Metrograph’s Best Film Experiences of 2025

‘Tis the season to tally up the finest cinema this year had to offer. Once again, Metrograph has invited everyone who contributed to the Journal in some way—a coterie of writers, artists, and filmmaker friends—to help assemble our end-of-year review.

In a sea of well-covered 2025 releases, we have asked friends of Metrograph to share with us their best film experience from the past year, whether the movie be new or old, a first-time watch or a beloved favorite.

Enjoy this eclectic list of recommended titles to revisit or to add to your watch lists in 2026. Thanks to everyone who contributed, and happy New Year from Metrograph!

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Adam Piron

Devil Story – Il était une fois… le diable (1986), dir. Bernard Launois

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Aimee Knight

Heaven (1987), dir. Diane Keaton

When Diane Keaton left this world, I revisited her directorial debut: an oddball documentary about the afterlife. One interviewee says the Muppets live in heaven. Let’s pray she’s right.

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Alexandre Singh

Sentimental Value (2025), dir. Joachim Trier

We were up at 5:45am to catch the morning screening at Telluride. It was a communion with cinema.

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Amiel Courtin-Wilson

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981), dir. William Asher

Susan Tyrell’s combustible brilliance is a queasy joy to behold. 

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Annabel Brady-Brown

The Quiet Man (1952), dir. John Ford

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Andrew Norman Wilson

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), dir. David Lynch

I landed in LA on the first of January for a month-long project. A week later, the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted; a week after that, Lynch passed. Of the seven memorial screenings I attended, this one hit the hardest, reminding of the elaborate fantasy systems we construct to protect ourselves, and the nightmare of witnessing something you’re powerless to help.

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Anri Vartanov

Dry Leaf (2025), dir. Alexandre Koberidze

The greatest cinematic magic trick of the year: a moving painting shot on one of the smallest camera phones and best seen on the biggest screen possible! NYFF #63.

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Athina Rachel Tsangari

The Love That Remains (2025), dir. Hlynur Pálmason

Marvellously burrowing, achingly giddy.

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Audrey Lam

Youth (Hard Times) (2024), dir. Wang Bing

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Bruce Bennett

The Narrow Margin (1952), dir. Richard Fleischer

Revisited in 35mm at AFA accompanied by two adored first timers whose involuntary gasps at the climactic second act unmasking were pure manna.

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Bruce Hainley

Room Temperature (2025), dir. Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley

Sculptural, Bressonesque, a cinematic interdimensional folding device about (allegorically) art and misaimed ambitions, thinking as making (vice versa), imagined plans becoming actualized but never how intended. Funny, until it’s not.

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Caroline Golum

Revelations of Divine Love (2025), dir. Caroline Golum

World Premiere at FIDMarseille. Which is crazier: including the world premiere of your own movie in a best-of list, or NOT including it? Either way, this took the cake.

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Clyde Folley

MacGruber (2010), dir. Jorma Taccone

My friend told me I was laughing so hard that I was basically De Niro in Cape Fear.

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Colleen Kelsey

Perfect Love (1996), dir. Catherine Breillat

Watched at 8am on a Saturday and still had nightmares. She is the only one who can do this.

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Corina Copp

Life Is a Saxophone (1985); Picking Tribes (1988); The Healing Passage: Voices from the Water (2004) (excerpts); Back Inside Herself (Remix) (1984/2009); Blood Bank (2022), dir. S. Pearl Sharp

Redcat, LA. Program of five films, curated by Jheanelle Brown, celebrating S. Pearl Sharp with Sharp in person. Witnessing this beautiful person’s history rendered in her community showing up is something I’ll never forget, and rest in peace, S. Pearl.

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Courtney Stephens

Olivia’s Place (1974), dir. Thom Andersen

Andersen’s beautiful portrait of an LA greasy spoon, situated beautifully within a program on LA microhistories. At Philosophical Research Society for the 10th anniversary of All Night Menu.

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Dean Hurley

Apollo 11 (2019), dir. Todd Douglas Miller

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Dennis Zhou

Resurrection (2025), dir. Bi Gan

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Dessane Lopez Cassell

Alien (1979), dir. Ridley Scott

There’s nothing like spending a summer steeped in Sigourney Weaver lore, chest-exploding monsters, and confusing sequels.

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Edo Choi

Cinema at Its Purest, the Goldstaub Fund

One summer night on the Cineteca di Bologna’s Piazzetta Pasolini, Filmarchiv Austria’s Nikolaus Wostry projected a program of stencil-colored wonders from 1905 through a hand-cranked carbon arc projector. An incandescent phantasmagoria!

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Edward McCarry

Rosa de Areia (1989), dir. Margarida Cordeiro, António Reis

Sounds, visions, rhythms, words, music.

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Elissa Suh

In the Spirit (1990), dir. Sandra Seacat

At the Roxy, Elaine May and Jeannie Berlin wryly grilled the moderator during a Q&A. He took it well.

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Esther Zuckerman

Amadeus (1984), dir. Miloš Forman

In 70mm at The Paris. Not to be all sappy, but I went with my dad who introduced me to the film way back when, which made it even more meaningful.

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Gabriel Jandali Appel

Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025), dir. Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein

Those who claim to have had a better experience with a new movie this year did not see Final Destination: Bloodlines in a theater.

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Grace Byron

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), dir. Paul Mazursky

A film with more to see about polyamory and open relationships than any contemporary counterpart.

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Graham Carter

Living on the River Agano (1992), dir. Makoto Satō

16mm at Japan Society, programmed by Shiguéhiko Hasumi and Alexander Fee.

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Greg de Cuir Jr

still/here (2000), dir. Christopher Harris

Shown in a sublime restoration on 16mm. Gradually assuming its position as a canonical masterwork of Black film art.

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Gus O’Brien

Seven Chances (1925), dir. Buster Keaton

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Haley Mlotek

La Ciénaga (2001), dir. Lucrecia Martel

Watched in my living room while a friend watched simultaneously in hers, as part of our short-lived, much-loved, long-distance movie club.

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Hannah Gross

La Commune (2000), dir. Peter Watkins

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Hedi El Kholti

Misericordia (2024), dir. Alain Guiraudie

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Henry McDevitt-Bayless

Weapons (2025), dir. Zach Cregger

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Inney Prakash

Mughal-e-Azam (1960), dir. K. Asif

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Isabella Trimboli

Dream of Light (1992), dir. Victor Erice

Spanish painter Antonio López Garcia tries to paint his beloved quince tree before the fruits fall off and spoil. Was totally transfixed by his almost psychotic devotion and meticulousness. A good reminder of that classic Weil dictum: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” 

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Irena Kovarova

Happiness (1998), dir. Todd Solondz

Revisiting this classic in a full house at IFC Center. I haven’t laughed, cringed, and cried so much in the company of others for a long, long time.

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J. Hoberman

Christmas On Earth (1964-65), dir. Barbara Rubin

Projected correctly (double screen, colored filters) for a packed Anthology audience w. me orchestrating the sound (Pentecostal ranting, late ’60s Gato Barbieri).

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Jawni Han

Collateral (2004), dir. Michael Mann

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Jeffrey Crowley

Secret Mall Apartment (2024), dir. Jeremy Workman

A totally ecstatic watch from a sold-out shoebox, this is the best doc I’ve seen in years! Dedicate more time contributing to public art works!

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Jessica Almereyda

Golden Eighties (1986), dir. Chantal Akerman

I have a sonic fetish for clacking heels on shopping mall tiles and these opening credits deliver. Further proof that Akerman could do anything, even a musical.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Fire of Wind (2024), dir. Marta Mateus

It was exciting to discuss this with Marta in November at two Chicago venues.

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Kaila Hier

Traveling Actors (1940), dir. Mikio Naruse

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Kelli Weston

The Killers (1964), dir. Don Siegel

John Cassavetes invented male beauty. As if I could not love him more, he socks Ronald Reagan in his goofy face, then pistol whips him and shoves him out of a moving car. Ciné.

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Keva York

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922), dir. Fritz Lang

To Thomas Elsaesser’s observation that German Expressionist films are most memorable for their villains, I would add that those tyrannical ghouls are the most memorable in all movie villainy.

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Larry Karaszewski

Film in Which There Appear Edge Lettering, Sprocket Holes, Dirt Particles, Etc. (1966), dir. Owen Land

In January 2025, I stumbled upon some found footage experimental shorts—films made from the detritus on the cutting room floor. Completely entranced, I spent the year devouring this genre.

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Luke Goodsell

Invention (2024), dir. Courtney Stephens

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Marc J. Palm

One Battle After Another (2025), dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

I couldn’t help but giggle with excitement during the hilly car chase.

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Matt Folden

Basic Instinct (1992), dir. Paul Verhoeven, with Camille Paglia commentary track

Big and loud, sitting with Jeff and Chris on a Sunday night.

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Michael Almereyda

One Day Pina Asked… (1981), dir. Chantal Akerman

Paired with Franz Schubert’s Last Three Piano Sonatas (1989) at the MoMA retrospective in September.

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Michael M. Bilandic

America Land Of The Freeks (2018), dir. Ulli Lommel

I’d love to dump a cooler of Gatorade on Ulli’s head. Champions deserve it. Tragically, he passed away before the US premiere of his one true masterpiece and never got a proper dousing.

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Natasha Stagg

Ball of Fire (1941), dir. Howard Hawks

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Nathan Silver

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), dir. Blake Edwards

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Nick Pinkerton

Eddington (2025), dir. Ari Aster

Anything that sends a staff critic for the New York War Crimes into conniptions on a podcast appearance is A-okay in my book. “Geronimo’s Bones” had me laughing like a drain. Radu Jude’s Dracula places second. Both neatly illustrate the degree to which we actually live in Hell now.

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Nicolas Rapold

The Naked Gun (2025), dir. Akiva Schaffer

Regal Essex. Laffed myself silly.

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Owen Kline

Madame Wang’s (1981), dir. Paul Morrissey

It hit me hard this time the story is an allegory for Morrissey’s story. A stranger from another land comes to New York, looks at the insufferable punk rock cesspool, refuses to feign a punk scream into a microphone, and instead cuts himself on the stage, out-punking the punks.

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Paul McAdory

Shall We Dance? (1996, Director’s Cut), dir. Masayuki Suo

I’ve never seen the Miramax cut of this movie, which chops 19 minutes off the runtime. I hope I never do. Every second is exquisite.

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Payton McCarty-Simas

The Lotus Community Workshop (2012), dir. Harmony Korine

I watched this short for the first time when Val Kilmer died in April. It’s such a glorious, magnetic showcase for his talents and Korine’s style. Love is hardcore!

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Ryan Swen

Side Phase Drift (1965), dir. John Whitney Jr.

Attended the first 16mm three-screen performance of this in over 50 years, projected onto a blank white wall, courtesy of Lightstruck at 2220 Arts + Archives; the atmosphere was electric.

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Saffron Maeve

The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926), dir. Henry King

In a sweltering theatre, with live music by the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana.

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Savina Petkova

The Visitor (2024), dir. Bruce LaBruce

A second viewing for me, organised as a prelude to a kink sex party in London. The pre-screening Q&A was facilitated by gimps in heavy chains.

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Scott Cummings

The Oldest Profession (1974), dir. Noboru Tanaka

At Metrograph. Undiscovered banger. Spent the first half in despair: why bother making films? It’s all been done! Then, for the second half, I rallied — we MUST keep pushing harder and harder.

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Sofia Bohdanowicz

21.3°C (2014), dir. Helena Wittmann

A direct, elemental film of light, sound, and time passing. It returned me to why I love the act of filmmaking—its resonance, its atmosphere, its quiet, consistent temperature.

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Ted Gerike

Demons to Diamonds (2025), dir. Valentin Noujaïm

This, and the rest of the La Défense trilogy, at Now Instant.

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Thora Siemsen

Familiar Touch (2024), dir. Sarah Friedland

I’d been curious about this debut since the director used her moment at Venice to speak out about Gaza. The film itself, assured and meticulous, did not disappoint when I watched it with friends.

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Victoria Ashley

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), dir. Anthony Minghella

I loved seeing this again at Metrograph in 35mm… Happy memories of the film (and cast) from my old Miramax days!

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Will Sloan

Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), dir. Mark Sandrich

I went a little insane and flew to LA just to see this middling feature-film spinoff of radio’s The Jack Benny Program at the New Beverly… and I shook Eddie “Rochester” Anderson’s daughter’s hand!

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Willow Catelyn Maclay

Glen Or Glenda (1953), dir. Ed Wood

At the Paradise Theater in Toronto, for the launch of Will Sloan’s book on Ed Wood, with a large audience of trans people who watched the birth of the trans film image with curiosity, empathy and recognition.

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Yuka Murakami

Earth (1930), dir. Alexander Dovzhenko

Preceded by a performance of three folk songs by the polyphonic choir Ukrainian Village Voices.