Rolling Stone Names 2025’s Top 20 Films: A Year of Bold Stories

Rolling Stone's annual list highlights 20 standout films from 2025, underscoring a year rich in intimate dramas and ambitious epics.

At the top is One Battle After Another, a sweeping drama by Paul Thomas Anderson that blends family ties, conspiracy thrills, and moments of humor into an independent tale about revolutionaries passing the spark to a new generation.

Runner-up is Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao and adapting Maggie O'Farrell's novel about the death of Shakespeare's son and the shaping of Hamlet. Agnes is played by Jessie Buckley, with Paul Mescal delivering a restrained portrait of the poet.

In third place stands Black Bag — Double Game, a spy thriller from Steven Soderbergh about a couple of agents tasked with catching a traitor. Fassbender and Blanchett play the pair, whose trust is tested as the investigation deepens.

Other notable titles include Train Dreams, a meditative tale about a logger; Orwell: 2+2=5, a documentary; Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, and the tense thriller Weapons.

Top 20 list

1. One Battle After Another — epic drama blending family ties, conspiracy thrills, and revolution.
2. Hamnet — a powerful adaptation about Shakespeare's family and the origin of Hamlet.
3. Black Bag — a sharp spy thriller exploring trust and betrayal.
4. Train Dreams — a quiet, reflective story about a logger's life.
5. Nouvelle Vague — a modern take on classic cinema forms.
6. The Simple Accident — a human-centered drama about chance events.
7. The Exclusion Method — a taut procedural exploring refusal and boundaries.
8. Sorry, Baby — a character study with intimate performances.
9. Marty Supreme — a bold, offbeat portrait of a misfit creative.
10. Affeksjonsverdi — a story about emotional value and relationships.
11. Peter Hujar’s Day — a portrait of a renowned photographer and his era.
12. Eddington — a thoughtful drama with scientific underpinnings.
13. Universal Language — a cross-cultural exploration of communication.
14. Mina ni sachi are — a vibrant, hopeful piece about happiness.
15. Orwell: 2+2=5 — a documentary tracing the power of ideas.
16. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl — a quirky, tactile study of transformation.
17. The Phoenician Scheme — a historical intrigue with strategic twists.
18. Feng liu yi dai — a generation-spanning romance and conflict.
19. Frankenstein — Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining with atmospheric dread.
20. Weapons — a tense thriller focusing on power and danger.

Expert comment: Critics note that the year delivers a rare blend of intimate storytelling and large-scale spectacle. The lineup shows directors pushing boundaries while staying deeply human.

Summary: 2025’s cinema offers quiet, contemplative pieces alongside bold epics. The top film embodies a marriage of personal drama and ambitious craft. The collection demonstrates cinema’s vitality and its ability to reach varied audiences. This year’s titles are likely to influence future productions.

Key insight: The strongest films fuse intimate storytelling with fearless experimentation, proving cinema’s vitality in 2025.