The 10 Best Films of 2025 (by Dilan Fernando)
Written by Dilan Fernando
The following films have been selected by Films Fatale critic Dilan Fernando. We hope you enjoy his selections from what was a strong year of film.
10. Two Prosecutors
This is a film that says so much without saying anything. The visuals are so precise and poignant and the characters have such tremendous depth that it feels like a documentary. The film hinges on an event that may seem mundane in theory but is of such grave importance that the anxiety leaps off the screen into the audience. This is may be slow cinema at its most fast paced.
9. Caught Stealing
This film is like the later shows of a Broadway play, where everyone knows their character inside and out to the point that they’re living life. If you like character-driven films this is one that moves so efficiently and smoothly that you almost forget there’s a plot. The cast all has such great chemistry and helps make this one of many outstanding New York movies.
8. No Other Choice
Fun, entertaining, off the wall, bloody good, humour is only a smidgen of how to describe this film. It wasn’t until watching this film that I realized how seamlessly violence and humour fit together in South Korean cinema. It’s a film that’s political but never takes itself too seriously; like throwing a bouncy ball during a funeral.
7. Nouvelle Vague
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to hang out with the French New Wave crowd, so has Linklater… This film feels like time-travelling back to 1950s France and embracing art for all it’s worth. If every film was made with this much reverence and passion, where would cinema be?
6. Eddington
While some people are still recovering from the pandemic and the world tries to gain some stability here comes Aster breaking through the wall like the Kool-Aid man. This film is a rib-breaking gut punch and seeks to get people out of their trance. Ironic to its lead character being a one-man band, this is a film about togetherness in Aster’s own cynical way.
5. Alpha
What’s a film that can follow-up an audacious and polarizing film as Titane (2021)? Nothing. Which is why Alpha is such an enigma in its own special way. Ducournau takes a divided family and brings them together with a life-changing event. The glue that keeps them together is a relative whose personality is an inverted soul. The emotion and performances of the three main characters in this film are unbelievable. Tahir Rahim gives the best performance of his career and of the year.
4. Black Bag
Steven Soderbergh has been working as hard as James Brown this year, with three films. Proving that not all filmmakers show signs of slowing down with age. Black Bag is electric, thought-provoking, sophisticated and entertaining. This is what a fun night at the movies looks like.
3. Sentimental Value
A family is the soul of a home. Without it, it’s a house. Joachim Trier explores the coming and going of the house, more importantly the members that inhabit it. The film is an emotional character study that shows the importance of communication, affection and care within a family’s dynamic.
2. O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)
This is the film I’ve rewatched the most this year, with a growing tally of six times. This is a film that grows, stays and immerses in a time that’s both distant and present. Mendonça Filho’s tapestry is filled with memorable characters that could easily be the star of their own film. The film feels like being invited to go on a road trip with a distant relative.
1. Un Simple Accident (It Was Just an Accident)
Of all the films I’ve been fortunate enough to watch this year, seeing this film in a packed cinema for its world premiere is one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever experienced. From the first to the final shot, Jafar Panahi paints poetry – simply astounding.
Dilan Fernando graduated with a degree in Communications from Brock University. ”Written sentiments are more poetic than spoken word. Film will always preserve more than digital could ever. Only after a great film experience can one begin to see all that life has to offer.“