Top 25 Best Movies of 2025 (So Far) – Part 2
We’ve only just scratched the surface of the cinematic treasures 2025 has offered! Now, let’s continue our journey through the year’s standout films with Part 2 of our list, featuring more must-see movies that have defined the year so far.
12. Friendship
“Friendship” offers a brilliant showcase for comedian Tim Robinson, with director Andrew DeYoung expertly matching his surreal energy without letting the film devolve into a series of sketches. The result is a side-splittingly hilarious exploration of fractured masculinity, perfectly complementing Robinson’s unique comedic voice.
11. Materialists
Celine Song’s “Materialists” proves itself to be anything but a typical romantic comedy. It’s a cynically moving and honest take on modern love in the age of dating apps, expertly navigating the genre’s tropes while subverting them with a keen understanding of the lies we tell ourselves and each other.
10. The Love That Remains
Hlynur Pálmason’s “The Love That Remains” is another near-masterpiece from the acclaimed Icelandic filmmaker, showcasing his unparalleled ability to manipulate environment and tone. It’s a quiet, intimate look at a family bound by the immense, unyielding power of nature, with a charming dog stealing every scene.
9. Yes!
Nadav Lapid’s “Yes!” is a direct and unsparing confrontation of complicity and shame within Israeli society. With his signature dynamic flair, Lapid uses excess as a sharpened knife to expose the heartlessness of local indifference, leaving no room for ambiguity in his powerful statement against the regime’s war crimes.
8. The Secret Agent
Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent” is a gripping and stylistically bold examination of Brazil’s military dictatorship, weaponizing its generic title to illustrate the subversion forced upon a population seeking basic equalities. Anchored by Wagner Moura’s disarmingly subdued performance, it’s Mendonça’s most direct assertion of his nation’s tumultuous past.
7. Die, My Love
Lynne Ramsay’s long-awaited return, “Die, My Love,” features a whirlwind performance from Jennifer Lawrence as a young mother grappling with mental distress and postpartum depression. Ramsay’s unrelenting subjectivity and the raw commitment of her actors make this a blunt yet nuanced exploration of the darkest corners of the human mind.
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6. Resurrection
Bi Gan’s “Resurrection” is arguably his crowning achievement, a towering display of ambitious craft that links loose ideas into a cohesive, dreamlike whole. It’s an aesthetic trip through the void of timelessness, featuring a requisite Bi Gan long take that pushes the boundaries of cinematic scale and pacing, signaling a significant step forward for the medium.
5. The Mastermind
Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” continues her deconstruction of genre conventions, this time with a heist film that slowly unravels to expose the pitfalls of American capitalism. Wrapped in her signature hushed visual and auditory command, it’s a distinct and acidic look at a nation in shambles, where short-sighted ambitions lead to self-destruction.
4. Sirât
Óliver Laxe’s “Sirât” is a film that seeps beneath your skin, observing a cataclysmic world conflict from the margins. It demonstrates a thorough understanding of the bare-bones intuition at the core of its rave-ready tunes, creating a vision of an ending world made numb by its own truths, leaving a burning sensation that latches onto your inner essence.
3. It Was Just An Accident
Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident” is a viscerally penetrating examination of the abusive Iranian state’s impact on its people, even when seemingly freed. Panahi’s stylistic restraint and casually breathless long takes reveal how easily righteousness can wither when the opportunity arises for a misplaced sense of justice.
2. Urchin
Harris Dickinson’s scathingly empathetic directorial debut, “Urchin,” solidifies his position as a crucial rising talent. Frank Dillane embodies the naked realities of modern-day homelessness with profound respect for the character, while Dickinson’s direction treats the subject matter with exceptional grace and urgency, making it one of the best debut films of 2025.
1. Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is the culmination of his cultural acumen and fervent artistic ambition. This horror period piece, featuring Michael B. Jordan, is a boisterous and layered unfurling of America’s beauty and its ugliest tendencies. Coogler’s deep appreciation for music as a building block of his nation’s culture is translated into a film that reminds you of the profound value of the cinematic experience.
The Final Verdicts: As we round out our first look at the top films of 2025, it’s clear the year has already delivered an exceptional and varied cinematic slate. Each movie on this list, whether a critically acclaimed drama or a surprising blockbuster, has contributed to a rich and engaging viewing experience. Thank you for reading!