The 50 best films of 2025 in the UK

50-41

50

Blue Moon

Ethan Hawke plays with campy brilliance and criminal combover the lyricist Lorenz Hart as he spirals into vinegary jilted despair after his split from Richard Rodgers in this latest collaboration with Richard Linklater. Read the full review.

49

Happyend

Dysfunctional … Happyend. Photograph: Publicity image

Teen romance and paranoid surveillance collide to dysfunctional effect in Neo Sora’s beguiling debut feature set in an oppressive near-future Japan. Read the full review.

48

I Swear

Kirk Jones’s moving film of John Davidson, the man who taught Britain about Tourette, offers compassion and catharsis. Read the full review.

47

Lurker

A desperate wannabe attaches himself to a singer on the rise in a darkly compelling Hollywood melodrama. Read the full review.

46

Homebound

Emotionally rich … Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in Homebound. Photograph: courtesy Neeraj Ghaywan

An emotionally rich study of friends in rural India trying to get home in the pandemic, Neeraj Ghaywan’s film benefits from excellent lead performances and strong cinematography. Read the full review.

45

The Librarians

Kim A Snyder’s documentary highlights the defenders of young readers’ rights to see their lives in print facing rightwing attacks. Read the full review.

44

Motherboard

A video love letter … Victoria Mapplebeck with son Jim in Motherboard. Photograph: First Person Films

Victoria Mapplebeck’s documentary stitches 20 years’ worth of footage into a home video love letter to her son, whose whole life so far is observed. Read the full review.

43

The Kingdom

Corsica-set mafia tale boasts outstanding performances from first-time actors as it follows a teenage girl discovering and revelling in her status as the blueblood daughter of a crime boss. Read the full review.

42

Bugonia

Possible alien Emma Stone stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’s macabre conspiracy theory comedy co-starring a superb Jesse Plemons. Read the full review.

41

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore

Widely lauded … Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. Photograph: PR

A compelling portrait of deaf actor and campaigner Marlee Matlin’s life reveals she achieved much more than her widely lauded 1980s Oscar win. Read the full review.

40-31 coming soon

The 50 best films of 2025 were voted for by Peter Bradshaw, Catherine Bray, Xan Brooks, Luke Buckmaster, Sian Cain, Cath Clarke, Leslie Felperin, Ryan Gilbey, Jesse Hassenger, Phil Hoad, Adrian Horton, Richard Lawson, Ann Lee, Benjamin Lee, Rebecca Liu, Mike McCahill, Gwilym Mumford, Philip Oltermann, Andrew Pulver, Steve Rose and Catherine Shoard