Happy weekend, everyone! It’s that time of year again for FlixChatter’s annual best films reveal. For the last ten years, I’ve been sharing my top 10 list in mid-January. This gives me a chance to catch up on FYC screeners and any films I missed in December. However, for 2025, I’ve almost finalized my Top 10 before the new year even started.

Of course, everyone has their own unique list. Personally, a movie needs to make a lasting impression, mixing fun with creativity, emotional richness, and something that really makes you think. I also consider how replayable a film is, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch every single movie on my list again. So without further ado, here we go:

TOP 10 FILMS of 2025

(in reverse numeric order)

10. Checkpoint Zoo (Full Review)

Director: Joshua Zeman

Last year, I checked out a bunch of documentaries at the two film festivals in MN. This one set in Feldman Ecopark in Kharkiv, Ukraine, really stood out to me, so I had to add it to my Top 10 list. Checkpoint Zoo is a perfect example of what true heroes are all about—they’re just regular folks doing the impossible. The epilogue reveals that a small team of staff and volunteers managed to save 4700 animals! There’s not a single boring moment in the entire 1 hour and 43 minutes, but the most gripping part has to be when they evacuated the big cats.

The movie is available to rent on Amazon Prime, I highly recommend it!

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9. Rental Family* (Full Review)

Director: Hikari

I really enjoy Brendan Fraser in his first leading role after winning an Oscar for The Whale. The character of Phillip suits him perfectly; he brings a unique innocence and gentleness, along with fantastic comic timing, to portray the fish-out-of-water scenario in contemporary Japan. The core concept – that people can be hired to play the role of substitute friends or family – might be quite surprising to Westerners, but it’s genuinely a part of Japanese culture.

Throughout this two-hour journey, it’s a blast to catch a glimpse of the various joys and complexities of Japanese culture from an expat’s viewpoint. Hikari crafts a memorable film that wonderfully highlights the essence of human connections and chosen family.

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8. Sinners (Full Review)

Director: Ryan Coogler

What’s better than a movie featuring Michael B. Jordan? How about having two of him as he takes on the roles of twins, Smoke & Stack? By loosely weaving together the Faustian mythology of blues icon Robert Johnson with the chaos of a thrilling 70s exploitation film, Ryan Coogler elevates Sinners beyond just another typical vampire flick. Although it still includes the usual genre clichés, it subtly incorporates Coogler’s recurring themes of identity, duality, and loss, which ultimately enriches the film’s depth.

The amazing music by Coogler’s longtime collaborator Ludwig Göransson is a highlight, that’s why the score made it to my Top 10 Best Scores of 2025 list.

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7. Black Bag (Full Review)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

This is one of the first films I caught last year that made it into my Top 10. I really loved Black Bag from beginning to end, featuring an amazing cast led by the incredible duo of Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. There’s something so captivating about the minimalist, dialogue-heavy style of a spy film that Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp put together here, echoing the works of John le Carré. The cinematography is stunning, shot by Soderbergh himself, and I really dig David Holmes’ wonderfully atmospheric, retro-sounding score.

It’s really satisfying to experience a well-made, sharply directed, and smartly written film that wraps up nicely in just 93 minutes.

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6. One Battle After Another (full review)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

This PTA film is a hilarious and thrilling ride with an amazing cast that keeps the energy up throughout. You know a film is good when its long 2-hour and 41-minute duration flies by. It showcases some of the best performances of the actors, especially Leo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, while also introducing a fantastic newcomer, Chase Infiniti.

The movie skillfully tackles the challenges and anxieties of our era but smartly avoids making a direct political statement. I appreciate that PTA doesn’t shove his politics in our faces; instead, he integrates them into the characters’ personal stories to explore their socio-political themes.

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5. The Secret Agent (full review)

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

I didn’t think I’d have another Brazilian film on my Top 10 again after I’m Still Here, which is also set during the country’s military dictatorship. It’s a gripping, colorful, and surreal experience set during Brazil’s ‘time of mischief.’ Wagner Moura is absolutely captivating in this role; I really hope he lands more lead parts. It’s no surprise that this film took home the top honors at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, winning the directing award for Filho and the Best Actor award for Moura.

This film takes viewers on a vibrant journey to the coastal town of Recife in the 70s, all thanks to its warm, vintage, and brightly-saturated color palette. Shot on location in Brazil using Panavision anamorphic lenses by Russian-born cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova, the lively camera work perfectly encapsulates the moody, Neo-noir atmosphere.

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4. Frankenstein

Director: Guillermo del Toro

One thing I regretted last year is that I didn’t get to see Frankenstein on the big screen. Guillermo del Toro is a visual master, practically every frame of this film is a work of art, featuring glorious production design by Tamara Deverell. His outstanding stop-motion animation Pinocchio made my Top 10 list of 2022. They’re two sides of the same coin: forsaken “sons” (the Creature and Pinocchio) trying to find their way in a world that fears them, delving into themes of creation, rebellion, and the quest for love and purpose.

Del Toro’s adaptations bring a gothic vibe and Catholic symbolism (stemming from his Mexican Catholic upbringing), portraying the Creature as symbols of myth and pain. Oscar Isaac is excellent as the cold and merciless creator with a decidedly rock-star vibe, while Jacob Elordi delivers his best performance yet as the monster, adding a profound emotional layer and tragic humanity to the role. His tall, lanky 6’5″ frame is effectively utilized here, presenting a monster that’s less grotesque and more of a sensitive, tragic figure.

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3. Train Dreams (Full Review)

Director: Clint Bentley

The filmmaking team of Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar has produced another amazing piece this year with Bentley taking the directing duty. Last year, they worked together on the redemptive prison drama SING SING, and this time, they’ve set their film primarily in the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Nowadays, many films tend to be chaotic, overly concentrated on action, special effects, or unexpected plot twists. What I appreciate about this film is its thoughtful perspective on life’s unpredictability, nature, and our connections with one another.

Joel Edgerton gives his best performance since Loving, where his soulful portrayal expresses so much emotion with barely any dialogue. There’s a strong chance he’d get nominated for an Oscar this year after years of delivering strong work, and it’ll be very well-deserved.

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2. Sentimental Value (Full Review)

Director: Joachim Trier

2025 introduced me to some really stellar filmmakers, and one of them is Joachim Trier. I’m glad I got to see this on the big screen because it’s such a beautiful, dreamlike film. Cinematographer Kasper Tuxen uses a blend of handheld shots and sparkling light to create a graceful aesthetic. This movie shows how art can aid in our healing, and while the ending is both hopeful and realistic, Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt don’t rush the reconciliation or pretend to have all the answers to the conflicts. Instead, they let the characters reflect and find their own paths. When healing happens, it feels like a natural evolution that develops on its own.

I’m quite impressed by Elle Fanning here who delivers an understated, nuanced performance as a young Hollywood starlet. But the real MVPs are the trio of fantastic Scandinavian actors—Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Stellan Skarsgård—these three give unforgettable, Oscar-worthy performances.

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1. HAMNET* (Full Review)

Director: Chloe Zhao

After catching Hamnet at TCFF in October, I had no doubt it would land in my Top 5 of the year. Honestly, nothing else could top it when I was compiling my list in December. This film is genuinely the most heart-wrenching of the year, lingering in my mind well after the credits roll. Chloe Zhao has crafted yet another indelible masterpiece featuring the exceptional Irish talents of Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as the grieving Shakespeares.

What sets this film apart is its emphasis not on Shakespeare himself, but on his wife Agnes and the profound sorrow of losing their son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). Zhao’s portrayal of grief is incredibly moving. Agnes is portrayed with such emotional rawness and vulnerability that it can be almost painful to witness at times; her heart-wrenching scream of despair resonates deeply within me. As a fan of period dramas, I’m truly impressed by Zhao’s ability to create a vivid world, as she brings to life the domestic atmosphere of the English Renaissance, whisking me away to 16th-century England.

Buckley delivers a performance that is nothing short of spectacular; it’s not an exaggeration to say it could be the performance of the year. I’ve watched her in several films, and she’s always outstanding, but her interpretation of Agnes is on a whole different level. This film is hers, and her performance is the one to beat at this year’s Oscar.

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The films marked with * (asterisk) are directed by women – I saw a total of 62 films by women as part of the #52FilmsByWomen challenge. Check out my Letterboxd list of films #directedbywomen.

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10 Honorable Mentions

(in alphabetical order)

Choosing the Best List isn’t really a science… it’s more about gut feeling and what you like. This year, I’ve chosen to feature only 10 films instead of the 20 I included last year. A few were super close to making my top 10 (Undercover and Aiweiwei Turandot), sadly Undercover (La infiltrada) isn’t available to stream anywhere in the US, I’m glad I was able to see it on a Delta flight. So if you happen to be flying internationally on Delta, I highly recommend you checking out the Spanish thriller.

1. Undercover*
2. 28 Years Later
3. Aiweiwei’s Turandot
4. It Was Just An Accident
5. DJ Ahmet
6. Is This Thing On?
7. She Rides Shotgun
8. Thunderbolts
9. A House of Dynamite*
10. The Last Journey

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What do you think about my 2025 Top 10 list? Are any of your favorites on the list?
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