2025 had so many good films that a few are bound to get lost in the shuffle. There are a few obvious award contenders, with such heavy-hitters as Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) and Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein) that are sure to grace some end-of-the-year lists. There were even plenty of genre highlights, with James Gunn's Superman reinvigorating superhero movies and Ryan Coogler's Sinners making horror more grand.
But there were even more compelling films than that, ranging from another David Cronenberg body-horror nightmare to a surprise from a Japanese cinema legend. There was even some fresh talent this year that composed compelling dramas about juggling family and dealing with trauma. These 2025 movies might've been missed, but they shouldn't be forgotten.
'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'
A24
Centering around death and trauma, there's an oddly cathartic appeal to On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. While dressed as Missy Elliot for a costume party in Zambia, Shula discovers her uncle's dead body in the middle of the road. As the funeral arrangements are underway, Shula reconnects with her family, who reveal a history of abuse and how her uncle was far from a great man. What follows is a bitter family drama about how the darkness of the past is far too vile to be kept swept under the rug.
Writer and director Rungano Nyoni took an unorthodox approach to how On Becoming a Guinea Fowl tackles unresolved family conflict. The muted Shula will often stare in disbelief at her apologetic family's favoring of sexist traditions and quirks, seeking more comfort in nostalgic television. There are some scenes of comfort amid the darkness that coats a funeral for a flawed man, but Nyoni never makes those feelings easy to decipher. There's a surreal, stylish edge to how this film approaches these uncomfortable topics, making it feel hauntingly intriguing.
'Broken Rage'
Amazon MGM Studios
Takeshi Kitano can still master the gritty, absurd, and meta with Broken Rage. Directed by and starring the revered Japanese talent, the film tells the story of a hitman in two different tones. After a stern approach with Takeshi as a cold killer, the story repeats as a comedy, loaded with slapstick, rat costumes, and musical chairs. In between all this genre-shifting are text conversations between the production team, arguing whether Takeshi's film is a mess or exactly the type of experiment he'd favor.
Broken Rage brilliantly showcases the duality of Takeshi's penchant for crime and comedy. From his amusing game show, Takeshi's Castle, to his hard-boiled yakuza thriller, Sonatine, the actor still knows how to toy with convention in his older years. He goes hard when staging a crime story with different genre flavors, going for quiet stoicism and extreme laughs. The result is a highly unorthodox Japanese film that only Takeshi would dare to make.
'Sly Lives!'
Sly Stone from Sly Lives!
Hulu
Questlove is making a name for himself with another stellar music documentary, Sly Lives. The legacy of Sly Stone is revealed through both archival footage of his most iconic songs and those most inspired by his music. Preventing the film from becoming routine, there's a lyrical approach that paints a more compelling picture of Sly's lasting impact than a mere recount of his history.
Questlove is either a great interviewer or has the best luck with his talking heads. Nearly every voice speaks with this deep appreciation for Sly, but in a manner that even those who don't identify as music geeks can see the appeal. The archival footage is also skillfully edited in an exciting way, where you're sure to recognize a handful of Stone's legendary music. If documentary filmmaking were a musical instrument, Questlove is belting out the most amazing tunes with it.
'Final Destination Bloodlines'
Tony Todd from Final Destination Bloodlines.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Final Destination Bloodlines gave the Final Destination franchise a fresh coat of characters worth caring about. While still bound by the same gruesome aspects of premonitions, there's an added dose of mystery. Why would a modern-day college student like Stefani be having a premonition of mass death from the 1960s? It's a question that leads her to some dark discoveries about her family's past and further unravels a curse left behind by the previous generation.
There was a lot of fun to be had in Final Destination Bloodlines, given its absurd bounty of gore involving everything from garbage trucks to MRI machines. But the added intrigue and a family worth caring about make it easier to be invested in who will be next for the Grim Reaper's elaborate traps. Not only was Bloodlines one of the best Final Destination sequels, but it also gave a fitting conclusion to the late Tony Todd, who appears one last time as William Bludworth.
'Friendship'
A24
Tim Robinson's anxiety-infused sketch comedy translated well to the big screen for Friendship. Robinson played a husband and father who struggles with finding male friends. He has a chance at making such a relationship work with his ambitious neighbor, played by Paul Rudd. But when a social faux pas ends that friendship, Robinson becomes more unstable as his life implodes in more ways than one.
Although Friendship has its hilarious moments, its darker thoughts on inadequacy make it even more intriguing. There are equal parts humor and pity for Tim's character, who wants to feel a grander sense of camaraderie, but can't figure out how to attain it. Everything from his over-the-top meltdowns to his inability to decipher drug trips makes this guy’s plight all too familiar, so laughter might be the only way to cope. Robinson is proving that his comedy can extend beyond the bite-sized skit format, as he also proved in his latest show, The Chair Company.
'Left-Handed Girl'
Netflix
On the streets of Taiwan, the single Shu-Fen is trying to get a noodle shop up and running while caring for her two daughters, but with the mounting economic pressures of a street market environment, problems arise. Her youngest, I-Jing, believes her left hand is the devil, thanks to her grandparents' terrible advice. Her oldest, I-Ann, can't hold down a job and is right in the middle of an affair with a pregnancy. Only honesty will help this family get through the most challenging times.
If Left-Handed Girl sounds like a Sean Baker movie, that's because it was directed by Baker's longtime producer, Shih-Ching Tsou. It has that familiar vibe of dire straits from films like The Florida Project and Tangerine (especially given its iPhone-shot aesthetic), but with surprisingly more heartfelt and hopeful notes. So, if Baker's award-winning Anora has you craving more of that raw, personal appeal, Shih-Ching Tsou should satisfy that urge for street drama more relatable than fantastical.
'Black Bag'
Black Bag
Focus Features
Steven Soderbergh has made one of the smartest and sexiest thrillers with Black Bag. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play a married couple who also work together at an intelligence agency. When a mole is suspected in a virus case, their relationship is put to the ultimate test amid potentially untrustworthy coworkers.
In addition to boasting Soderbergh's engrossing style of camera work, Black Bag is a slick ride of intrigue. The 94 minutes zip by with characters smart enough to play mind games and deceive each other in more ways than one. Throughout the investigation, there is a potent sexual tension between Fassbender and Blanchett, so irresistible that even their friends can't help but blush. If you like your spy thrillers to have brains as much as style, Black Bag is the complete package.
'The Shrouds'
Sphere Films
David Cronenberg returned with a different type of body horror for The Shrouds. The grieving businessman Karsh (Vincent Cassel) takes a strange comfort in the death of his wife with his GraveTech business. His high-tech graveyards allow visitors to view the corpse within the coffin through a display on the headstone. When the cemetery is vandalized, however, Karsh becomes more paranoid about his company's security and believes his wife's death was not a matter of illness.
The Shrouds still boasts Cronenberg's usual flair for the grotesque, erotic, and disorienting, but with an added dose of coping with mortality. Karsh's investigation becomes complicated with messy relationships, manipulative artificial intelligence, and the constant uncertainty of a conspiracy. The film is a fascinating thriller, not just for how it weaves a complex web, but for the tantalizing, chilling notion that maybe death isn’t the result of some great intrigue. Sometimes people just die, and it's a hard truth to accept as Karsh digs deep for answers that may not be there.
