With the 98th Oscars ceremony scheduled for Sunday, March 15, 2026, we at The Movie Buff decided to compile our favorite movies released in 2025. With so many films to choose from, it’s often hard to nail down. Front runners like “Sinners” earned a staggering 16 Oscar nominations, with films like “One Battle After Another” earning 13 nominations, followed up by “Frankenstein,” “Marty Supreme,” and “Sentimental Value” with nine nominations each.
It all reminds us of the 2013 Oscars, where “Gravity” received 10 nominations and there was so many awesome films that year it was hard to pick a favorite.
In the following list, we’ve broken down the top 10 and top 5s for a collection of our critics. The list contains a wide variety of films. Many of them are expected, included in the ‘Best Picture’ nominations, while others may be unexpected. Several were streaming/holiday launches, several where indie films (even including shorts), while others were foreign films and pieces of world cinema.
We’d love to hear your thoughts after the article. Leave us a comment if you have a favorite you would have liked to have seen included.
Vidal D’Costa
1. “Homebound” (Dir. Neeraj Ghaywan)
Backed by none other than Martin Scorsese (credited as an executive producer), this Neeraj Ghaywan directorial which made the Oscars shortlist serves as sharp commentary on class and caste, through the lens of two friends: one a Muslim, the other hailing from the Dalit community with the same goals and also the same unfair, unequal playing ground. The movie highlights how survival is bound to a surname and reaching an exam centre by tussling through a crowded local is only half the battle, as well as the contrasting mentality of two generations towards casteism. Ishaan Khatter impresses, and co-star Vishal Jethwa proves to be a future star in the making with his effortless acting and diction.
2. “Santosh” (Dir. Sandhya Suri)
This BAFTA nominated slow-burn crime procedural is a bleak expose of hierarchy and systemic abuse, addressing victim shaming and stigma faced by a female victim (posthumously) as well as by the female investigating officers following up on her case. It features strong performances from Shahana Goswami as Santosh, a newly widowed woman bequeathed with her deceased husband’s post of constable (and with it, a burdensome conscience) and Sunita Rajwar as her stoic but conflicted superior. The latter is entrapped in her uniform, treated as the scapegoat to the misdeeds of men in higher positions. (Read our review).
3. “Ronth” (Dir. Shahi Kabir)
Like “Santosh” before it, “Ronth” also lays bare the grey shades of a cop’s life, albeit through the perspective of two male patrol officers at odds with each other. They’re trying their best to survive the dreariness/melancholia of the graveyard shift at Christmas Eve with their own sanity and morals intact and steering clear of ruffling any feathers. Ronth also touches upon the double-edged nature of maintaining the image of a ‘Robin Hood cop’, i.e. trying to be a hero/providing justice sans prejudice, and facing repercussions for the same. It also boasts terrific performances from Roshan Matthew and Dileesh Pothan.
4. “Sabar Bonda” (Dr. Rohan Kanawade)
The first Marathi movie to premiere and win accolades at Sundance “Sabar Bonda” (transl: “Cactus Pears”) is a tender queer romance about two childhood sweethearts reuniting at a funeral. Intimacy, pleasure, and wanting are not just seen or shown in Rohan Kanawade’s directorial debut but also felt. It also highlights a mother-son bond that is poignant, strong and progressive. It moves away from queer trauma, instead showcasing the beauty of loving someone sans judging them as well as treating them as an equal. (Read our review).
5. “Blue Moon” (Dir. Richard Linklater)
A biopic on the last days of Broadway playwright Lorenz Hart, this Richard Linklater outing offers insight into the workings of a creative albeit troubled mind without stroking its subject’s ego. It depicts Hart’s constant and desperate need for validation, and a waning relationship with his more successful long-time collaborator/friend, Richard Rodgers. It is designed as a one man show for Linklater regular Ethan Hawke who gives it his all. He straddles the line between poetic and pathetic, once again proving what a natural actor he is. (Read our review).
6. “The Mehta Boys” (Dir. Boman Irani)
Co-written with Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris (of “Birdman” fame), veteran actor Boman Irani’s directorial debut is driven by intricately constructed conversations. These take place between a newly widowed father and his workaholic son working out their differences. The movie offers a humanised portrayal of the strict patriarch and teaches viewers that much like the highest skyscrapers, personal relationships require a strong foundation, constant maintenance and aren’t built in a day. (Read our review).
7. “Mouna Raaga” (Dir. Sunayana Suresh)
Sunayana Suresh’s debut short is sweet like a gulab jamun (an Indian sweet meat) but also bitter in its depiction of domestic violence and male chauvinism. It is also a tribute to single mothers, women, and gig workers who keep the world turning while juggling a tumultuous personal life. Despite minimal dialogue, lead actor Sruthi Hariharan impresses as Geetha, the mute delivery driver through whose lens the events in Mouna Raaga unfold.
8. “Sister Midnight” (Dir. Karan Kandhari)
Radhika Apte takes a bite out of patriarchy in this whimsical and cathartic fusion of pulp, kitsch, neo-noir, and sci-fi which presents human concepts such as arranged marriage through an alien lens. It might also appeal to fans of horror, with visual cues and timeless iconography heavily influenced from Universal’s Monster-verse, paying homage to classics like the “Bride of Frankenstein.” (Read our review).
9. “Paranthu Po” (Dir. Ram)
A workaholic father and his mischievous young son play hooky and embark on a road trip in a bid to escape from the burdens of debt and the urban jungle. As in his previous work, the endearing Tamil feature Peranbu, award-winning filmmaker Ram once again highlights the shortcomings of the older generations in a mature fashion and encourages parents to communicate with their child by keeping an open mind. This coming of age also benefits from musical storytelling, with a song for every occasion and every challenge faced by its main characters.
10. “Jolly LLB 3” (Dir. Subhash Kapoor)
The recent installment in the “Jolly LLB” franchise feels timely. It’s refreshing to watch a mainstream movie that portrays the lived experience of the layperson fighting back against greedy land grabbers and industrialists. The movie is especially a wake-up call for officials to ‘choose/prioritise sentiment over letter’, and is a return to form for the ‘OG Jolly’ played by Arshad Warsi. He is supported by equally compelling performances from Amrita Rao, Akshay Kumar, Seema Biswas, Saurabh Shukla, and Gajraj Rao. It is definitely one of the better written dramedies from Bollywood in recent times, effectively blending well-researched legal jargon with humour.
Honourable mentions:
- “Bob Trevino Likes It”
- “Adults”
- “Steve”
- “Ballad of a Small Player”
- “We Are Faheem & Karun”
- “Metro In Dino”
- “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth”
