Late into the year I kept thinking to myself that I really hadn’t been floored by any one film. In the past I had one or two that I held onto as I saw them and could at least say “Yes, this one will definitely be on my list” but for some reason a lot of films fell flat for me this year. There were some contenders at SIFF of course, the sheer volume and diversity made that possible. Then, as the year neared its end, out came the the stars and I am left, yet again, with some tough decisions to make. Below are what I came up with, but I’ll probably wish I could change it again tomorrow.
Unlike our esteemed editor Josh, I tend to wait till the last minute to finish up this post. There were a few fun surprises near the end there but my top ten had pretty well been solidified since I also had to submit a ballot to the Seattle Film Critics Society. I love being a part of that organization, so please go check out what we’re up to now and into the future.
Excel Entertainment, Chalkboard Entertainment, Suitable Pictures
10. Boong (Lakshmipriya Devi)
While this Indian dark comedy didn’t make it anywhere near most people’s top ten lists, I couldn’t let it go after catching it at SIFF earlier this year. While there wasn’t anything hugely enigmatic, cinematic or groundbreaking about it, the story of the young man, Boong (Gugun Kipgen), with courage, sincerity, and just enough grit to get him in trouble sets out to make his family whole again. While the innocence of childhood is still wholly a part of him, he also has a strong sense of responsibility to his mother and her happiness. Maybe he knew all along how the adventure to find his alleged deceased father would end, it was important for him to know the truth.
With moments of silliness, mischievousness, fear, sweetness and uncertainty, the audience has an adventure of their own while following closely behind Boong as the story unfolds. We grow with him and come to understand more about being kind and gentle to those around us, the heartbreak that can come with lessons about family and friends, and despite it seeming otherwise, sometimes the world can be a wonderfully giving and delightful place.
Not currently available to view.
9. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson)
While this installment of the Knives Out series went far afield from the other two I so greatly enjoyed, I have to admit that this may be my favorite yet. What tickled me so much in the first two, dry humor, mostly light-hearted story telling, the twists, and the snarky commentary were interestingly absent. Instead we were left with a dark, thought-provoking quest into the heart of faith, what it means to the individual and when others use it as a weapon rather than a salvation.
While Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc continued the thread that stitched the series, as well as this story, together he wasn’t the main character in my mind. What really brought this story to its satisfying ending was the acting of Josh O’Connor as newbie pastor Jud Duplenticy. How we viewed his guilt or innocence throughout had no affect on the character himself and he was able to keep true to the core of who he was from start to finish. That consistency and ability to portray a myriad of tumultuous emotions is what drew me in. The entire cast, as per usual, was phenomenal and painted a complex picture of the world in which this story took place, but it wouldn’t have worked without O’Connor.
Wake Up Dead Man is streaming on Netflix
8.Twinless (James Sweeney)
Twinless had been surrounded by hype long before I had the chance to watch it. Created in the Pacific Northwest, emotional, thoughtful and unique. I always have my reservations about buzz films and tends to be a 50/50 chance that I’ll like it myself. Despite my desire to see only funny, silly and happy things this year (enough of my reality is otherwise), this really took me by surprise. It was definitely a film about grief but it held so much more. It spoke to my desire to be accepted, have a special person in my life, really feel seen and loved… the emotional stuff we all seek. This one even had an ambiguous ending that felt genuine where others have felt forced just to feel “different”.
A beautifully crafted film from production and direction to acting and screenwriting. Even though it’s not winning any big awards, it’s well-worth your time to fit it into your year-end watch list.
Twinless is available to rent or buy on various VOD platforms.
7. Hamnet (Chloé Zhao)
Another film that came out of nowhere at the end of the year (at least for me) was Hamnet. In high school I had to do a report on Shakespeare, and even then his personal life wasn’t exactly a good one. Yes, he met his wife in the countryside then moved to London for his career, but he regularly cheated on his wife and became a stereotypical egotistical celebrity. It didn’t sit well with me even at age 16 but it is what it is. I love the work, and over the years I’ve tried separating those feelings about the man to enjoy the groundbreaking storytelling he created. Now that a reimagining of his life is being laid bare, those reservations about who he was sprang up again. The story blatantly leaves out any of his personality flaws and instead puts him in the tortured artist and loving husband and father view instead. That storyline works better for what the writer than cheating jerk who also loved his family… so again I tried setting aside what I knew to appreciate the film for what it is and the context they chose to include.
It’s cinematically beautiful. I appreciate the focus on his mental health and desire to create something truly great amidst the intense pain of losing a loved one, so I’ll leave it at that. It probably tells you something that I still put this in my top ten despite my offense from the man himself.
Hamnet is now playing in theaters.
6. Elio (Adrian Molina, Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian)
Thank goodness I wasn’t completely inundated with intense, depressing and frustrating storylines in my end-of-year film marathoning. Despite being the new installment of the well-established and well-loved Pixar, I completely missed the release of Elio. Coming out during the summer, maybe it was lost in the midst of blockbusters and indie films? Who knows, but thankfully it found its way to my inbox and onto my tv. While there’s a heartbreaking backstory as always (jeez, talk about formulaic Pixar) Elio immediately became something more. A young man trying to make sense of the world by wishing and hoping for something more just to be rewarded with exactly what he wants. If only we all could experience that.
The reality and responsibility of dreams coming true can hit hard, but he took them on gladly, looking forward bravely. It was a joy to follow along with this boy in his adventures and of course he realized what was really important. This character is someone I’d love to know in my own life, so experiencing this story encouraged bravery in myself and taking every opportunity to grab joy when comes my way. Another plus, the character may have been hispanic but it wasn’t his entire identity. While embracing your culture and making it big part of your life is never a bad thing, having that be the focus of a character just to seem like a story is forward-thinking has become all too typical with a focus on “hey look, look over here! We’re multicultural!” It’s wonderful to have non-white main characters made up of multitudes rather than a monolith representing all peoples from his culture. He was just a kid making it through a tough time.
Elio is currently streaming on Disney+.
5. Harbin (Min-ho Woo)
Admittedly, Korean, Chinese and Japanese entertainment has been dominating both my television and musical tastes of late and so I have a penchant for seeking out films from these areas as well. The countries, their histories and their stories fascinate me to no end and I dont’t see that ending anytime soon. Unfortunately I came up short finding films from these areas this year but I probably just didn’t look hard enough. Thankfully this one was handed over to me early (in January actually). While I didn’t want to start off the year with a harrowing tale, that’s how it worked out and I’m better off for it. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and especially when all stops are pulled to make it as historically accurate as possible.
Harbin follows a small band of activists determined to bring about their country’s independence out from under the boot of a suffocating and debilitating regime. With little left keeping them going, these men and women were more worried about the future of their people than whether they made it out alive. The strength and resilience of the Korean people is nearly unmatched in history and I loved learning more about who they are and what lead them to who they are today. If you enjoy war films, heists or historical fiction, then you shouldn’t miss this.
Harbin is currently streaming on Disney+, Hulu, others.
4. Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Another surrounded by chatter long before I was able to watch, Sinners is exactly what I love about films. Sub-context you can talk about for months to come, cheeky well-rounded characters, a little danger, a little frightening, but mostly just a satisfying story. Didn’t really see the twist coming despite the delay between release and sitting down to view it, and at first it felt completely disjointed; almost like we were thrown into a new film altogether. That feeling quickly subsided and I let the new view wash over and sweep me along in the remaining thrill-ride. I don’t know that I loved the very end as the lives of the characters wove together again, but it was consistently cheeky and left things open for a follow up film if they so choose. In any case, I had a great time with it and so will you.
Sinners is currently streaming on HBOmax.
3. Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie)
My adventures with Timotheé Chalamet began many years ago when he captivated me in Call Me By Your Name at age 22, but that was long after his young face graced many a small and large screen alike. With the ability to go from graceful and standoff-ish to snarky and in your face it’s fantastic to see him gaining the star power that was already obvious nearly a decade ago.
This felt like a departure from the more mysterious and cool characters he’s played in the past and while the entire cast of this film built the solid foundation of the story, it would not have been the same without Chalamet in the driver’s seat. I usually hate tv and films that have almost no redeemable characters (or none at all like in this one), which was especially true for Safdie’s previous film Uncut Gems. I literally couldn’t get through the whole thing; that’s not to say it wasn’t a good film, but I just couldn’t. This time around I relished every annoying, frustrating an overtly egotistical moment Marty was on screen. I could not tell you why other than the cast was able to pull me in and create some kind of understanding between us despite their deplorable personalities. It’s fun, it’s ridiculous, you want to punch him in the face, but Marty Supreme ran right up to the top of my list.
Marty Supreme is currently in theaters.
2. The Testament of Ann Lee (Mona Fastvold)
I may have been pleasantly surprised by many of the films on my list, but this one takes the cake. I had heard zero chatter about it (it’s possible I was just oblivious) but it blew me away! Stories about martyrs, religious figures, or relgion in general don’t always appeal, but this one sucked me in from minute one. Amanda Seyfried was enigmatic as the titular Ann Lee, I could barely keep my eyes off her. She’s always had a powerful presence in the shows and films I’ve seen, but this was above and beyond. She became this character heart and soul, so you couldn’t help but lose yourself in the story. Ironically enough I first encountered her as the daughter of a polygomous household in “Big Love”. This was at a time when HBO was still building fervor with their unapologetic, unique stories and high quality production (where now we’ve just come to expect it).
It wouldn’t be fair to say it was just Seyfried that carried the film. The large and talented cast, just like with Marty Supreme and Knives Out, built the world in which Seyfried’s Ann shines. Also, I dare say without the driving force of music injected playfully, intensely and powerfully throughout, it would not have impacted me nearly as much. I’d argue the music itself was a character that could not be replaced without destroying the integrity of the film. I only wish I’d gotten to see it in the theater to feel the energy from the other movie-goers.
The Testament of Ann Lee arrives in theaters on Christmas
1. One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Speaking of movie leads, DiCaprio in One Battle After Another was so annoyingly good that I had to love it. I say annoyingly because I don’t like him as a human being… and I tend to have difficulty removing the art from the artist (see Hamnet above), but with freaking Leonardo DiCaprio I can’t help it. He’s capable of so much and as a seasoned actor knows how to put his everything into the human he is revealing to the audience. He leaves nothing on the table and it shows time and time again. While not the shining star of the film, Benecio Del Toro has a similar effect and just can’t help being the center of attention whenever he’s on the screen. Adding dark, dry humor to a tense situation seems to be his specialty whether he’s in a cheeky Wes Anderson or gritty Thomas Anderson it’s impossible to find him anything but charming.
I’m usually put off by films with a ton of hype, but I didn’t let that stop me this time and pretended it was the first time I’d even heard the title (that usually works out for the best). What could have been a convoluted story weaving activism, chosen family, and overt racism turned out to be a fascinating story of responsibility, familial ties and how our actions can unintentionally, but deeply effect people that we love. Put it on your list, watch it.
One Battle After Another is available on various VOD platforms.
🎉📽️🎬 All of the Sunbreak’s 2025 Year-end lists: Chris | Josh | Marina | Morgen | Tony