focus – Rankings – The best films of 2025

End of the year, time for rankings! Below are the ten best films of 2025 according to the Cineforum editorial team!

1) One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson

2) A simple accident in Jafar Panahi

3) Father Mother Sister Brother di Jim Jarmusch

4) Romantic generation di Jia Zhangke

5) Under the leaves by François Ozon

6) The stolen painting in Pascal Bonitzer

7) A House of Dynamite The tinetalaleleld

8) Warfare — Time of war by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland

9) The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof

10) Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra

Here are the rankings of the individual editors:

CHIARA BORRONI
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Father Mother Sister Brother di Jim Jarmusch
3. Romantic generation di Jia Zhang-ke
4. The stolen painting in Pascal Bonitzer
5. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
6. The man in the woods by Alain Guiraudie
7. After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino
8. The voice of Hind Rajab at Kaouther ben Hania
9. The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof
10. Nineteen by Giovanni Tortorici

ROBERTO CHIESI (in alphabetical order)
1. The Brutalist by Brady Corbet
2. Bugonia di Yorgos Lanthimos
3. Die My Love Ramsay Lations
4. Eddington at Ari Aster
5. Out by Mario Martone
6. The master and Margherita di Mikhail Lokšin
7. The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof
8. The Shrouds by David Cronenberg
9. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
10. Under the leaves by François Ozon

BRUNO FORNARA (in no particular order)
1. The new year that doesn’t arrive by Bogdan Muresanu
2. The voice of Hind Rajab at Kaouther ben Hania
3. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
4. Under the leaves by François Ozon
5. House on fire di Dani of the Order
6. Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning by Chris McQuarrie
7. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
8. Warfare – Time of war on Alex Garland
9. Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra
10. My joy by Margherita Spampinato

MASSIMO LASTRUCCI
1. The score of life on Matthias Glasner
2. Father Mother Sister Brother di Jim Jarmusch
3. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
4. A Real Pain di Jesse Eisenberg
5. The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof
6. Warfare – Time of war on Alex Garland
7. Bobo by Pippo Delbono
8. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
9. Under the leaves by François Ozon
10. The sinners on Ryan Coogler

ROBERTO MANASSERO
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. The stolen painting in Pascal Bonitzer
3. Father Mother Sister Brother di Jim Jarmusch
4. Young mothers by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
5. Filmlovers! by Arnaud Desplechin
6. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
7. Under the leaves by François Ozon
8. The man in the woods by Alain Guiraudie
9. Here on Robert Zemeckis
10. Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra

EMANUELA MARTINI
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Hello baby by Edgardo Pistone
3. The cities of the plain by Francesco Sossai
4. A Complete Unknown by James Mangold
5. Dreams + Sex + Love di Dag Johan Haugerud
6. Romantic generation di Jia Zhang-ke
7. Inconvenient truths di Mike Leigh
8. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
9. Under the leaves by François Ozon
10. The Ugly Stepsister di Emilie Blichfeldt

FEDERICO PEDRONI
1. A House of Dynamite The tinetalaleleld
2. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Dreams di Dag Johan Haugerud
4. The Ugly Stepsister di Emilie Blichfeldt
5. Together on Michael Shanks
6. The voice of Hind Rajab at Kaouther ben Hania
7. After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino
8. The last round by Petra Volpe
9. Die My Love Ramsay Lations
10. The Mastermind on Kelly Reichardt

ADRIANO PICCARDI
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. A House of Dynamite The tinetalaleleld
3. Warfare – Time of war on Alex Garland
4. Romantic generation di Jia Zhang-ke
5. Out by Mario Martone
6. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
7. Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra
8. Dreams di Dag Johan Haugerud
9. Under the leaves by François Ozon
10. The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof

LORENZO ROSSI
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Romantic generation di Jia Zhang-ke
3. Filmlovers di Arnaud Désplechin
4. A simple accident in Jafar Panahi
5. Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra
6. The stolen painting in Pascal Bonitzer
7. The man in the woods by Alain Guiraudie
8. After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino
9. The seed of the sacred fig di Muhammad Rasoulof
10. Here on Robert Zemeckis

ALESSANDRO UCCELLI
1. One battle after another in Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Maria by Pablo Larraín
3. No Other Land di Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
4. Father Mother Sister Brother di Jim Jarmusch
5. The cities of the plain by Francesco Sossai
6. Frankenstein by Guillermo Del Toro
7. Lobsters in Manhattan by Alonso Ruizpalacios
8. In his image by Thierry de Peretti
9. The Quinta Inquadratura of “the Pier” by Dominique Cabrera
10. Bugonia di Yorgos Lanthimos