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10 passion projects that stood out in cinemas in 2025 NPR critic Bob Mondello narrows down his favorite movies of the year — the ones that made audiences vibrate.
December 30, 20254:00 PM ET
Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent. NEON hide caption
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NEON
When filmmakers are cranking out blockbusters, Tinseltown can seem like any other business — customer satisfaction measured in popcorn sales and audience smiles. But when filmmakers are passionate, movies can make audiences vibrate — with grief, with excitement, with rage. And that happened a lot this year.
These 10 films connected when they took really big swings. They hail from gratifyingly divergent perspectives, grapple differently with history and art, aim for diverse audiences, and are — without exception — passion projects worth seeking out on the biggest possible screen.
Ten best films of 2025
Among the other movies I admired, and urge you to see — ideally with an audience, when possible: A House of Dynamite, Sirat, Blue Moon, No Other Choice, Bugonia, Father Mother Sister Brother, Is This Thing On?, Grand Theft Hamlet, Architecton, Come See Me In The Good Light, Hedda, Sorry, Baby, Wake Up Dead Man, and Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.
English (US)