Film Comment’s Best Films of 2025 and the Conversation Shaping Modern Cinema
Right now, a lot of attention is being pulled toward Film Comment’s freshly released list of the Best Films of 2025, and it feels less like a simple ranking and more like a snapshot of where global cinema stands at this moment. The results were just published, and they reflect months of debate, passion, and careful viewing by Film Comment’s contributors, who looked across theatrical and virtual releases in the United States to decide which films truly defined the year.
What stands out immediately is how wide the lens is. These aren’t just crowd-pleasers or box-office giants. Instead, the list highlights films that dig into politics, memory, identity, desire, and power, often in challenging or unexpected ways. From Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling and paranoia-charged One Battle After Another at the top of the list, to meditative and intimate works further down, the message seems clear: 2025 was a year when filmmakers were willing to take risks, and those risks were rewarded.
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The poll also reminds us that cinema in 2025 was deeply international. Films from Iran, China, Brazil, France, South Korea, and beyond sit comfortably alongside American productions. That global mix gives the list a sense of urgency, as if these stories are speaking to one another across borders. Political repression, personal responsibility, fractured families, and shifting identities appear again and again, suggesting that filmmakers everywhere are responding to a world that feels unstable and unresolved.
What’s also interesting is how much emphasis is placed on performance and presence. Even when actors are not constantly on screen, their emotional weight carries these films forward. This is where broader conversations around performers like Kirsten Dunst often come into play. While she isn’t directly tied to this specific list, her career has long represented the kind of thoughtful, character-driven acting that Film Comment tends to celebrate. The attention paid to performances in these films echoes the same values that have kept actors like Dunst relevant in serious film culture for decades.
Beyond the list itself, Film Comment is turning this moment into an ongoing discussion. Individual ballots, podcasts, and upcoming features on short films, restorations, repertory releases, and standout performances are being rolled out, making this less of a one-day announcement and more of a season-long reflection on the art of film.
Taken together, the Best Films of 2025 list doesn’t just tell us what critics loved. It shows what mattered this year. It captures a cinematic landscape driven by curiosity, resistance, and emotional honesty, and it invites viewers to engage more deeply with films that challenge how stories are told and why they’re worth telling now.
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