The 10 Most… Original / Moving / Creative / Enthralling / Memorable / Impressive / Enlightening … Films of 2025
Dustin Chase
#1. “Sinners” directed by Ryan Coogler
A period-style gangster film that’s also a horror film rooted in music? Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther,” “Creed”) conjures up an experience that’s equal parts original on all fronts and entertaining start to finish. Layered beyond belief with subtext extending to history, cinema, and even Coogler’s own upbringing. It’s a melting pot of brilliance; every character is fascinating, led by Michael B. Jordan. Impeccably shot, edited, and scored, it’s a wild cinematic journey that breaks all genre barriers.
#2. “Hamnet” directed by Chloe Zhao
As if “Nomadland” wasn’t enough to prove Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao’s understanding of people and place, she wows us again with this delicate balance of nature and heartache. There is an ethereal quality to “Hamnet” and how it’s presented cinematically. More than a love story or one about loss, it’s healing and cathartic. Led by two of the best performances of the year, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, the duo deliver some of the best work of their careers. Moving beyond belief without a false or unearned tear, Zhao takes a simple human story and allows us all to feel something.
#3. “The History of Sound” directed by Oliver Hermanus
Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal is the MVP of heartbreak this year, but co-star Josh O’ Connor wins the prize for most high-profile films in a single year (“Wake Up Dead Man,” “Rebuilding,” “The Mastermind”). Oliver Hermanus crafts one of the saddest films of our time. A beautifully humble romance set in the early 1900s, in which two men travel through Maine recording folk songs. A nearly perfect exercise in restraint, Mescal again breaks our hearts while both European actors playing Americans deliver the year’s most palpable chemistry. “The History of Sound” is another film that relies heavily on sound and song.
#4. “Sentimental Value” directed by Joachim Trier
An intricate story about family and the negative effects of neglect from one’s pursuit of art, in this case, cinema. Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” is complex and told in what feels like a Rubik’s cube until everything masterfully aligns in the end. The entire cast will likely receive individual Oscar nominations as each performance aids the film’s brilliance. Funny in spurts, devastating in others, the screenplay is as rich with quotable moments as it is with the unsaid ones. It also contains a particular duality within the narrative that will be talked about and studied for years.
#5. “Train Dreams” directed by Clint Bentley
With “Sinners” being the loud film on top, it’s curious the following four entries are quiet, peaceful and solemn. Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams” is the quietest of the entire list. A film that begs and ultimately challenges us to be quiet and soak up the experience it offers. Joel Edgerton gives an equally reserved performance in an all-star cast. “Train Dreams” takes place almost entirely outdoors and boasts some of the year’s more unforgettable cinematography. Quiet as it may be, “Train Dreams” is an emotionally effective look at the small things in life. The final sequence of the film is a perfect blend of performance, visuals, editing and narration as you will find anywhere.
The remaining films on my best list this year consist of “Twinless” starring Dylan O’Brien who should be up for award consideration, but not enough people saw that unique and quirky film about the loss of a twin. Jodie Foster’s more lighthearted detective story “A Private Life,” out later this year, is a film right out of the 90’s. One of the more enjoyable experiences at the cinema. Another genre bending film “The Assessment” starring Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen was seen by few but stood out with its suspense and “Gattaca” like feel. One of those rare science fiction-lite thrillers that keeps you guessing until the end. Josh O’Connor’s second standout film was “Rebuilding,” about a cowboy left farmless after a wildfire. A beautiful story about giving and helping each other. Finally, a film reviewed only out of assignment, “Sovereign” proved to be one of the year’s most shocking in its ability to enrage the viewer. Exploring the lives of the cult of people calling themselves sovereign citizens. Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay give tremendous performances.