Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi returns with It Was Just an Accident, a film that quietly dismantles assumptions about morality and power
Cinema lovers were in for a rewarding year as 2025 unfolded with a strong line-up of ambitious, festival-hopping films led by some of the most critically acclaimed actors of the moment. From intimate character studies to politically charged thrillers and near-future dramas, filmmakers this year leaned into bold storytelling and risk-taking performances. As audiences and critics alike took note, these five films emerged as standouts, travelling widely across international film festivals and sparking conversation well beyond the big screen.
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme is perhaps the most unexpected of the lot. Timothée Chalamet, fresh from his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, transforms into Marty Mauser — a man obsessed with an unlikely dream: becoming a professional table tennis star. What could have been a quirky side note becomes a surprisingly intense character study under Safdie’s restless direction. Chalamet brings vulnerability and stubborn determination to a role that celebrates outsiders who refuse to let go of improbable ambitions.
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi returns with It Was Just an Accident, a film that quietly dismantles assumptions about morality and power. The narrative begins by presenting Eghbal as a respectable family man, only to gradually shift perspective through the eyes of Vahid, a mechanic whose encounter with him opens deeper questions about guilt and justice. Panahi’s restrained storytelling and sharp shifts in viewpoint turn a seemingly simple roadside incident into a haunting examination of complicity and consequence.
With Happyend, director Neo Sora offers a coming-of-age story set against the uneasy calm of a near-future Tokyo. Following best friends Yuta and Kou through their final year of high school, the film blends youthful rebellion with subtle political anxiety. Their pranks, late-night adventures and brushes with authority feel playful on the surface, but the film steadily builds an undercurrent of unease, reflecting a generation growing up in a world shaped by surveillance and social tension.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another marks Leonardo DiCaprio’s return to complex, morally ambiguous territory. Loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, the film reunites a group of former revolutionaries forced to confront a long-dormant enemy. With a stellar supporting cast including Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn, Anderson crafts a dense, politically charged thriller that questions idealism, memory and the cost of resistance.
Rounding out the list is Ari Aster’s Eddington, set during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the film centres on a volatile clash between a small-town sheriff and mayor in New Mexico. As fear and isolation fuel neighbourly conflicts, Aster once again proves his skill at turning collective anxiety into unsettling cinema.
Together, these five films capture a year defined by daring performances and stories that linger long after the credits roll.
