2025 Rewind: 10 Movies That Made Me Feel Something This Year

This year was an emotional rollercoaster on multiple levels. From family tragedies to the escalating political dystopia in which we find ourselves, nothing gets me out of my own head like a good movie.

Working as an associate editor at Deadline, I had the privilege and pleasure to screen several new and upcoming movies that left an indelible mark on my soul.

Read on for my top 10 movies of 2025 (in no particular order).

Fucktoys

dir. Annapurna Sriram

In her directorial debut, which she also wrote, Sriram plays a sex worker living in Trashtown, where she has to hustle to raise money to break a curse. Featuring an unbeatable ensemble that includes Sadie Scott, Brandon Flynn, Big Freedia and François Arnaud, Fucktoys is a cathartic piece of cinema that finds the heart and humanity in those trying to survive late-stage capitalism.

Check out my interview with Annapurna Sriram here.

Pillion

dir. Harry Lighton

Another directorial debut with a fun kink factor, Harry Melling plays timid Colin, whose chance encounter with dom Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) quickly evolves into a BDSM dynamic as the young barbershop quartet singer discovers his inner sub. While the adaptation of Adam Mars-Jones' Box Hill provides an authentic representation of kink, it also tells a heartbreaking coming-of-age story about unrequited love and self-exploration.

Read my review and my interview with Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears about his onscreen debut in the film.

Erupcja

dir. Pete Ohs

Although Brat Summer was more than a year ago, the impact of Charli XCX's big year is still reverberating through Hollywood after the 3x Grammy winner proved her acting chops as Bethany, a force of nature who rips through Nel's (Lena Góra) life in Warsaw, Poland, with their encounters mysteriously aligning with volcanic eruptions. Director Ohs' latest collaborative effort serves as a cautionary tale about attempting to find yourself in others, while providing a raw portrait of love and friendship.

Read my interview with Pete Ohs here.

Sinners

dir. Ryan Coogler

Starring Michael B. Jordan as twins Smoke and Stack, who return to their Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint, which is quickly preyed upon by vampires. As a horror fan and Mississippi boy, through and through, I was so intrigued by Coogler's supernatural take on southern history and folklore, as well as his beautiful cinematic depiction of the region.

Idiotka

dir. Nastasya Popov

An aspiring fashion designer who just needs a foot in the door, Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov) lands a spot on the competition relaity series Slay, Serve, Survive, which soon causes problems with her immigrant family in West Hollywood's Russian district. "Be your own muse" is exactly what I needed to hear this year, and Popov's onscreen tribute to her real-life grandma was the perfect messenger.

Check out my interview with the cast and writer/director Nastasya Popov here.

Twinless

dir. James Sweeney

At a twin bereavement support group, Dennis (James Sweeney) and Roman (Dylan O'Brien) develop a quick bond, but not everything is as it seems with this fragile dynamic. With one of the most talked-about onscreen twists of the year, Sweeney's sophomore directorial outing is full of grief, laughs and heart.

Read my review here.

Weapons

dir. Zach Cregger

After all but one of the students in her third-grade class mysteriously vanish one night, Justine (Julia Garner) unravels a supernatural mystery in her small town. Cregger's followup to 2022's Barbarian is an edge-of-your-seat horror that takes the genre back to its stripped-down roots for practical, yet effective, scares. We can't get the Aunt Gladys prequel quick enough.

Summer of 69

dir. Jillian Bell

In the tradition of raunchy teen comedies of the '80s, introverted teen gamer Abby (Sam Morelos) enlists the help of exotic dancer Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman) to hep her master her own sexuality, in order to land the guy of her dreams. Bell's directorial debut is packed with laughs and heart, putting a gender-flipped touch on the coming-of-age sex romp.

Check out my review and interview with the cast and director Jillian Bell here.

Together

dir. Michael Shanks

Upon moving from the city to a beautiful isolated home in the country, Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) encounter a supernatural force that pushes their relationship into disturbing territory. As a longtime fan of the real-life couple, it's hard to look away as they literally sink into each other, playing on their own chemistry to depict an eery body horror about codependence. Props must also be given to the flawless use of a certain Spice Girls banger.

Read my review here.

Roofman

dir. Derek Cianfrance

Based on a true story, Channing Tatum plays resourceful thief Jeffrey Manchester, who hides out in a Toy 'R' Us after escaping prison, plotting a plan to reunite with his daughters. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking film about the lengths a man will go to in order to be a good father.