Movies
Sundance 2025: Best of the Fest – 10 Favorite Films Worth Watching
Sundance 2025: Best of the Fest – 10 Favorite Films Worth Watching
by Alex Billington
February 10, 2025
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival has wrapped up after another thriving 10-day in-person event held up in the Utah mountains, along with an online counterpart for the second half (which had its own issues). Now it’s time to present our annual Best of the Fest list from the 2025 selection. I was able to catch a total of 54 films this year (my full list on Letterboxd), half of them at screenings in Park City & Salt Lake City, the other half virtual previews at home (cuddling with doggies on the couch). This was my 19th year attending & covering Sundance, and this fest still has a special place in my heart. I’m always glad to be back up there, watching films all day, every day, in the snow. I am presenting my final list of my 10 favorite films – a mix of documentaries and narrative features. All 10 are top notch, and I highly recommend catching them on the big screen ASAP. Watching all of these with an entranced audience really makes a difference. I also recorded a podcast talking about many of the Sundance films (good and bad). Below are the best of the best, the films that connected with me the most and have remained on my mind all the way beyond the end of the festival.
It’s always my priority while at Sundance to go see as many films as I can. Even if I don’t love every film I watch, I’m just curious to see what makes each of them so unique. Some other films that I missed and still need to catch up with: The Ugly Stepsister, Seeds, Hal & Harper, Last Days, Bunnylovr, East of Wall, The Stringer. This fest always programs some of the most innovative and interesting films ready to watch each year. I appreciate how much they try to focus on the most creative work by new filmmakers. I also encourage all movie lovers to make time for documentaries – don’t ignore them, they’re too often lost in the mix (and this was a banner year for docs). They deserve to be seen, too! There’s a few I’ve already included in the 10 below, but I also recommend: Deaf President Now!, Life After, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Sally, Zodiac Killer Project, Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, It’s Never Over Jeff Buckley, Andre is an Idiot, GEN_. I’m always grateful to Sundance for letting me attend the festival with a press badge and grab tickets to all of the big premieres, it’s an invigorating experience that makes me very happy every year. Let’s dive right in…
While I saw many films that I enjoyed (my full list of 54 here), there are always some I missed even though I heard good things about them. But these are my favorite films from this year’s fest from those that I did see.
Alex’s Top 10 Favorite ~Sundance 2025~ Films:
Folktales
Directed by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
My #1 film of Sundance 2025 is a documentary! Huzzah! And it is filled with dogs and snow. Of course I loved it! The perfect kind of film to watch up in the mountains during a snowstorm in the middle of a winter film festival. Folktales blew me away – the best documentary at Sundance and one of my favorite films of the year (so far, of course). The filmmakers Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady are Sundance regulars (we even interviewed them back in 2010 for 12th & Delaware). Folktales is set high up in the arctic north in Norway at a folk school where they teach students independent living and survival skills like camping & building fires & dog sledding. It’s as much of a film about humans as it is about dogs, spending much time focused on the sled dogs that live at this school. The dog’s connection with the students is an important part of their education; we follow three kids as they learn and struggle and grow up over the course of a very cold, snowy semester. The cinematography is spectacular, the score is tremendous, the whole experience of this film is deeply moving. It might even encourage some folks to change who they are & rethink their direction in life.
Together
Directed by Michael Shanks
This is the next great body horror comedy has premiered! A must watch with an audience! One of the best audience experiences at the festival and one of my favorite films. A hilarious horror feature starring real-life couple Alison Brie & Dave Franco as a couple dealing with relationship problems. This is the feature directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks, after making his mark with his acclaimed stop-motion short film Rebooted. Here he proves he’s just as talented in live-action with a knock out body horror film. The practical FX are seamless and exciting, easily one of the best parts about this film, making the unsettling possibility of it feel real. It’s a story about co-dependency but it also involves a horror mythology created just for the film. I laughed more in this film than any other film at Sundance. Then there were a few jump scare screams that made the audience laugh even louder. I won’t reveal anything about what happens in this horror film – just know that it’s going to be a big hit once it hits theaters (Neon already picked it up).
Train Dreams
Directed by Clint Bentley
A perfectly shot film about trains? I’m sold! You got me already! I’m lucky I could catch Train Dreams, it’s real cinema that is especially moving if you watch it on screen in a theater with an enraptured audience. This is also one of the only films from Sundance this year that made me wonder how they filmed it and how they pulled off these shots – a number of shots involving cutting down trees, building railroads, and a big forest fire are immaculate. It’s not easy to make all of this look so realistic yet everything within this film feels like it’s a lived-in experience taking us back in time to the end of the 19th / start of 20th centuries in America. Joel Edgerton is phenomenal starring in this as Robert Grainier, a rather humble, quiet man who works in hard labor as a logger and railroader up in the Northwest. It’s not just a story about building America – it’s a story about how much changes as time goes on, how much happens in one lifetime. Netflix already bought this, though I hope they let it play in theaters – it deserves to be appreciated on a big screen.
The Wedding Banquet
Directed by Andrew Ahn
A huge surprise, did not expect to fall for this one going in to watch the premiere. But I did! The Wedding Banquet is queer filmmaker Andrew Ahn’s outstanding 2025 contemporary update on the Ang Lee film also titled The Wedding Banquet (1993). The new cast has an enchanting dynamic – their interconnected relationships and how they’re handled in this story are sensational. You’ll fall in love with each one of them, it’s hard not to after watching. The comedy is fresh and fun and funky, exploring LGBTQ themes as well as family drama and Pacific Northwest quirks aplenty. This is entirely magnificent ensemble storytelling. The film is another powerful crowd-pleaser comedy, an emotional masterpiece. Bowen Yang & Han Gi-chan star are one couple, Chris & Min; Lily Gladstone & Kelly Marie Tran also co-star as Lee & Angela, the other couple. The exquisite Joan Chen also appears as Angela’s overbearing mother May Chen, and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, also has a wonderful role as Min’s grandmother Ja-Young, who is the catalyst for most of what happens in the film. I can’t wait to show everyone this one when it opens in just a few months.
Omaha
Directed by Cole Webley
Everyone at the festival was talking about this after it premiered on the very first day – and it kept earning good buzz after every screening. A highlight of the festival for the filmmaking and the performances that make it so emotional and unforgettable. Omaha is also one of the saddest films from Sundance, it must be admitted, once the film gets going you’ll start to figure it out. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still be good film. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Utah native filmmaker Cole Webley, and it’s shot beautifully as a dad takes his kids on a roadtrip across America. One morning they wake up and he’s suddenly pushing them into the car and on the road. Where are they going? He’ll only tell them: Omaha. Why? Who’s there? The rest is revealed as the story goes on. John Magaro (after Past Lives and September 5) gives another excellent performance as the father in this, and the two kids playing Ella and Charlie are wonderful as well. Of course, great filmmaking is about the overall experience watching a film, not just how the story plays out.
Love, Brooklyn
Directed by Rachael Abigail Holder
This lively, charming, humble little film is set in the depths of Brooklyn during its lush summer and tells the story of one man juggling the two women he’s stuck between. Love, Brooklyn is another outstanding first-time feature in the Sundance 2025 line-up, made by Rachael Holder and presented / produced by Steven Soderbergh (he has an eye for talent for sure). This is such a beautiful discovery, and I had such a warm & wonderful experience watching this at its world premiere at Sundance. I could feel the buzz and energy in the air, it really seemed like the audience was wrapped up in this story and moved by it as much as I was. That communal experience of falling in love with a film while sitting together is always touching. I’m once again impressed by actor André Holland, who plays the main character Roger; and I’m also in awe of the two lovely performances from Nicole Beharie as Casey and DeWanda Wise as Nicole, the women he’s involved with. This film has vibes of Before Sunrise/Sunset, looks amazing, and is so easy to watch & enjoy.
The Perfect Neighbor
Directed by Geeta Gandbhir
Such an intense experience. What a powerful film. You’ll be sweating, on the edge of your seat the whole time, overwhelmed with anxiety – but that’s part of the exhilarating experience of sitting through a moving found-footage documentary like this. While one could label The Perfect Neighbor as a “true crime doc”, I don’t think this classification does it justice. In fact, it’s more of a social-political thriller about America and what’s wrong with the country. Made by filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir, the film is created entirely from body cam & dash cam footage taken from police records, as well as a smattering of found footage from cell phones and news reports. All of this is used to tell the story of a neighborhood in Florida menaced by a crazy White Lady neighbor who really doesn’t like letting the local kids play. She starts calling the cops on them for no valid reason, and we get to view both sides of the story as things get worse & worse. Everyone who watches this can’t stop raving about it & can’t stop talking about how it made them feel – the power of great cinema.
Middletown
Directed by Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss
Another outstanding documentary in the line-up. I’m not surprised this turned out great, considering I’ve been a big fan of doc director Jesse Moss ever since The Overnighters (from Sundance 2014 – it also made my Top 10 that year). Middletown is a fascinating trip into the past, revisiting a story from the 90s involving waste disposal in New York State. A group of students at a local high school studying “Electronic English” – meaning video journalism and TV news – decide to investigate growing piles of toxic waste dumped nearby and end up over-their-heads in a story of corruption and toxicity. This one really shook me up and has been stuck on my mind ever since. So many moments and conversations hit me hard and have remained on my mind, playing over & over as I think about the state of the world right now, and the state of journalism at this moment in history. It may not be about stopping something bad, more about the journey to try to make a difference. That journey is so moving and galvanizing, the tenacity of these kids is so inspiring. Above all, it’s remarkable that a story from over 30 years ago can still have this kind of real impact on everyone today.
Cutting Through Rocks
Directed by Mohammad Reza Eyni & Sara Khaki
This is one of these documentaries you might not think much of when it first starts. But by the end you’re jumping out of your seat cheering for the people in it. Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) is a fantastic 95-minute documentary film made by two filmmakers Mohammad Reza Eyni & Sara Khaki. It tells the story of an Iranian woman named Sara Shahverdi, who is the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, battling patriarchy and bureaucracy and other problems in her village. There is a mesmerizing motorcycle motif used throughout the film, which also represents a symbol of freedom for many of these Iranian women (because they aren’t allowed to drive). It’s also frustrating that a simple motorcycle ride as all that it takes for her to come under fire from men in the village (and nearby) who want to take her down and put her in her place. All because she took some young women out on a motorcycle. But she fights on & never gives in. An empowering, inspiring story of perseverance & progress no matter the circumstances or the oppression.
Lurker
Directed by Alex Russell
A late-in-the-festival surprise. Lurker is this Sundance 2025 update of Ingrid Goes West (which played at Sundance 2017) with its own beguiling story set in the music world. This has even better original songs than Opus does. Another disquieting cautionary tale about celebrities and fame and obsession. Lurker stars up-and-coming actor Théodore Pellerin as a guy named Matthew – who finds his way into the inner circle of a famous pop star named Oliver, played by Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe. As he tries to hold onto his place in that world, suddenly addicted to the excitement that fame seems to offer, he also gets a bit too desperate and starts to screw things up. There’s a smart balance of comedy & darkness, with engaging storytelling that keeps you intrigued even if you don’t want to see what’s next. I really dug it. I appreciate more of these films being made because we really need to address how celebrity-obsessed everyone is right now. This audience seemed to be into it too – could sense everyone squirming while also laughing. Keep an eye out for this one.
I also recorded a podcast chat about Sundance films with Aaron Neuwirth on his Out Now Podcast – listen to that episode here. And check out my other favorite films list on my Letterboxd page. Thanks for following.
For other Sundance 2025 best of the fest lists mentioning more films we didn’t see or didn’t include here, check out these other websites: Indiewire’s 17 Best Movies of Sundance 2025, Vulture’s Best & Meh-st of a Dud Year at Sundance, Esquire’s 10 Best Movies We Saw at Sundance, RT’s 9 Best Films We Saw, The A.V. Club’s Best Films of Sundance 2025, Metacritic’s Best & Worst Films Recap, Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Movies at Sundance, and David Chen’s Video Podcast of Our 10 Favorite Sundance 2025 Movies. My faves list isn’t the only list of great films from Sundance! There are many other great films from this year that deserve your time & attention whenever they show up in your neighborhood. Keep an eye out for any/all of the films. I always recommend watching any film from the Sundance line-up if it sounds interesting to you, and many of these will likely show up at other film fests before they play in theaters. Make time for as many as you can…
You can find all our Sundance 2025 coverage and reviews in this category. This wraps up our coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, our 19th year in a row attending this fest. We’ll always be back again. You can also find more thoughts on films posted on my Letterboxd. Another year of excellent indie discoveries.
Article by:Source: Alex Billington