Train Dreams (c) Netflix
Two Years in Films: Best of 2024 (definitive) & 2025 (preliminary)
2025 was full of ups and downs in the political arena that eclipsed my enjoyment of a pretty good year of films. Looking at last year’s list to make my final 2024 ranking, I realized the films were good but not great. I would say my list of 20 films on my 2025 list are more diverse and of a better quality that 2024.
Like last year, I will only list my favorite twenty films of 2025, in alphabetical order and not actually list them in order of my top ten favorites until the end of 2026, after a year of reflection and catching up on films I may have missed. In fact, at the time of this article, I have not seen Avatar Fire and Ash or The Testament of Ann Lee yet.
Which means, after a year of reflection, my final Top Ten of films of 2024 is below. I am also pointing out some 2025 performances that haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve from award groups so far. So, enjoy my wrap up of 2025 and, as always, I hope you have a safe and cinematically rich 2026.
2025 TIB’s Top 20 Favorite Films of 2025
* As of Dec 31, 2025, possible candidates for No. 1
All That's Left of You
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Elio
Father Mother Sister Brother *
Hamnet
Hedda
The History of Sound
It Was Just an Accident
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Marty Supreme
Nouvelle Vague *
On Swift Horses
One Battle After Another
The Phoenician Scheme
Plainclothes
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sorry, Baby
Train Dreams *
Young Hearts
11 Best Performances of 2024
(not getting enough attention)
Paddington in Peru (c) Sony Pictures
Olivia Colman, Paddington in Peru
While Olivia Colman had delicious and sardonic moments in The Roses, but she started the year as an eternally optimistic nun looking after Paddington’s Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears. And she sings.
Nouvelle Vague (c) Netflix
Zoey Deutch, Nouvelle Vague
Zoey Deutch’s version of Jean Seberg, in Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague is amazing just for its recreation, but Deutch gives the film its voice of reason and sense of normalcy while experiencing the French cinematic world of the New Wave.
A Private Life (c) Sony Pictures Classics
Jodie Foster, A Private Life
There are not many fun Jodie Foster film performances since her young Disney days, and A Private Life would seem like an unlikely candidate, but Foster’s character gets involved in a murder mystery which gives her an unexpected giddy enthusiasm for life.
A Nice Indian Boy (c) Blue Harbor Entertainment
Zarna Garg, A Nice Indian Boy
Buried in a routine gay romance is stand-up comedian Zarna Garg’s funny but also emotional take as a traditional Indian American mother who tries to understand her son’s modern relationship.
Sorry Baby (c) A24
Lucas Hedges, Sorry, Baby
In a small, tangential role in Eva Victor’s film about a woman dealing with a traumatic event, Lucas Hedges’ character is Agnes’ booty call neighbor who may not even know what’s going on her life. His one big scene, where Gavin takes a bath, is amusingly touching and real.
Hedda (c) Amazon MGM Studios
Nina Hoss, Hedda
Playing a character that in Henrik Ibsen’s original play was a man, Nina Hoss’ Eileen Lovborg is full of confidence before she isn’t. And that fall is the most compelling part of the plot (thanks to Hoss) that is all being manipulated by puppet master Hedda, played by the extraordinary Tessa Thompson.
Marty Supreme (c) A24
Koto Kawaguchi, Marty Supreme
In a mostly wordless performance, Kawaguchi, as Koto Endo, the #1 Table Tennis Champion of the World and Marty’s nemesis, is somehow cocky and humble and fair. All through his eyes. And he matches each of Timothée Chalamet’s ping with his own athletic pong.
The Ballad of Wallis Island (c) Focus Features
Tim Key, The Ballad of Wallis Island
In the role that starts off as either a clueless innocent or a serial killer, Tim Key’s Charles Heath thankfully ends up in the former, as a fan of a folk duo who have broken up who gets them to do a concert on the small island he calls home. It is the warmest winter sweater of a movie, and a lot falls of the shoulders of the dry humor of Key.
Warfare (c) A24
Charles Melton, Warfare
Charles Melton shows up about two third of the Warfare’s runtime, but after following a Navy SEAL’s team being ambushed and trapped in a house in Iraq, Melton enters the film with a breath of fresh air with his “Hooya!” command of the situation.
Twinless (c) Roadside Attractions
Dylan O’Brien, Twinless
Dylan O’Brien plays a grieving brother who loses his twin brother in James Sweeney’s Twinless, and regardless how I feel about Sweeney’s style, O’Brien gives a truthful and moving performance (as well as cocksure and funny in the flashback of his twin). This performance needs more awards love past the Spirit Awards.
One of Them Days (c) Tristar Pictures
Keke Palmer, One of Them Days
Keke Palmer and SZA are hysterical as we witness two friends and their Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The whole cast have their moments, but Palmer as the more responsible of the pair gets to show off some impressive physical humor while going through some funny stuff.
TIB’s Top 10 Favorite Films of 2024
Memoir of a Snail (c) IFC Films
