Mitchell Beaupre’s Best 10 Movies of 2025

      Following The Film Stage's collective ranking of the top 50 films of 2025, as part of our year-end review, our contributors are sharing their individual top 10 lists.

      2025 started off with a bang, highlighted by a double feature of uniquely captivating genre films by Steven Soderbergh: the haunted house narrative Presence and the espionage thriller Black Bag. Momentum didn't wane as the year provided a rich variety of remarkable films, culminating in an awards season replete with especially noteworthy titles.

      A distinctive thread to this year's offerings is the number of genuinely fulfilling entries within established franchises. From successful revivals of legacy sequels and reboots to series delivering their finest installments on their sixth outing, the past twelve months presented a strong case that not all IP-driven projects are uninspired or banal. It's been quite some time since I've had a single franchise film make it into my top ten, let alone multiple titles, with several others close behind in what has been a spectacular year for cinema.

      To view my complete list of 2025 releases, you can find it on Letterboxd, along with my ranked selection of non-2025 films I watched for the first time this year. Highlights from that selection include The Ox-Bow Incident, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Kisapmata, Tea and Sympathy, Il Posto, The Clock, Some Came Running, and Girl with Hyacinths.

      For now, here are my top ten films from the past year, starting with a few honorable mentions.

      Honorable mentions: Friendship, By the Stream, Drop, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Presence, Predator: Badlands, One of Them Days, Resurrection, Highest 2 Lowest, Caught by the Tides, Peter Hujar’s Day

      10. Black Bag (Steven Soderbergh)

      I find myself craving an annual collaboration between Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp. Despite the world's flaws, receiving two features from them within two months at the beginning of 2025 feels like a cosmic realignment. Black Bag is a blend of Agatha Christie, John le Carré, James Bond, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, serving as a spy thriller that examines the complexities of marital endurance alongside intense espionage crises. With Soderbergh’s refined modern perspective, sharp editing, and a striking score by David Holmes, the film maintains a classic narrative structure. Koepp channels the feel of WWII-era British noir, with the film's most intense moments framed by sharply written dialogue exchanged around a dinner table. It highlights the truth that deception often comes from those closest to you—your lover, colleague, best friend, or mentor.

      9. It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)

      Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or-winning film tackles a potent moral dilemma—"What would you do if you thought you'd found the person behind your deepest trauma?"—and transforms it into a captivating exploration of conflicting emotions and decisions. Observing how various characters impacted by this man react to the possibility of revenge offers a rich array of perspectives. Drawing from personal experiences, Panahi delves into the varied psychological responses to trauma. Some are unable to move forward, their lives unraveling under the weight of their pain, while others find ways to compartmentalize and strive for normalcy. However, the unifying theme is the notion that true healing may be unattainable.

      8. The Naked Gun (Akiva Schaffer)

      Join me as I reminisce about a time when movie theaters were a joyous place to gather and enjoy comedies created by studios that once crafted cinematic moments that resonated culturally, filled with lines you replayed for friends until tears of laughter flowed. The Naked Gun transports us to that cherished era, likely our last chance to relish such a collective experience. While countless memorable quotes and outrageous scenes come to mind, I’ll simply leave you with this one: "She had a bottom that would make a toilet beg for the brown."

      7. 28 Years Later (Danny Boyle)

      The most delightful surprise of 2025, 28 Years Later appears, at first glance, to be a cash grab, with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland revisiting the franchise after two decades. Instead, it stands out as perhaps their most remarkable work to date. Bold in its choices, the film frequently defies expectations. The first half is a gripping action thriller, but it’s the latter half that elevates it to something extraordinary. 28 Years Later underscores the importance of leading a life filled with love and compassion for those who matter most, emphasizing that these are the feelings that ultimately enrich our existence.

      6. The Mastermind (Kelly Reichardt)

      The first half of The Mastermind feels like Kelly Reichardt’s homage to Soderbergh, centering on the careful planning of a subtle art heist in a quiet suburban locale, immersing us in the nuances of how plans can falter. The