Ronit J

Top 10 Movies of 2025! It’s that time of the year again, and honestly, I’m just a smidge happier this time around. This year, I watched more movies than last year. Plus, I feel like the overall quality of my watchlist this year was better and included more world cinema.

Of course, all this is subjective, but still. This year, I only watched 7 short films and 11 rewatches. Meaning, I watched 89 brand new films, 82 of which were features! And in case you’re wondering, here’s what my year in film looks like:

If you want to check it out, you can see my 2025 Film Diary on Letterboxd for the full list along with my ratings.

Now, for the important bit. Here’s my list of top 10 movies of 2025. This year, I also decided to rank my top 10. However, it’s important to note that ranks 1-6 are sort of interchangeable; think of them as a 6-way-tie. I only maintained a ranking for the sake of clarity and format. But, those 6 are absolute best of the best.

Note: Not all of these movies released in 2025; I watched them all this year for the first time this year.

Honorary Mentions (almost made it to my Top 10 Movies of 2025 list):

These 4 almost made it to my list, but missed it by the narrowest of margins. But, once you see the list, you might be inclined to agree.

Reviews of the honorary mentions, if you want to check them out:

• Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) dir. Ariane Louis-Seize
• Flow (2024) dir. Gints Zilbalodis
• Midsommar (2019) dir. Ari Aster
• Fresh (2022) dir. Mimi Cave

10) How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024) dir. Pat Boonnitipat

This was one of the first films I watched in 2025, and what an emotionally moving experience! Heartwarming for the most part, heartbreaking with its themes, this film quite honestly still gives me a warm feeling when I think about it. A grandson buttering up his terminally ill grandmother in hopes of inheriting her fortune, only for them to genuinely develop a meaningful relationship? How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies pulls at all the right heartstrings, and leaves you with a bittersweet feeling and a smile on your face.

Check out my full review.

Also, this is the only heartwarming film of the list. Every other film here is either depressing or dark.

9) Aftersun (2022) dir. Charlotte Wells

I remember Aftersun making a lot of waves in 2022 when it first released. I wish I had watched it then, because this was such an emotionally devastating experience. Raw and reel, Charlotte Wells’ semi-autobiographical drama beautifully and realistically portrays a quaint vacation from the perspective of a young girl. Few movies get children right, and this is one of them. But, it’s the relationship, the brutal honesty and grey reality of this film that has stayed with me. And that ending!

Even months later, I still ponder over this film’s scenes, trying to remember and make sense of these memories quite like Sophie and the filmmaker herself.

Check out my full review.

8) The Zone of Interest (2023) dir. Jonathan Glazer

Unsettling and unfortunately relevant, I wholeheartedly understand the hype around this film. I originally thought this was Oscar-bait, but I was wrong. In some sense, this reminded me of Son of Saul, another brutally discomforting drama about a concentration camp.

From its technical finesse to its deliberate aesthetics, The Zone of Interest poses a very important question about human apathy and neglect towards atrocities. After all, there’s a genocide that’s been trending on social media for years now, but no one seems to want to stop it. Rather, people want it to stop, but the powers that be aren’t listening.

Read out my full review.

7) Red Rooms (2023) dir. Pascal Plante

Obsession over true crime in the internet age… portrayed beautifully and with style. Pascal Plante’s harrowing psychological horror-thriller is equal parts bold and unsettling. Kelly-Anne as a reclusive Dark Web lurker, who also doubles as a model and an online poker-player, is quite the morally confounding protagonist. And she’s a large part of what makes this film so special.

Disclaimer: This film is not for everyone. But, if you have the stomach for the kind of themes and plot points this film explores, it’s an absolute must watch.

Check out my full review.

6) Santosh (2024) dir. Sandhya Suri

If there’s one film that I had to choose to recommend off this list, it’s Santosh.

Banned in India for obvious reasons, Santosh explores caste, misogyny and islamophobia, three of the worst things plaguing our society. Three things that have exacerbated since 2014. Whether you watch this film as a student of cinema or a student of politics, this film is sure to leave you a changed person. And, it will anger you. But, in my opinion, it’s movies like these that need to be made tax free. But, the fascists in power will do everything to stop such brutally real stories from reaching the people.

Check out my full review.

5) No Other Choice (2025) dir. Park Chan-Wook

I love Park Chan-Wook, and this is only one of two films on this list.

Relevantly heartbreaking, this black comedy about a laid-off man doing morally black things to improve his chances of converting a job interview speaks volumes about the abysmal corporate culture we’re all a part of. AI is making everything worse, and companies only care about profits. In the midst of all this, it’s real human beings whose lives and livelihoods are affected. As hilarious as this film is, it is also gets very real and can be hard to watch. But, as expected of the legendary filmmaker, it is captivating, thought-provoking, and emotionally moving.

Read my full review.

4) Sinners (2025) dir. Ryan Coogler

That one musical sequence that transcends time alone is a testament to this film’s cinematic strengths. Anyone who tells you Sinners is overrated is either a racist or a contrarian for contrarianism’s sake. Sinners is objectively one of the finest mainstream films made in recent times, and it deserves every accolade it has received. I genuinely can’t help but wonder how much more attention this film would have gotten if it weren’t made by a black man.

Read my full review.

3) The Handmaiden (2016) dir. Park Chan-Wook

Park Chan-Wook, I realise, not only makes it to my top 10 list twice in one year, he’s occupied 2/5 top 5 spots.

The Handmaiden is a cinematic masterpiece. A dense, nuanced, and complex story, with each part completely flipping the film’s narrative, The Handmaiden is a reminder of what cinema is truly capable of. Fantastic storytelling, I liked this one a smidge more than No Other Choice because of its technical finesse and aesthetics. But, I just want to remind. you here that 1-6 are more-or-less on equal footing. A 6-way tie, that I’ve broken purely based on my biases and subjectivity.

However, there’s no denying that this film is a gorgeous, mind-boggling masterpiece. Read my full review

2) One Battle After Another (2025) dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

One Battle After Another is being hailed as one of the best films of the year, and with good reason. This is cinema at its finest. Be it the story, the characters, the narrative, the visuals, you name it and it’s probably going to feature in this year’s top 10 list. Everything about this movie is superlatively stellar. I don’t just give movies 5-stars for nothing.

Read my full review.

1) It Was Just An Accident (2025) dir. Jaffar Panahi

My favourite contemporary filmmaker won the Palme d’Or for this film. Call this my bias, but I loved this film through and through. What starts with an unassuming family driving on a dark road devolves into this emotionally charged drama of vengeance and trauma that says a lot without telling you anything concrete.

I love Jafar Panahi’s work, and this is certainly a great example of it. I haven’t seen all 22 nominees of the Palme d’Or, but having watched this one, I have no complaints about the winner. The best cinematic experience of the year for me. This film was to Iran what Santosh is to India.

Read my full review.

Closing Remarks

What a year 2025 has been. I wanted to watch more movies than last year, ad I succeeded. Plus, I found such gems! I also made a video for my YouTube Channel, if you’d like to check it out:

What do you think about my Top 10 Movies of 2025 list? Agree or disagree, let me know in the comments below!

Also, let me know what were your favourite films of 2025? I’m always happy to get recommendations.

Check out:

• Top 10 TV Shows of 2025
• Top 10 Books of 2025
• Island of the Dying Goddess

Hope y’all had a great 2025. Until next time!