This is the second of two posts detailing my top 20 films of 2025. I previously ran you through my best films of 2025 (20-11) and now it’s time to unveil the top ten.

10) Hard Truths

After a couple of historical dramas (the excellent Mr Turner and the underwhelming Peterloo), director Mike Leigh returned to the kitchen sink improvised drama he’s most notable for. Leigh reunites with Secrets and Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who plays Pansy Deacon, a woman with a short temper who criticises anything and everything. She lives with her quiet plumber husband, Curtley (David Webber) and overweight and jobless but kind-hearted adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett). It quickly becomes apparent, though, that Pansy is a deeply troubled woman battling severe anxiety and depression and her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin) tries to ease her out of it.

Hard Truths is another excellent addition in Leigh’s filmography – often very funny but simultaneously devastating. An early scene in a supermarket is particularly rib-tickling as Pansy comes to blows with fellow customers. That devastation slowly invades the humour, though, as the film progresses, and the result is one of Leigh’s most crushing works. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is phenomenal as Pansy, but her performance is matched by both Webber and Barrett as her husband and son and the dynamic between the three of them is perfectly judged. I really felt for all of them and could understand their perspectives on the simmering situation. My only criticism is at 94 minutes, it’s a rather brief film and I wanted to spend more time with these fascinating characters.

• Read the full Hard Truths review

9) The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is an enthralling Iranian political drama about a family who are torn apart by politics. The film opens as the patriarch Iman (Missagh Zareh) gets a promotion when he is appointed as an investigating judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. This is amidst nationwide political protests against the authoritarian government, and Iman quickly learns that he’s not been hired to carefully gather the facts before casting judgement – instead, he’s expected to simply approve judgements without assessing the evidence, which includes death sentences. His wife, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) lives at home with two daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), and all of their relationships become strained once a friend of Rezvan’s is shot in the face during a demonstration and Najmeh and her daughters provide first aid in their apartment without telling Iman.

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, an individual who has been arrested several times by the Iranian government for the nature of his films, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is utterly transfixing and the 167 minutes fly by. The characters are brilliantly developed and there’s a real tension in how the family situation continues to escalate before reaching its wild third act. Although this got an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the ceremony celebrating 2024, it’s a much stronger film in my view than It Was Just An Accident (which is still very good), which has received rapturous acclaim ahead of the upcoming Awards season – don’t overlook this film.

8) Marty Supreme

Marty Supreme is Josh Safdie’s first film as a solo director since 2008, after his many collaborations with his brother Benny. This sports drama is loosely inspired by the life and career of American table tennis player Marty Reisman, and stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Mauser, an aspiring and ambitious table tennis champion. It’s a film Safdie has been wanting to make for a while, with Chalamet cast all the way back in 2018, the actor practicing the sport ever since.

This is a brilliant sports drama with a terrific Timothée Chalamet central performance and a tension-filled atmosphere. It reminded me heavily of Uncut Gems, the last film the Safdies directed together, in how it sustains a palpable tension throughout with Marty continually digging himself into more desperate situations. That Josh Safdie has been able to make such a gripping film out of what may seem like a low-stakes sport is a commendable achievement. The film is stunningly shot by Darius Khondji, with a seedy aesthetic that faithfully recreates a 1950s feel and there’s a pulsating score by Daniel Lopatin that dominates over the entire film. This is a wild thrill ride from start to finish that never lets you take a breather and it’s impressive how Safdie gets you to root for a host of unlikeable characters.

• Read the full Marty Supreme review here
  

7) Caught Stealing

It might seem strange that Darren Aronofsky chose to direct what appears to be a straight-up crime thriller, an adaptation of the 2004 Charlie Huston novel – after all, he’s known for his psychological dramas that explore broken and conflicted individuals. However, don’t worry because there’s plenty of Aronofsky to be found in this darkly original film. Caught Stealing is a wildly unpredictable ride from start to finish that holds no punches in its brutal approach. Aronofsky is on top form here, and the film is directed with real flair, with plenty of his trademark grimness. This is a film that’s often wince-inducing and blackly comic, often at the same time. It has a real kineticism, and there’s some excellent set pieces, especially a third act car chase. But there’s also heart and I really brought the electic mix of characters trying to survive in a grimily realised New York City.

Austin Butler is terrific as Hank, a deeply troubled individual who’s struggling to get himself out of a vicious cycle. Aronofsky gives the character plenty of meat to the bone. Matt Smith is having fun as the drug dealer neighbour with an outrageous mohawk, and Regina King’s excellent as a deliciously slippery police detective. Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio are also brilliant as Lipa and Smully Drucker, Hasidic brothers who you really don’t want to mess with. The film’s vividly shot by Aronofsky’s regular cinematographer Matthew Libatique and there’s a fun post-punk score by British band Idles that’s been written by Rob Simonsen, who scored The Whale. I was surprised just how much I liked Caught Stealing, expecting it to be a minor work by Aronofsky after his last couple of films have explored some heavy subject matter, but this is up there with some of his best work.

• Read the full Caught Stealing review

6) Warfare

A war film directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, Warfare is based on Mendoza’s experiences during the Iraq War as a US Navy SEAL. The script and story is taken from the testimonies of the platoon members and presented in real time on one horrible day in November 2006 as the squad takes control of an Iraqi house under the cover of darkness. What follows is a bloody, pointless siege as the platoon comes under enemy attack. Mendoza previously acted as the military supervisor for Alex Garland’s excellent previous film, Civil War. For Warfare, Mendoza and Garland wrote the script together and although both filmmakers receive a director credit, Garland says he had more of a supporting role to Mendoza. All in, this film certainly has an original and intriguing concept.

Warfare is a powerful and gripping war film – a haunting meditation of the human experience without a forced story arc or political stance. Mendoza and Garland ratchet up the tension throughout, crafting an unnerving atmosphere that the platoon are going to be annihilated by the enemy, even though long stretches of the film are of the monotony of waiting around. There’s almost a documentary feel to cinematographer David J. Thompson’s cameras, which makes the experience all the more lifelike. The sound design, in particular stands out – this is a must-see in the cinema for the sound alone. I particularly admired how the film experiments with sound from the character’s perspective, for example a high-frequency, unearthly pitch after a bomb explodes. Save for an ending sequence, the film’s also devoid of music which really works – there are no artificial devices here to emotionally manipulate. Warfare is an incredibly immersive and visceral piece with a lean and mean quality to its pacing. I’m sure some who will criticise the film for not taking a political stance, like Garland was criticised for not doing with Civil War but that’s missing the point –Warfare is instead about the pointless destruction of war.

• Read the full Warfare review

5) I’m Still Here

I’m Still Here is a political biographical drama about a husband’s forced disappearance during the military dictatorship in Brazil and Walter Salles’ first film since 2012’s On The Road. It’s based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir of the same name, Marcelo being the son of Rubens Paiva, who was the victim in question. Fernanda Torres places Eunice Paiva, Rubens’ wife and activist, with the film largely told from her perspective and how she struggles to cope emotionally and financially, while trying to raise her five children. 

I found I’m Still Here to be a deeply affecting and gripping piece of work, masterfully directed by Walter Salles who skilfully contrasts the quiet family domesticity with the simmering and oppressive political horror. Although the film tells a story that happens in the past, I’m Still Here feels very contemporary with its mirroring of current dystopian events. The first hour is quite fast-paced, whereas the second is much slower but this is where the film really wraps its enchanting spell – it reminded me of Roma in many ways in terms of how it finds beauty in the mundane. The film’s complimented by a wonderful Warren Ellis score, which is very subdued in the first half but becomes more melodic later on. Although the majority of the film is set in 1970, the last half an hour jumps forward to 1996 and 2014. Although these somewhat disturb the film’s rhythm, they’re crucial in how they magnify the cruel Brazilian regime of 1970 and how the father’s disappearance continues to have a lasting effect on Eunice and the rest of her family’s lives, lending the film an epic quality. Fernanda Torres is just sensational as Eunice and fully deserving of the Best Actress Oscar nomination she received. She deftly balances her intelligence and frantic search for the truth while being as motherly as she can to her children. This is Walter Salles at the top of his game supported by terrific performances and an important, timely story.

• Read the full I’m Still Here review

4) The Brutalist

The Brutalist is an epic period drama directed by Brady Corbet, who last made the excellent Vox Lux. Undeniably more ambitious in scope, Corbet’s latest spans over thirty years and a three and a half hour run time. Adrien Brody plays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and Bauhaus-trained architect who immigrates to America and tries to integrate into their culture. Corbet directs the film with real bravura – although it’s about Tóth’s architectural career on the surface, there are plenty of parallels with the idea of how someone suffers for their art and how they are the person remembered rather than the entity throwing money at a project. Of course, that means there’s themes of compromise and interference and although its last 30 minutes may seem to take a different, seemingly incomprehensible tone, I found it very thought-provoking.

Adrien Brody turns in a career-best performance as the suffering artist, nailing the Slavic accent and mannerisms. Guy Pearce is also a standout as a slimy financier in a very multi-faceted performance. Pearce is no stranger to playing villains – his deliciously evil turn in Lawless is evidence of that – but this is a complex individual with all the qualities of someone who has too much money. I was less taken with Felicity Jones’ turn as Erszébet, who doesn’t feel as authentic as Brody or Pearce. But I don’t think all of the blame should be placed on Jones because her relationship with László is underdeveloped and in my opinion, that’s the film’s main flaw. Daniel Blumberg’s prickly score is wonderful, lending the film a simmering intensity and he crafts many memorable themes that develop throughout the film. The Brutalist is also beautifully shot by Lol Crawley, resurrecting the VistaVision process to authentically portray the period. It’s staggering how good the film looks, considering its modest $9.6 million budget and bearing in mind its epic run time. While not perfect, I loved The Brutalist, teeming with brilliant performances, a sharp script and endlessly striking visuals. Granted, some elements are underdeveloped but this is a film that earns its lengthy runtime and I was engrossed from start to finish. I can’t wait to see what Brady Corbet does next.

• Read the full The Brutalist review here
  
  Now into the top #3…

3) Zootopia 2

It’s very rare that a long-awaited sequel can better an outstanding original film. But Zootopia 2 did just that – a real treat of a film that takes everything there is to love about the original and develops it in a very satisfying way. The gags come quick and fast and there are so many small, clever details to find in repeat viewings, but this is balanced with plenty of heart and emotion too. Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush perfectly balance familiar elements that were the highlights of the original film, with new characters, gags and locations. There’s some fantastic set pieces, ranging from a kinetic opening car chase to a powerfully emotional sequence in a power plant. The film’s also intelligently relevant to current events, such as its depiction of a puppet-like mayor (a stallion hilariously voiced by Patrick Warburton) and the unjust persecution of minority races.

The chemistry between Nick and Judy is brilliant once again, from lots of laughs to be had in them being forced into a therapy session to their relationship being tested time and time again through events with real stakes. There’s some excellent additions to the cast, with Ke Huy Quan a highlight as Gary De’Snake, Patrick Warburton as the aforementioned Mayor and Danny Trejo as a basilisk. It’s all held together by an excellent score by Michael Giacchino, who introduces some memorable new themes. I can’t wait to see where the world and characters are taken next, and not only is it one of the best films of the year, Zootopia 2 is one of the best animated films of the decade, along with Soul and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

• Read the full Zootopia 2 review

2) One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another is a Paul Thomas Anderson triumph – it’s a giddily exciting action epic with plenty of thrilling surprises up its sleeve. It’s fiersomely original, Anderson constantly subverts expectations in a refreshing way with some outrageous set-pieces too. There’s two heart-racing car chases, with the one in the final act particularly memorable for how simple it is – cinematographer Michael Bauman (who also lensed Licorice Pizza) intercuts between three drivers and a stunning desert vista. A 20-minute extended sequence mid-way through the film where DiCaprio’s character needs to evade the authorities is another wildly entertaining highlight. But under the surface of this riveting story, Anderson has plenty to ruminate on the current state of American affairs but in a playful way with plenty of intelligent humour.

Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic in the lead, dabbling his hand at comedy once again after his last turn in the underrated Don’t Look Up. Once a sharp and intelligent explosives expert, Anderson gets a lot of mileage out of the character who fries his brain with drugs after 16 years and DiCaprio nails it. Is this one of his best roles? It’s hard to say because the actor is so good in almost everything he’s in. Sean Penn puts in career-best work as the bigoted Colonel Lockjaw, an utterly ridiculous and tragicomic racist military officer with a particularly memorable walk. Benicio Del Toro is another standout too as a chilled-as-a-cucumber karate teacher – “I’ve had a few small beers” has already entered the lexicon. The film is beautifully shot on VistaVision by Michael Bauman and Jonny Greenwood turns in a thoroughly unconventional but sensational score. One Battle After Another is a near-masterpiece from Paul Thomas Anderson and it’s certainly his best film since There Will Be Blood.

• Read the full One Battle After Another review

So the best film of the year is…

1) Weapons

The best film of the year is Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his excellent debut film, Barbarian. Like that film, Weapons is a high-concept horror-thriller that packs plenty of satisfying surprising its sleeve. The film opens with a child narrator explaining that one Wednesday, in the town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, seventeen children from schoolteacher Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) third-grade class ran away from their homes at 2:17am and disappeared. Only one student, Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) did not disappear and Gandy is immediately ostracised by the community who suspect her of being involved. To say anymore would be to veer into spoiler territory, but what follows is presented in a non-linear narrative told by certain character’s perspectives. Cregger has said the film is inspired by Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia in structure, whereby there’s overlap between certain stories.

Weapons is a brilliant film and cements Zach Cregger as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents. This is an assured, skilfully crafted film with some sensational set-pieces and clearly influenced by Magnolia and Prisoners in tone. amazing. Like Barbarian, Weapons hides some outrageous twists up its sleeve and is thematically rich, with lots of the symbolism and plot points up to interpretation. The way in which the film is split into chapters told by different character’s perspectives is an excellent way to tell the story, and it’s interesting to see how certain characters are likeable when portrayed from one perspective, but abhorrent from another. I was totally gripped from the moment Weapons opened to its finish with its enthralling story and pulse-raising setpieces. This is fiersomely original filmmaking and it’s expertly paced. Some might not like that the film has a reasonably neat explanation but I really brough the third act and found it particularly chilling and exciting.

• Read the full Weapons review

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What are your favourite films of 2024? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister

2025 has reached its end and that means it’s time to look back on the year just gone and unveil my top film picks. It was an overall very strong year, but strange in how lots of the heavy hitters came in waves. After a decent Awards season (some of the Best Picture-nominated films that released in the UK this year feature in this list), it was a veritable desert from March through to August bar a few exceptions. I’ve never seen such a quiet summer for tentpole releases – once Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Fantastic Four: First Steps had done their business, there was precious little.

But there was then a flurry of top-drawer films in the second half of August, with new works from Zach Cregger, Mike Flanagan, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Aster, before a second wave at the end of October into November. It was a tough job cramming in so many films in one go, which proved a real contrast to the frustrating dry spells in between.

Fortunately, there was more than enough good to mute out the bad and curating a top 20 list proved a significantly more difficult task than usual. In this first of two articles, I’ll list numbers 20 to 11. Stay tuned for part two, where I’ll unveil my top ten films of the year.

But first, a few honourable mentions that didn’t quite make the list – A Complete Unknown, Ballerina: From The World of John Wick, Hallow Road, Roofman, The Penguin Lessons and Tornado.

20) I Swear

Beginning proceedings is I Swear, a biographical drama that’s based on the true story of John Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome when the disorder wasn’t widely recognised. Davidson lived in Galashiels in Scotland in a working class family and the film follows his unconventional childhood at school through to how he navigates adult life. It’s directed by Kirk Jones, best known for making Waking Ned and Nanny McPhee. Like Jones’s previous films, I Swear has the same feel-good and infectiously upbeat spirit about it – it may tread familiar biopic territory but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t riveted from start to finish. Jones’s script is full of energy and there’s plenty of laughs to be had – but they are crucially always with the characters rather than at them. The director also doesn’t neglect to include some wince-inducing moments of some of the difficult situations Davidson faces to keep his story grounded – this film really gets you in the feels with its three-dimensional characters.

Although some may say the film sticks to a somewhat conventional biopic formula, I loved I Swear. It gets the tone just right – compassionate, but never pandering – and the performances are across the board. This is a film that reminds you that people can be good and I guarantee you’ll be leaving the cinema with a smile plastered on your face.

• Read the full I Swear review

19) The Smashing Machine

The Smashing Machine is Benny Safdie’s first time behind the camera without his brother Josh – the duo received acclaim for their collaborations with films such as Good Time and Uncut Gems. Dwayne Johnson stars as former amateur wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with the film taking place between 1997 and 2000, and Johnson turns in what is easily a career best performance as the wrestler who is often incredibly sweet and polite on the outside, but you know there’s a screw loose that could snap at any moment. This is a fascinating sports biopic and hats off to Safdie for deviating from the conventional biopic formula. The film has a cinéma vérité quality to it (not dissimilar from Darren Aronofsky‘s The Wrestler or Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher) and Safdie isn’t afraid to really dive deep into the complicated psyche of the heavyweight star – I was gripped throughout. The fight sequences are authentically brutal and there’s an interesting jazz-infused score by Nala Sinephro.

It’s interesting how The Smashing Machine has largely been shrugged as a film and I suspect it will be remembered only for Dwayne Johnson’s performance. But that’s a real shame because there’s a lot more going for it and Safdie really succeeds with diving into the inner psyche of the troubled fighter. Some have labelled the story as unremarkable, but that’s exactly the point – this is a film that’s about a fall from greatness and how a complicated individual such as Kerr navigates relationships and mental obstacles. This film really succeeds by looking past the sport’s shimmery gleam and how to accept and make the most of a mundane routine. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film gets a reappraisal in years to come.

• Read the full The Smashing Machine review here

18) Eddington

Ari Aster is one of the most exciting filmmakers currently working and after impressing many cinephiles with his first two horror films, Hereditary and Midsommar, his surrealist tragicomedy Beau Is Afraid really split opinion. I loved it and when it was revealed that Aster was working on a neo-Western thriller set in the coronavirus pandemic, it was evident the director wasn’t out to make a crowdpleaser. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Sheriff Joe Cross, who faces off against Pedro Pascal’s Mayor Ted Garcia who is up for re-election. While I admired the film on a first viewing, I had some issues with it – but I really grew to appreciate it on a rewatch, having the knowledge of where the story was heading. This is a fearsomely original work from Aster with a brilliant Joaquin Phoenix performance that poses lots of interesting questions. It’s beautifully shot by Darius Khondji and the film particularly soars in its first and third acts. There’s one major flaw – I think the Emma Stone and Austin Butler story arc is unnecessary and stunts the film’s pacing. But even if it’s not perfect, you have to admire the ambition and I’m positive I’ll be revisiting Eddington in years to come.

17) The Long Walk

The first of two Stephen King adaptations in this list (and the other two that aren’t here were also pretty good), The Long Walk is set in a future United States under a totalitarian military regime where fifty men compete in an annually televised competition, meant to inspire viewers. There’s a man representing each state and they must walk at a speed of at least three miles per hour – if they fall below and receive three warnings, they’re shot on the spot, with the winner being the final survivor. Francis Lawrence directs – and you couldn’t ask for a more fitting name at the helm, given he’s directed all of The Hunger Games films (bar the first), where people must also fight to the death.

This excellent adaptation deftly sustains a chilling and grim tone, but balanced with a humanity in the well-developed characters. Lawrence really makes the most of its simple premise and there’s a sustained sense of dread throughout – if a character wants to tie a shoelace or stop to relieve themselves, they’re naturally going to be doing that at less than three miles an hour. As you’d expect, the characters move through emotional states as the walk progresses and it’s exciting to see what were adversaries become friends, and vice versa. The film does a great job in forcing you to think that any relationships formed are doomed, given the inevitable’s going to happen. It’s also testament to how strong a story this is when most of the film is just a tracking shot of some characters walking along a road – Lawrence doesn’t use many flashbacks.

Unlike The Hunger Games films where the commentary behind the games is just as compelling as the contest, Lawrence trims the fat from The Long Walk and makes it lean and mean instead. The film doesn’t waste any time in getting started and never wanders into eye-rolling schmaltz, which is an easy trap for a film like this to run into. What’s more, there’s an excellent score by Jeremiah Fraites, who crafts several memorable themes and the film’s well shot by Lawrence’s regular cinematographer Jo Willems, who conveys the expanse and monotonous of the never-ending roads the characters must travel on.

• Read the full The Long Walk review

16) 28 Years Later

28 Years Later is the long-awaited third instalment in the 28 Days Later series, director Danny Boyle’s 2002 post-apocalyptic horror that was novel for introducing the fast-moving zombie (even if Boyle famously doesn’t consider it to be a zombie film). The film arrives 18 years after 28 Weeks Later, which was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and is the first of a planned new trilogy with Alex Garland on writing duties. This is a very exciting and ambitious sequel that was worth the long wait and it often really soars. It’s a Danny Boyle film through-and-through, so expect the grainy feel of the original (this time, lots of the film is shot on iPhones), coupled with seriously kinetic cinematography from Boyle’s regular collaborator Anthony Dod Mantle. This is a film that’s full of ideas, and one that refuses to take obvious choices and like some of Garland’s recent filmography, there are plenty of influences from the UK’s recent political turmoils as the duo paint a picture of a national identity crisis. Although there’s a slight slump in the seond act, when the film peaks, 28 Years Later is transcendent. I’m very excited to see where the story heads next and although many have expressed dissatisfaction at the intentionally befuddling final scene, fear not because I’m confident we’re in safe hands.

• Read the full 28 Years Later review

15) Dangerous Animals

For about 70 minutes of its 93 minute run time, Dangerous Animals is a near-perfect genre mash-up of a shark film and serial killer mystery that’s deliciously nasty – a blending of Jaws meets Peeping Tom, but turned up to eleven. Jai Courtney plays Tucker, an eccentric ship captain who runs a shark cage tourist attraction business. But as we very quickly learn, he’s also a serial killer with a seriously twisted mind, with his latest victims Heather (Ella Newton), an Englishwoman on a gap year and a feisty American drifter, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison). He likes to harness women up and slowly dunk them into shark-infested waters, and film the results. Nick Lenard’s script is sharp and deftly develops the characters, so it’s easy to care for them later into proceedings. The film’s also gorgeously shot by cinematographer Shelley Farthing-Dawe, with some stunning ocean vistas and blending the turquoise waters with blood red. Until that 70 minute mark or so, I’d go as far as to call Dangerous Animals the definitive shark film. It’s such a shame that in the last 20 minutes, the film really jumps the shark (pun fully intended) – neither director Sean Byrne or Lenard have the strength to act on their sadistic convictions and you really have to suspend disbelief. But despite its disappointing ending, Dangerous Animals still earns a high spot on my list because that first 70 minutes really is something special, and I hope this film revamps Jai Courtney’s career because it’s proof that he can be brilliant when he’s given the right material.

• Read the full Dangerous Animals review

14) Black Bag

Black Bag is a stripped-down espionage thriller by Steven Soderbergh, one of two films he directed in 2025 (with another one coming up shortly…). Michael Fassbender plays British Intelligence officer George Woodhouse and as the film opens, he is given one week by his superior to investigate who has leaked a top-secret software program. One of the suspects is his fellow intelligence officer and wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). He invites the other four suspects to dinner and drugs the chana masala (which he tells his wife to avoid) to get them to loosen up and in his words “watch the ripples”. 

This is another excellent film from Soderbergh and it’s impressive how lean Black Bag is – there isn’t an ounce of fat in this fast-paced 94 minute thriller. David Koepp’s flirtatious script is very sharply written and the film feels very much indebted to the works of John le Carré, albeit with Soderbergh’s influence. It’s very satisfying constantly seeing this ensemble play each other wih the film’s dry wit and there’s a surprising number of laughs here too, especially a serious Fassbender cooking up a storm in the kitchen with steamed-up glasses. The film’s lusciously shot by Soderbergh (under his usual Peter Andrews pseudonym) and David Holmes’ playful score is very fitting. 

• Read the full Black Bag review

13) Presence

I’m going to give the slight edge to Soderbergh’s first 2025 release, an innovative horror film that’s presented in a series of long takes rom the poltergeist’s point of view – an interesting creative decision. Written by David Koepp, who previously wrote Soderbergh’s Kimi, Presence follows a family of four who move into a house inhabited by a poltergeist. The family includes mother Rebecca (Lucy Liu), father Chris (Chris Sullivan), bratty elder brother Tyler (Eddy Maday) and troubled younger sister Chloe (Callina Liang). They’re all suffering from various problems – Rebecca clearly prefers her son and has been committing financial fraud, Chris suffers from depression and is considering separation from Rebecca and Chloe is grieving the death of her best friend, Nadia, who recently died in her sleep. Almost immediately after moving in, Chloe starts to complain of a supernatural presence.  

Presence does a really good job of slowly building a sense of unease with a tinge of sadness and there’s some excellent character development among the family. You can really see the cracks start to grow, particularly as the strained marriage falls apart. Chris Sullivan stands out as the father in a very understated performance who generates a lot of empathy. Calling Liang also impresses as the developing but vulnerable daughter who hasn’t quite worked out her purpose yet. Lucy Liu’s mother isn’t particularly likeable, but that’s the point and her performance satisfies the brief. The first person point of view also works here, even if it occasionally falters under scrutiny.  It compliments the narrative and the dream-like images of the wide lens (Soderbergh is on cinematographer duties, too), forcing us to question what the spirit’s intentions are and if it’s malicious by the way the camera studies its subjects. There’s a melodically moody score too from Zack Ryan and at 85 minutes, the film is lean and doesn’t outstay its welcome. If anything, I wish it were a bit more substantial.  

• Read the full Presence review

12) The Monkey

After reaching new career heights with the excellent Longlegs in 2024, director Osgood Perkins’ follow-up sees him adapt Stephen King’s 1980 short story of a cursed monkey that brings death and destruction. Adding further excitement behind the camera is horror maestro James Wan, who produces the film. This is a hugely enjoyable film with some brilliant set-pieces and striking imagery. Perkins is the perfect pick to direct this project, having himself lost his parents in headline-making ways. He decides to intentionally avoid subtlety and use the film’s sadistic gore to joke about the absurdity, pointlessness and randomness of death. That’s a genius approach and really distinguishes The Monkey from more serious horror films about possessed toys, of which there have been many. The film’s brilliantly edited and it packs a real wallop in its breakneck pacing as it hurtles through its sub-100 minute run time. The humour really works – especially how a man reacts to their neighbour getting gruesomely slain in a lawnmower incident, and the film is brimming with Perkins’ signature style in terms of the mise-en-scène. The monkey itself of a wonderfully creepy design – James Wan is no stranger to the genre after all being behind the similarly evil creations of Jigsaw in the Saw films and Annabelle in The Conjuring Universe. The Monkey is another winner from Perkins and it’s a very coherent film with clear influences from King and Wan that really elevate it. The decision to lean into the absurdity of death is a particularly strong choice and it’s a real blood-drenched thrill ride from start to finish. This is an intriguing film that builds to a memorable conclusion, which stays with you long after the credits roll.

• Read the full The Monkey review

11) Bugonia

Just missing out on a top ten spot is Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest, which stars Emma Stone as the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, who is abducted by conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his disabled brother Don (Aidan Delbis). Bugonia is yet another thought-provoking work from Lanthimos, packing plenty of surprises and thrills up its sleeve. This is a film that keeps you second-guessing throughout with its complex characters and striking visuals, and like lots of his work, it’ll take multiple watches to fully unpack. I’ve always found Lanthimos is at his best when he’s on scriptwriting duties with his co-writer Efthimis Filippou (they co-wrote Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Kinds of Kindness together) with their arch dialogue. It’s why The Favourite didn’t fully work for me. And although Will Tracy’s script isn’t quite as arch as what Lanthimos and Filippou would conjure, I didn’t notice the writing as much as I did in The Favourite.

While Emma Stone is reliably excellent as Michelle, it’s Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis that really stand out as the abductors. Plemons is scarily convincing as the unkempt Teddy, who constantly takes advantage of his cousin with his conspiracy theories and has a very short fuse – I hope he’s recognised come Awards season. Delbis is equally brilliant in his debut role, brilliantly balancing the vulnerability of his disability with a clear sense of right and wrong. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography is outstanding, shooting the film in VistaVision with a vivid colour palette. Jerskin Fendrix, who seems to also becoming Lanthimos’ new composer of choice given this is his third collaboration, turns in a career-best score. The monumental score beautifully compliments the events on-screen, upping the intensity with memorable themes. Bugonia is yet another excellent Lanthimos film that kept me gripped throughout with its fascinating story, memorable performances and stunning visuals. 

• Read the full Bugonia review

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