership and radical freedom fighting in revitalizing blockbusters reclaiming the magnitude of the big screen experience. Before I list my official countdown, I want to name a few films I highly recommend which I couldn't feature in my list including: Hard Truths, Sorda (Deaf), Sorry Baby, Train Dreams, which can be found on various streaming and on demand platforms, and a special mention to Bi Gan's Resurrection which the image above is taken from and will be in cinemas next year. Here we go!



10. Nosferatu

Dir: Robert Eggers

It has been a while since genuine fear overtook me in a cinema, and Nosferatu scared the hell out of me from the get-go. Robert Eggers created an old fashioned full-blown horror ride of spine-tingling terror that had me trapped. Eggers reinterprets this vampire classic to fanatical depths utilising his hysterical obsession for detail with exceptionally gifted performances from Lily Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård and another electric turn from William Dafoe. This Nosferatu is entrenched in the shadowy presence of Count Orlok, a monster who is evil pure and simple with no other sides. But the central struggle of the film centres on a woman wrestling with her own demons that she can only free herself from when she confronts it. It may go a bit too Exorcist at times for my taste but I haven't seen a monster movie so impressively rendered with such attention to the sheer encompassing atmosphere of darkness for a long time. It sounds gruelling but as Prof Von Franz says himself: "if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists!"
It has been a while since genuine fear overtook me in a cinema, and Nosferatu scared the hell out of me from the get-go. Robert Eggers created an old fashioned full-blown horror ride of spine-tingling terror that had me trapped. Eggers reinterprets this vampire classic to fanatical depths utilising his hysterical obsession for detail with exceptionally gifted performances from Lily Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård and another electric turn from William Dafoe. This Nosferatu is entrenched in the shadowy presence of Count Orlok, a monster who is evil pure and simple with no other sides. But the central struggle of the film centres on a woman wrestling with her own demons that she can only free herself from when she confronts it. It may go a bit too Exorcist at times for my taste but I haven't seen a monster movie so impressively rendered with such attention to the sheer encompassing atmosphere of darkness for a long time. It sounds gruelling but as Prof Von Franz says himself: "if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists!"

Available on: Blu-Ray/DVD/VOD



  1. No Other Choice

Dir: Park Chan-wook

Park Chan-wook’s latest is a diabolical cutthroat takedown at the heart of capitalism and mechanisation, where foul play is the only way to keep food on the table and the Netflix subscription running. Lee Byung-hun is terrifically desperate in a natural transformation from confident family man to cold blooded killer that arises in his void of unemployment. Park's signature intrinsic visual style is padded with dimensional layers and forensic transitions of internal horror and humour, no one edits his films quite like Park Chan-wook. There is laugh out loud absurdist violence and tragic comedy but at the heart of it there is a frightening depiction of the increasing disposability of the human workforce that is narrowing the livelihoods of the working man inevitably to be replaced by machines. In desperate times, it's everyman for himself.
Park Chan-wook’s latest is a diabolical cutthroat takedown at the heart of capitalism and mechanisation, where foul play is the only way to keep food on the table and the Netflix subscription running. Lee Byung-hun is terrifically desperate in a natural transformation from confident family man to cold blooded killer that arises in his void of unemployment. Park's signature intrinsic visual style is padded with dimensional layers and forensic transitions of internal horror and humour, no one edits his films quite like Park Chan-wook. There is laugh out loud absurdist violence and tragic comedy but at the heart of it there is a frightening depiction of the increasing disposability of the human workforce that is narrowing the livelihoods of the working man inevitably to be replaced by machines. In desperate times, it's everyman for himself.

In Cinemas: 26th of January 2026


8. Hamnet

Dir: Chloé Zhao

The biggest tearjerker of the year goes to Chloé Zhao's sensitive emotionally reckoning adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell's novel Hamnet. Loosely inspired by the marriage and grief of Agnes and William Shakespeare as they fall in love with nature, words, and each other and raise a loving family which is struck by a tragedy. With powerhouse performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal tearing their hearts out in this quiet study of loss and the art that is born from it. It could sound like an easily sentimental conceit but Zhao's gentle direction leaves space for the performances to carry the pain and heartbreak with beautiful cinematography and a finale which could have come across so much more corny on paper but literally brings the house down, with some familiar but still powerful uses of Max' Richter's music.
The biggest tearjerker of the year goes to Chloé Zhao's sensitive emotionally reckoning adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell's novel Hamnet. Loosely inspired by the marriage and grief of Agnes and William Shakespeare as they fall in love with nature, words, and each other and raise a loving family which is struck by a tragedy. With powerhouse performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal tearing their hearts out in this quiet study of loss and the art that is born from it. It could sound like an easily sentimental conceit but Zhao's gentle direction leaves space for the performances to carry the pain and heartbreak with beautiful cinematography and a finale which could have come across so much more corny on paper but literally brings the house down, with some familiar but still powerful uses of Max' Richter's music.

In Cinemas: 9th of January 2026



7. It Was Just an Accident

Dir: Jafar Panahi

The world's most fierce filmmaker who cannot be stopped no matter how many imprisonments and bans he is given, Iranian master Jafar Panahi took the Palm D'r prize at Cannes for his passionate tale of vengeance, It Was Just an Accident. When a former prisoner of the Iranian regime recognises the man who was his prison guard and torturer, a spontaneous thirst for revenge breaks out, but which soon is challenged by doubt and possible mistaken identity. Recruiting a misanthropic group of former prisoners, a darkly farcical road trip of moral dilemmas and deadly games consume this band. Panahi draws us down a maze to hunt the beast but any of the characters could find themselves becoming it. It is a mighty testament to a fearless filmmaker who will not stop fighting for his art and challenge the oppressive forces of his homeland in an immense body of work and still today highlighting what the fear and rage of living under Iran's regime feels like.
The world's most fierce filmmaker who cannot be stopped no matter how many imprisonments and bans he is given, Iranian master Jafar Panahi took the Palm D'r prize at Cannes for his passionate tale of vengeance, It Was Just an Accident. When a former prisoner of the Iranian regime recognises the man who was his prison guard and torturer, a spontaneous thirst for revenge breaks out, but which soon is challenged by doubt and possible mistaken identity. Recruiting a misanthropic group of former prisoners, a darkly farcical road trip of moral dilemmas and deadly games consume this band. Panahi draws us down a maze to hunt the beast but any of the characters could find themselves becoming it. It is a mighty testament to a fearless filmmaker who will not stop fighting for his art and challenge the oppressive forces of his homeland in an immense body of work and still today highlighting what the fear and rage of living under Iran's regime feels like.

In Cinemas: Now


6. One Battle After Another

Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson

Heralded not just as the film of the year but also the decade, master director Paul Thomas Anderson returned with a roller-coaster of a revolutionist blockbuster, One Battle After Another. If not for its stunning crafts with wide crisp cinematography, an energetic pace that makes its 2hrs 40 runtime fly by, another astoundingly score from Jonny Greenwood, a phenomenal ensemble cast, and perhaps the best and most immersive car chase sequences in years. Never was a film more timely in its anticipated pit of war against returning fascist governments and enemies to take control over such a divided world, but to also offer a solemn message of hope about future generations taking the mantle against totalitarian reigns from an aged generation who can't keep up with the world anymore. Its funny, exciting, absurd, heart-warming, and extremely relevant in our frightening times, but in the words of Sensi Carlos: "You know what freedom is, no fear"
Heralded not just as the film of the year but also the decade, master director Paul Thomas Anderson returned with a roller-coaster of a revolutionist blockbuster, One Battle After Another. If not for its stunning crafts with wide crisp cinematography, an energetic pace that makes its 2hrs 40 runtime fly by, another astoundingly score from Jonny Greenwood, a phenomenal ensemble cast, and perhaps the best and most immersive car chase sequences in years. Never was a film more timely in its anticipated pit of war against returning fascist governments and enemies to take control over such a divided world, but to also offer a solemn message of hope about future generations taking the mantle against totalitarian reigns from an aged generation who can't keep up with the world anymore. Its funny, exciting, absurd, heart-warming, and extremely relevant in our frightening times, but in the words of Sensi Carlos: "You know what freedom is, no fear"

Available to Rent: VOD



5. The Testament of Ann Lee

Dir: Mona Fastvold

By far one of the most transcendent experiences in a cinema was in the orgiastic divine worship of Ann Lee. This knockout musical biopic is an insane and miraculous production with hysterically hypnotic dance numbers, and electric score, anchored by the astonishingly angelic central performance from Amanda Seyfried. Mona Fastvold transports us to a forgotten otherworldly age immersed in the movement of the Shaking Quakers on mission in America to declare the Gospel led by their believed second incarnation of Christ, Mother Ann. While their messiah complex is easily heresy, Mother Ann led a truly equal community built on love for each other and their enemies in a Church that abstained from sexual relations of all kind. What does the kingdom look like under female leadership? Are these people truly holy or just mad? Is this what it takes to build heaven? The Testament of Ann Lee is a truly extraordinary journey into these ideals with heavenly and hellfire spirit unleashed. I hunger and thirst for cinema as bold as this.
By far one of the most transcendent experiences in a cinema was in the orgiastic divine worship of Ann Lee. This knockout musical biopic is an insane and miraculous production with hysterically hypnotic dance numbers, and electric score, anchored by the astonishingly angelic central performance from Amanda Seyfried. Mona Fastvold transports us to a forgotten otherworldly age immersed in the movement of the Shaking Quakers on mission in America to declare the Gospel led by their believed second incarnation of Christ, Mother Ann. While their messiah complex is easily heresy, Mother Ann led a truly equal community built on love for each other and their enemies in a Church that abstained from sexual relations of all kind. What does the kingdom look like under female leadership? Are these people truly holy or just mad? Is this what it takes to build heaven? The Testament of Ann Lee is a truly extraordinary journey into these ideals with heavenly and hellfire spirit unleashed. I hunger and thirst for cinema as bold as this.

In Cinemas: 20th February 2026

4. Sinners

Dir: Ryan Coogler

Another unexpected musical treat came, from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, crafting a revisionist vampiric western with a twist powered by the liberating sound of the Blues. This genre bending riot of a movie went all out to entertain, enthral and harness a long passed on spirit of pain and freedom from African American history, living in a time when true freedom was still a dream, and the secret coming together in song and dance was their only moment of peace. But lurking in the shadows is a blood thirsty demon hungry to take that spirit for themselves which comes in the form of Jack O'Connell's Irish gig singing devil. Shot in IMAX film with another stunning musical score from Ludwig Göransson and one of the most spectacular musical sequences ever shot, with not one but two Michael B Jordans. Sinners is a feast in all sense, with everything you want, romance, suspense, shoot outs, vampires, dance numbers, Michael B Jordan in a tank top, the whole lot, with the most unforgettable rendition of Rocky Road to Dublin.
Another unexpected musical treat came, from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, crafting a revisionist vampiric western with a twist powered by the liberating sound of the Blues. This genre bending riot of a movie went all out to entertain, enthral and harness a long passed on spirit of pain and freedom from African American history, living in a time when true freedom was still a dream, and the secret coming together in song and dance was their only moment of peace. But lurking in the shadows is a blood thirsty demon hungry to take that spirit for themselves which comes in the form of Jack O'Connell's Irish gig singing devil. Shot in IMAX film with another stunning musical score from Ludwig Göransson and one of the most spectacular musical sequences ever shot, with not one but two Michael B Jordans. Sinners is a feast in all sense, with everything you want, romance, suspense, shoot outs, vampires, dance numbers, Michael B Jordan in a tank top, the whole lot, with the most unforgettable rendition of Rocky Road to Dublin.

Available on : Blu-Ray/DVD/ VOD


3. Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert

Dir: Paul Dugdale

The Swifties had the Eras tour, so I can have this. As a devoted Zimmerframe who has seen the master composer of The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception, Dune live three times now, no-one else's music elevates my soul like Hans. It's not just a dazzling concert doc to the wonderful movies he has scored but interspersed with interviews with collaborators over the years where Hans shines light on the influences and stories behind many of his most iconic pieces. But what struck me so profoundly about this doc was how it was so eloquently directed and stylised that it was like the film was embodying the emotional journey that I go on every time I listen to his music. Even the Gladiator medley just had the band bowing down to the sand as Lisa Gerrard serenades us with her heavenly voice. So much more I could say, but I would like to share a quote from an article about the show by Joshua Stevens from the site Think Christian which is sadly no longer running.
The Swifties had the Eras tour, so I can have this. As a devoted Zimmerframe who has seen the master composer of The Lion King, Gladiator, Inception, Dune live three times now, no-one else's music elevates my soul like Hans. It's not just a dazzling concert doc to the wonderful movies he has scored but interspersed with interviews with collaborators over the years where Hans shines light on the influences and stories behind many of his most iconic pieces. But what struck me so profoundly about this doc was how it was so eloquently directed and stylised that it was like the film was embodying the emotional journey that I go on every time I listen to his music. Even the Gladiator medley just had the band bowing down to the sand as Lisa Gerrard serenades us with her heavenly voice. So much more I could say, but I would like to share a quote from an article about the show by Joshua Stevens from the site Think Christian which is sadly no longer running.

"During Zimmer’s concert, this power and grace prompted me to think about heaven. Again, this is probably a common occurrence at Christian concerts. My childhood memories are flooded with images and sounds from such events, where someone—either from the stage, in the crowd, or right next to me—would say, “If this crowd sounds this beautiful, imagine what heaven will sound like.” The music Zimmer performed was undeniably beautiful, but rather than thinking of what heaven will sound like, I became focused on what heaven will look like. Throughout the show, Zimmer recognized several members of his band, including Pedro Eustache, a Venezuelan woodwinds instrumentalist (and self-proclaimed Christian); Tina Guo, a Chinese-born cellist; and many others. All these musicians shared the stage together, offering a lovely reminder of the promise in Revelation 7: that members of every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship the Lord together in song."



2. The Brutalist

Dir: Brady Corbet

In regards to old fashioned filmmaking, nothing this year has been quite as giant or Kubrickian as The Brutalist. An epic American Classic for today, directed by Brady Corbet, and co-written by Mona Fastvold who also brought us Ann Lee. Chronicling the life of an Hungarian architect escaping the horrors of the Holocaust to discover the capitalist horrors of America. Adrian Brody gives the performance of a life time as László Tóth, as his expressionist gift for architecture is suffocated by the greedy reptilian hands of Guy Pearce's Harrison Lee Van Buren in a commission to build a community centre. A miraculous micro-budget masterpiece, The Brutalist is an awe-inspiring construction to behold, monumentally captured in VistaVision 70mm cinematography, with a triumphantly dark score, and its audacious 3hrs 30mins just rolls by with a unique built in intermission. Seeing this projected twice felt like going back in time to when prestige pictures like this were an event, and the Brutalist sensationally captures that old school movie magic with a deeply passionate and raging soul for the immigrant experience and artistic struggle that established the world today.
In regards to old fashioned filmmaking, nothing this year has been quite as giant or Kubrickian as The Brutalist. An epic American Classic for today, directed by Brady Corbet, and co-written by Mona Fastvold who also brought us Ann Lee. Chronicling the life of an Hungarian architect escaping the horrors of the Holocaust to discover the capitalist horrors of America. Adrian Brody gives the performance of a life time as László Tóth, as his expressionist gift for architecture is suffocated by the greedy reptilian hands of Guy Pearce's Harrison Lee Van Buren in a commission to build a community centre. A miraculous micro-budget masterpiece, The Brutalist is an awe-inspiring construction to behold, monumentally captured in VistaVision 70mm cinematography, with a triumphantly dark score, and its audacious 3hrs 30mins just rolls by with a unique built in intermission. Seeing this projected twice felt like going back in time to when prestige pictures like this were an event, and the Brutalist sensationally captures that old school movie magic with a deeply passionate and raging soul for the immigrant experience and artistic struggle that established the world today.

Available On: Blu-Ray/DVD/VOD


1. Sound of Falling

Dir: Mascha Schilinski

“You only ever see others from the outside but never yourself”
“You only ever see others from the outside but never yourself”

The best cinema sometimes is what you can't explain or describe but only what you feel in its presence, and Sound of Falling is a mountain of feeling. Mascha Schilinski's ethereal portrait of intergenerational trauma and blossoming womanhood is like swimming in river of time gushing around the inhabitants of a farmhouse in Altmark, Germany. An epically inward looking sensorial experience that contrasts four lives and eras bleeding into each other's memories like phantoms, unfolding a living ghost story in past, present and future simultaneously. I was completely entranced by this film and lost in its labyrinthine web of dreams, desires, labours, and torment. Its a melancholic tone poem similar to Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror (1975), seemingly free flowing but Schilinski's precise and delicate direction maps different images, sounds, and tastes as a collage of youthful and vain existence. It can feel intimidatingly complex to work out how each timeline leads to another and what exactly binds each moment, but if you let it wash over you, it carries you like the wind in its splendour. As each character at one point takes a moment to stare back at the camera as if aware of the spectatorial gaze watching them, we become the only witness to the unseen lives of these young women woven and broken by their generational restraints but rebelling in quiet anguish which will continue haunt the ones that come after them.


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