The Best Films of 2025

The year 2025 was curious for cinema: established directors tested unexpected paths, recent novelties were consolidated and some stories showed that there is still room for a lot of creativity.

In the midst of so much happening, some titles stood out not for their greatness or importance, but for the clarity with which they speak to our time, both politically and in more specific aspects, such as tensions, fears and contradictions.

The list below brings together films that managed to spark conversation, stir up critics and the public, move us or simply remind us that it’s still worth going to the cinema!

The Best Films of 2025

10 – The Hour of Evil (Weapons)Zach Cregger

Cregger continues to disconcert audiences with bold stories and uncomfortable twists. The film captures us precisely because it brings extreme situations where there should normally be safety – like a kindergarten.

What remains, then, is a feeling of restlessness. There are almost no jump scares, the scares are punctual and well placed, and we leave with a strange satisfaction, even with the brutal conclusion.

The Evil Hour is available on HBO Max.

9 – Guerreiras do K-Pop (K-Pop Demon Hunters)Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans

The animation mixes adventure, humor and contemporary pop culture references to tell a story about unity and identity. The look has personality and plays with the languages ​​of clips, games and the dynamics of stages around the world.

The film is built in a very classic format, that afternoon session of comfort to watch with the family, but there is still a light commentary on the pressure of living under public expectations. And, of course, the songs are sensational and have already become a cultural phenomenon.

K-Pop warriors is available on Netflix.

8 – The Son of a Thousand Men, Daniel Rezende

Rezende adapts Valter Hugo Mãe with delicacy, valuing the affection and estrangement that are part of the original work. The story deals with belonging and family reinvention in a sensitive way, but without making the narrative too saccharine.

It’s a film that was highly anticipated by fans of the Portuguese writer and, in the end, welcomes all those people who eagerly awaited the adaptation.

The Son of a Thousand Men is available on Netflix.

7 – Bring Her BackMichael and Danny Philippou

The duo maintains the pace they’ve become known for (they directed the great Talk to me2022). But, here, there is more investment in the characters’ emotional wounds and their consequences, putting a slight emphasis on body horror. The film balances physical terror, psychological suspense and a more intimate look at grief and the need for control.

This is one of those films that leaves you tossing and turning in agony even after it ends. In the end, it is another positive step in the brothers’ careers.

Make Her Come Back is available on HBO Max.

6 – Valor Sentimental (Sentimental Value)Joachim Trier

Trier resumes his emotional dramas with the usual emotional precision, observing people who try to put together what’s left of them after successive crises. The story unfolds slowly, but with intensity.

It’s the kind of family drama so well aligned that it seems like we ourselves are part of that reality. A mix of fiction with very real feelings.

5 – BugoniaYorgos Lanthimos

It’s no surprise that Lanthimos is one of the most prominent directors in Hollywood today. Here again, he constructs a twisted fable about consciousness and escape, connecting the story with the audience through embarrassingly realistic aspects. The narrative progresses with a bizarrely charming form of humor.

One of the best sides of the Greek director is the one that focuses on confusion and lack of understanding, however, without hiding his sharp criticisms – in this case, about power and manipulation.

4 – It Was Just an AccidentJafar Panahi

Panahi works with minimal resources, but draws from it a profound observation about injustice and revenge. All of this happens in an oppressive setting, which is Iran, reflecting issues that have a lot to do with the director’s own life.

The power of this film lies in the unsaid: production was carried out in secret, without authorization from the country’s government, so each choice carries real weight and expands the political discourse of resistance.

3 – One Battle After AnotherPaul Thomas Anderson

PTA delivers a film that always seems on the verge of going off the rails, only on purpose. There are lost characters, confrontations and moments of strange humor, which, together, form a portrait of very human obsessions.

It seems like the kind of film that we watch out of obligation, that “I have to watch the new PTA film that everyone is talking about” spirit. However, in the end, it is much more fun than it initially seemed.

2 – The Secret AgentKleber Mendonça Filho

Another national work full of political tension, a portrait of a time that still leaves many Brazilians apprehensive. The film is strong in several ways and provides an important historical reflection on memory.

Producing politicized works has become a challenge, but Brazilian cinema found its way into one of its best phases. Furthermore, it is a reinforcement for the public to remember art as a tool of resistance.

1 – SinnersRyan Coogler

Coogler builds a story about faith and representation in a tense period setting, with characters so interesting that each could sustain their own film. Despite being very focused on US culture and the historical fight against racism in that country, you can identify a lot with the plot and take away the deepest aspects of it.

Special emphasis on the way Coogler uses sound as a narrative element, as the music becomes almost a character in itself.

Sinners is available on HBO Max.

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