The approaching Oscars, as the climax of awards season, leave the films of 2025 abuzz with questions—is The Brutalist worth it despite the AI controversy? Is Emilia Perez really as bad as everybody says it is? Is it worth sitting through the three hours of Dune: Part Two? Here are the top five movies that are genuinely worth your time to watch.
A Real Pain
Nominated for: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor
Directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, and starring him alongside Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain follows the two characters as they embark on a Holocaust tour around Europe. It is one of the best-written and most profoundly emotional films of the year—dealing with the idea of generational trauma, the ethics of tourism, and how it all links to our individual relationships with pain. It is funny, somewhat abrasive, deeply heartbreaking, relatable, and absolutely one to watch.
Conclave
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing
One of the best films to catch, Conclave is so cinematographically fantastic that it is almost difficult to focus on the plot. Starring Ralph Fiennes and following the arguably specific story of the election of a new pope, it explores the universal search for certainty, the purpose of the Church, and what it means to believe in something.
Anora
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film Editing
Anora follows the story of a young sex worker in New York and her impulsive, whirlwind, and fated romance with the son of a Russian oligarch. It undertakes the difficult task of being both deeply comedic and profoundly sad. Mikey Madison delivers a performance that has been called the best of the year, and through the film’s grey and drab aesthetic, there is a sharply personal story of selfhood, emotional depth, and the search for a personal fairytale.
The Brutalist
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score
The Oscars beg the question of how to treat films that spark controversy; however, The Brutalist is not only an intensely important narrative—following the Jewish immigrant experience in New York—but it is also arguably one of the most visually stunning films of the year. It is grand and powerful, contrasting with the film’s central focus on the mundanities of the human experience.
Sing Sing
Nominated for: Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay
Starring Colman Domingo, Sing Sing is based on the true story of a theatre rehabilitation programme and features the real-life formerly incarcerated men who were part of it. It is intensely personal and moving, highlighting both the liberatory and cathartic effects of art, and is arguably the most underrated film to catch.
Photo by Marius GIRE on Unsplash