The Ten Best Films I Saw in 2025
Some old, some new, some borrowed from a dodgy stream, but no blue movies.
When I shared my favourite films of the year in 2023, almost a dozen people unsubscribed from the newsletter. This had never happened before. Was my taste so bad that they felt their inbox had been sullied? I hope not. But I am slightly reluctant to share this similarly haphazard list.
10. If I Had Four Dromedaries (Chris Marker, 1966)
One of my dreams is to make a film composed entirely of still images. Chris Marker—best known for La Jeteé, the short, still-image movie that inspired 12 Monkeys—provides the perfect template here.
9. Game (John Minton, 2025)
Thrilling high-concept rave-era drama about a guy who has been in a car crash and is then taunted by a poacher (Jason Williamson from Sleaford Mods) in a wood. Produced and soundtracked by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow for a measly £250k, it deserves to be picked up for proper release.
8. The Mahabharata (Peter Brook, 1989)
We watched this epic in a hip Neapolitan cinema after a long day of travelling. My wife, Laura Gonzalez, is a Sanskrit scholar and knows the mythological background. I was just happy to enjoy hearing the stories told for the first time.
7. I am not your negro (Raoul Peck, 2016)
Remarkable biopic of a remarkable man. James Baldwin is the Quentin Crisp of black men: witty, dandiacal, waspish, cultured. I also enjoyed watching some of Peck’s other films, The Young Karl Marx and Ernest Cole: Lost and Found.
6. Barcelona (Whit Stillman, 1994)
A few months ago, I saw Whit Stillman in person at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh and enjoyed the muddy 35mm screening of his debut movie, Metropolitan, but we had more fun watching Barcelona. Wonderfully witty.
5. Frankenstein (Guillermo Del Toro, 2025)
Low expectations always help. And I enjoyed this baroque movie set partly in Edinburgh. Begins ludicrously, but develops into something quite enchanting.
4. I Know Where I’m Going (Powell and Pressburger, 1945)
A year without Powell and Pressburger would be sad indeed. This fantasy romance was the most charming film I saw in 2025.
3. The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
One of the most thrilling films I’ve seen for a long time. It is politically incorrect, grubby, wayward—everything that the AI aesthetic of our era is incapable of being.
2. All the President’s Men (Alan J Pakula, 1976)
With the death of Robert Redford, we looked for a film to honour him by watching. This seemed the obvious choice, especially as it is the third in Pakula’s peerless conspiracy trilogy (the others are Klute and The Parallax View). It is the most consistently brilliant of the three.
1. Shifty (Adam Curtis, 2025)
My wife tells me that this is not a film but television. However, I think we would better appreciate TV if we saw shows as unbearably long movies. Awesome footage, bonkers narrative. Lots to chew on, lots to ponder. The overall message, that the current politicians are lost and that change is coming, is strong.
An interesting list. Gene Hackman is such a brilliant actor.