The Best of 2025: JBFC Staff's Favorite Films

by JBFC Marketing Manager Paige Grand Pré

To celebrate another stellar year of cinema, we’ve compiled “Best of 2025” lists from staff members across the Jacob Burns Film Center. Featuring a wide range of titles that made us laugh, cry, grow, think, reflect, and cheer, this best-of roundup is a testament to our staff’s diverse tastes and undying love for film, as well the myriad ways this beloved art form can bring us together. Please note: Lists are only numbered if staff members ranked their picks.

We’ll see you at the movies!

Katie Stevenson, Executive Assistant and Board Liason

1. Sirāt | Dir. Oliver Laxe
2. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
4. Boy Go to Jupiter | Dir. Julian Glander
5. Sorry, Baby | Dir. Eva Victor

Andy Rolfs, Education Staff

1. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Dir. Mary Bronstein
2. Hamnet | Dir. Chloe Zhao
3. Companion | Dir. Drew Hancock
4. Eddington | Dir. Ari Aster
5. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley | Dir. Amy J. Berg

Filipe Galhardo, Programming Administrative Assistant

1. The Secret Agent | Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho: Visit the JBFC Blog to read Filipe’s piece on The Secret Agent, “Exorcising the Boogeymen of Pernambuco.”
2. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
3. It Was Just an Accident | Dir. Jafar Panahi
4. The Mastermind | Dir. Kelly Reichardt
5. Sinners | Dir. Ryan Coogler

Tara O’Gorman, Educational Partner

1. Folktales | Dir. Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing
2. Hamnet | Dir. Chloe Zhao
3. Mistress Dispeller | Dir. Elizabeth Lo
4. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
5. Rental Family | Dir. Hikari

Devin Pettus, Education Staff

1. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
3. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain | Dir. Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang & Maïlys Vallade
4. KPop Demon Hunters | Dir. Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
5. Lost in Starlight | Dir. Han Ji-Won

Honorable Mentions (Animated Shorts):

1. Gauze | Dir. Noran Fikri Alezabi, Nicholas Arujah & Xinyue Ma
2. Snow Bear | Dir. Aaron Blaise

Sonia Paredes, Donor Database Administrator and Prospect Researcher

1. It Was Just an Accident | Dir. Jafar Panahi – I liked his van
2. Sorry, Baby | Dir. Eva Victor – New England
3. Bugonia | Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos – Emma Stone goes bald
4. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson – Benicio del Toro was so fun to watch
5. Hard Truths | Dir. Mike Leigh – “What’s a baby got pockets for?!”

Favorite First Watches:

1. Yi Yi | Dir. Edward Yang (2000)
2. D.E.B.S. | Dir. Andela Robinson (2004)
3. Good Time | Dir. Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie (2017)
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin | Dir. Lynne Ramsey (2011)
5. Requiem for a Dream | Dir. Darren Aronofsky (2000)

Claudia Murdoch, Senior Human Resources Associate

1. Caught Stealing | Dir. Darren Aronofsky
2. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight | Dir. Embeth Davidtz
3. Dust Bunny | Dir. Bryan Fuller
4. Sinners | Dir. Ryan Coogler
5. The Man in My Basement | Dir. Nadia Latif

James Hjerpe, Institutional Giving Manager

1. Marty Supreme | Dir. Josh Safdie
2. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson – Shoutout to Jim Downey!
3. Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
4. The Wrong Paris (*Yes) | Dir. Janeen Damian
5. The Phoenician Scheme | Dir. Wes Anderson

Although not 2025 films, a couple great JBFC screenings were among my favorite viewing experiences of the year and deserve a shoutout: 

• Throne of Blood 4K Restoration | Dir. Akira Kurosawa (1957) – Presented as part of our Kurosawa Restored series, which returns for a second round Feb. 6-12, 2026!
• Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold | Dir. Griffin Dunne (2017) – Q&A with Griffin Dunne & Alissa Wilkinson on Nov. 10, 2025, presented as part of JBFC limited series All Dunne: A Griffin Dunne Retrospective.

Detroit Hamell, Education Faculty

1. Henry Johnson | Dir. David Mamet – Based on a play of the same name, Henry Johnson is brilliant from start to finish. Mamet’s dialogue is top-notch here, and it needs to be, especially considering the entire film consists of just four scenes. The acting is also stellar, with a particularly standout performance from Shia LaBeouf. If nothing else, it’s worth viewing for his monologue on Snow White. I was also blown away by what it had to say about betrayal, manipulation, and connection. Three of the films on this list are dialogue-heavy films, so I may just be a sucker for people talking. If you’re also into people talking, check out Henry Johnson. It feels like a grand total of five people have seen it, so be the sixth.
2. The Long Walk | Dir. Francis Lawrence – Based on Stephen King’s novel, The Long Walk had me in tears by the end of its runtime. Firstly, Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson exude charisma and authenticity. Secondly, for a film that relies heavily on reverse tracking shots, it’s relentlessly entertaining. This is in part due to the excellent dialogue from King and J.T. Mollner (which feels more topical than ever), the phenomenal performances from the entire cast (particularly Hoffman, Jonsson, and an almost unrecognizable Mark Hamill), and a post-apocalyptic flair that never felt out of the realm of genuine possibility. I knew I’d love it, but I didn’t expect to love it this much.
3. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Dir. Mary Bronstein – I beg the Academy to nominate Rose Bryne. Bryne delivers what might be the best performance of the year here, amongst a strange, yet very effective cast (like Conan O’Brien and A$AP Rocky). If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is the visual embodiment of stress. Only when the credits began to roll did I feel the ability to breathe. It’s a haunting portrayal of motherhood, along with what it feels like to be stripped of one’s own livelihood when people depend upon you professionally and personally. It’s an essential watch, albeit a difficult one.
4. Blue Moon | Dir. Richard Linklater – Ethan Hawke is one of the greatest of all time, and Blue Moon only adds to the credibility of that statement. Hawke, playing the late Lorenz Hart, struts around a NYC bar with as much charisma as he has self-consciousness. He commands every scene, every interaction, every line, as he typically does, particularly under the direction of Richard Linklater. And his costars are excellent too, especially Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott. During a Q&A I was fortunate enough to attend for the 10th anniversary of Hawke’s book, Rules for a Knight, at the Strand Bookstore in NYC, he recalled a story in the woods with Linklater, who said to Hawke’s daughter that it’s essential that you become your own best friend. You are the person who will be there for yourself during troubling times, stressful times, lonely times, and so on. It’s hard not to watch Blue Moon and wish that Hart heard those same words from Linklater and Hawke all those years ago.
5. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson – I assume this’ll appear on several other top five lists, and it should! It boasts stellar performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and several others. It’s unbelievably entertaining, hilarious, frightening, and feels extremely relevant and topical all at the same time. There’s a car chase scene in here that has more tension than every traditional action movie of this year combined. The coolest part, though? One Battle After Another sold my mom on Leonardo DiCaprio, and sold me on Paul Thomas Anderson.

SPECIAL MENTION: Headbanger | Dir. William Strobeck – Skate videos are often excluded from conversations about cinema, which is deeply unfortunate considering their multi-genre and raw artistic nature, amongst other things. Therefore, I wanted to put a spotlight on my favorite skate video of the year: Headbanger. With appearances from Kader Sylla, Ben Kadow, and Sean Pablo, we’re witnessing some of the best skaters of the modern day here (even if I’m deeply missing Tyshawn Jones and Efron Danzig, who have appearances in a few other Strobeck productions). As always, I find Strobeck’s filmmaking with the zoom lens more exciting than the traditional fisheye, and his versatile taste in music (spanning here from Kodak Black to Judas Priest to Lauryn Hill to Journey) always makes his work worth watching. There’s a rawness present in skate videos that is missing from other works of art, not only in terms of the nature of the filmmaking itself but in the attitudes of those who participate.

Tara Bongiorno, Customer Service Manager

1. Caught Stealing | Dir. Darren Aronofsky
2. Marty Supreme | Dir. Josh Safdie
3. Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
4. Hamnet | Dir. Chloe Zhao
5. Sinners | Dir. Ryan Coogler

Honorable Mentions: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley | Dir. Amy J. Berg & Becoming Led Zeppelin | Dir. Bernard MacMahon

Allie Garner, Donor Engagement Manager

1. Marty Supreme | Dir. Josh Safdie
2. Eddington | Dir. Ari Aster
3. The Code | Dir. Eugene Kotlyarenko
4. Mickey 17 | Dir. Bong Joon Ho
5. Die My Love | Dir. Lynne Ramsey

Denise Treco, Director of Marketing and Communications

1. Sinners | Dir. Ryan Coogler
2. Hamnet | Dir. Chloe Zhao
3. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
5. Sirāt | Dir. Oliver Laxe
6. Marty Supreme | Dir. Josh Safdie
7. Bugonia | Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
8. Weapons | Dir. Zach Cregger
9. The Secret Agent | Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
10. My Mom Jayne | Dir. Mariska Hargitay

Honorable Mentions: It Was Just an Accident | Dir. Jafar Panahi, Blue Moon | Dir. Richard Linklater & Left Handed Girl | Dir. Tsou Shih-Ching

Paige Grand Pré, Marketing Manager

1. Frankenstein | Dir. Guillermo del Toro — Is it normal to openly weep for an hour at the tragic beauty of it all? Asking for a friend.
2. Sorry, Baby | Dir. Eva Victor — A deeply, deeply human and brazenly original coming-of-age story that punches well above its feature-debut weight in terms of effective storytelling.
3. No Other Choice | Dir. Park Chan-wook — Park’s morbid imagination intersects with late-stage capitalism and laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy to glorious effect. The cinematic equivalent of whistling through the graveyard.
4. Bugonia | Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos — Following a few recent misses, Yorgos is back at the top of his game with Bugonia, a pitch-perfect, conspiracy-driven comedy of the absurd that couldn’t have come at a better time.
5. Peter Hujar’s Day | Dir. Ira Sachs — Come for the well-executed, literal day-in-the-life premise—one that revives a transcript long thought lost until just a few years ago, bringing to life a priceless record of downtown bohemian life before the AIDS crisis hit; stay for the beautifully tender ode to the softness, joy, and unspoken understanding of gay/gal friendship.
6. The Alabama Solution | Dir. Andrew Jarecki & Charlotte Kaufman — A heartbreaking, inspiring, and immensely powerful work of collaborative filmmaking and activist journalism.
7. Sinners | Dir. Ryan Coogler — It goes without saying that the juke joint music scene was truly transformative, but Sinners makes it more clear than ever that Ryan Coogler has mastered the art of the blockbuster. Twisting and turning this uniquely American art form to suit America’s uniquely complex history, Coogler’s ability to weave vampiric horror together with real, lived Southern history and generational trauma—and make a wildly entertaining movie in the process—is staggering.
8. Marty Supreme | Dir. Josh Safdie — Shout out to the Safdies for consistently catalyzing the most entertaining panic attacks I’ve ever had.
9. BLKNEWS: Terms & Conditions | Dir. Kahlil Joseph — A wildly original, dazzling dance between our yet-unhealed past (exhaustively-researched archival material that takes us down a rabbit hole of racial, social, and economic histories and tensions) and an unbelievably inventive, radical Afrofuturist vision for what could (or should) lie ahead. I first fell in love with Kahlil’s work following his 2017 solo exhibition at The New Museum, but letting his work wash over you as it consumes the big screen in a theater is a truly ethereal experience.
10. One Battle After Another | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson — Pure, glorious, much-needed catharsis masquerading as a cinematic epic. This felt like a dramatic tonal departure for PTA, but in a way that really worked for both the material and our times.
11. The Mastermind | Dir. Kelly Reichardt — The most fun you’ll have at a Kafkaesque heist film all year. Anchored by a stunningly restrained performance from Josh O’Connor, the film’s dizzying score and early 70’s Massachusetts milieu are truly *chef’s kiss*.
12. Father Mother Sister Brother | Dir. Jim Jarmusch — This delicately balanced triptych feels like a return to Jarmusch’s earlier, more bare-bones form, but it appears time has softened the brutally honest filmmaker’s sharp edges; FMSB has a surprising, subtle sentimentality that builds to a magnificently moving crescendo by the third act.

Favorite First Watches:

1. High and Low | Dir. Akira Kurosawa (1963)
2. Harlan County U.S.A. | Dir. Barbara Kopple (1976)
3. Safe | Dir. Todd Haynes (1995)
4. Picnic at Hanging Rock | Dir. Peter Weir (1975)
5. In the Mouth of Madness | Dir. John Carpenter (1994)
6. Ong-Bak | Dir. Prachya Pinkaew (2003)
7. Long Strange Trip | Dir. Amir Bar-Lev (2017)
8. The Evil Dead | Dir. Sam Raimi (1981)
9. Gimme Shelter | Dir. Albert Maysles & David Maysles (1970)
10. Moneyball | Dir. Bennett Miller (2011)

Isha Parkhi, Marketing & Engagement Specialist

• Cactus Pears | Dir. Rohan Kanawade
• Little, Big, and Far | Dir. Jem Cohen
• Urchin | Dir. Harris Dickinson
• Sentimental Value | Dir. Joachim Trier
• Sound of Falling | Dir. Mascha Schillinski

Favorite First Watches:

• Little Fugitive | Dir. Ray Ashley, Ruth Orkin & Morris Engel (1953)
• One Hundred Children Waiting for a Train | Dir. Ignacio Agüero (1988)
• Rachel Getting Married | Dir. Jonathan Demme (2008)
• Mad Max: Fury Road | Dir. George Miller (2015)
• The Shop Around the Corner | Dir. Ernst Lubitsch (1940)