Finishing my best of 2025 list four months into 2026 is a bit ironic, but I wanted to be throrough. It’s both easier to access movies and harder to watch them in theaters. Resurrection, A Poet, and No Other Choice played for a maximum of two weeks at one theater and then left public conciousness. I missed films I was eagerly anticipating, forcing myself to scrounge online for movies. Luckily, virtually everything from Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, Venice and beyond was available to stream online and thus, I watched nearly every 2025 release in perpituity.
It wasn’t a great year. If you look below at my winners, you’ll notice a lack of winner diversity and that’s because it was a weaker year. A handful of great films and then a bunch of forgettable releases. The depth was severly lacking. In a moment in time where the world is losing hold of its senses, the medium has felt more apathethic, benign and uniterested in humanity. Yes, there’s strong message films like One Battle After Another, Resurrection and I Swear, but the general sense is the voice of artist sounds muted or unwilling.
That said, we did get a number of avant-garde releases that elevated a year lacking imagination. Bi Gan and Lav Diaz provided unortodox, untraditional films to balance out a rather conservative year in filmmaking. Paul Thomas Anderson released one of his finest since The Master in 2012, capturing the current moment better than any other film from this year. Yorgos Lanthimos, following up Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things drops a film tailored made to my sensibilities and remaking a Korean classic in Save the Green Planet.
So, while there are downsides to 2025, there are upsides too. Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Jafar Panaji, and Joachim Trier all giving us some inspired work. I found ways to enoy myself even if I wasn’t on a per average basis.
Before we begin, I want to quickly pay respects to the late, great Tatsuya Nakadai, the greatest actor to ever live. As a token of my appreciation for his work, I will rename the best actor award to the Nakadai award to keep his spirit alive. His filmography is filled with not only unbelievable performances but some of the greatest films ever made. Incredible career, incredible life. Rest in Peace, Tatusya Nakadai.
We’ll see where film and theaters go from here. The entire industry’s future feels a bit murky at the moment and there seems to be a shortage of strong, young voices to fill the imagination gap between generations. Names like Ryan Coogler, Bi Gan, and Yorgos Lanthimos (52 but in his prime), among others, will have to continue to deliver into the future.
Final note, even if I don’t always enjoy new releases, I do always love discussing them with people on letterboxd or on twitter. That is the real joy of being a cinephile and I think majority of people would agree. So thanks for another year alive on this planet where I get to discuss movies with you lovely film people. Let’s hope we see a turnaround for theaters and films in 2026.
2024 Weird Cinema Best Picture: Hundreds of Beavers
Let’s begin…
The 2025 Weird Cinema Film Awards
(164 films watched in 2025)
Worst Film
Honorable Mention: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
5. Die My Love
4. The Woman in Cabin 10
3. Drop
2. Honey Don’t!
1. Snow White
Best Ending
Honorable Mention: The Voice of Hind Rajab
5. The History of Sound
4. No Other Choice
3. It Was Just an Accident
2. Bugonia
1 Sentimental Value
Best Scene
Honorable Mention: Buried alive in the desert, It Was Just an Accident
5. Popping the bubble ending, Bugonia
4. Renata and Inga final meeting, Sentimental Value
3. The final scene; recreation of his mothers suicide, Sentimental Value
2. Spirit of Bitterness arrives on snowy mountain, Resurrection
1 The electric chair, Bugonia
(Genre categories are selected based on the strength of the film working in that genre, not overall strength)
Best Comedy
Honorable Mention: Twinless
5. Mickey 17
4. Nouvelle Vague
3. Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Me
2. Bugonia
1 One Battle After Another
Best Action, Adenture, War or Sports Film
Honorable Mention: Mickey 17
3. The Long Walk
2. Warfare
1 One Battle After Another
Best Horror or Sci-Fi Film
Honorable Mention: Together
5. Weapons
4. Sinners
3. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
2. Hallow Road
1 Mickey 17
The David Lynch’ Weirdest Film Award
Honorable Mention: A Poet
5. Eddington
4. One Battle After Another
3. No Other Choice
2. Bugonia
1 Resurrection
Sound Mixing
Honorable Mention: Amal Attia, The Voice of Hind Rajab
5. Mark Henry, Hallow Road
4. Ahn Block-nam, No Other Choice
3. José Antonio García, One Battle After Another
2. Johnnie Burn, Bugonia
1 Dan-feng Li, Resurrection
Sound Editing
Honorable Mention: Eun jung-kim, No Other Choice
5. NA, 100 Meters
4. Ralph Tae-young Choi, Mickey 17
3. Johnnie Burn, Bugonia
2. Glenn Freemantle, Warfare
1 Romain Anklewicz, Resurrection
Best Visual or Practical Effects
Honorable Mention: Marty Supreme, Folks VFX
5. One Battle After Another, SSFVX, Weta
4. Sirāt. Benjamin Ageorges
3. No Other Choice, Dexter Studios
2. Bugonia, One of Us
1 Mickey 17, DNEG
Best Production Design
Honorable Mention: Elliot Hostetter, Eddington
5. Ryu Seong-hie. No Other Choice
4. Katia Wyszkop, Nouvelle Vague
3. James Price, Bugonia
2. Allen Alzola, Isabelle Garcia, Magellan
1 Tu Nan, Liu Qiang, Resurrection
Animated Feature
Honorable Mention: Arco, Remembers
3. KPop Demon Hunters, Sony Pictures
2. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reza Arc, MAPPA
1 100 Meters, Rock n’ Roll Mountain
Best Costuming
Honorable Mention: Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme
5. Catherine George, Mickey 17
4. Pascaline Chavanne, Nouvelle Vague
3. Colleen Atwood, One Battle After Another
2. Hwarng Wern-ying, Resurrection
1 Célia Fernandes, Kim Perez, Magellan
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Honorable Mention: Sharon Martin, Mickey 17
5. Mike Hill, Frankenstein
4. Turid Follvik, Nouvelle Vague
3. heba thorisdottir, One Battle After Another
2. Olga Jose, Magellan
1 Torsten Witte, Bugonia
Best Documentary
Honorable Mention: Surviving Ohio State
3. Secret Mall Apartment
2. The Perfect Neighbor
1 Predators
Best Editing
Honorable Mention: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Ho-bin, No Other Choice
5. Bi Gan, Bai Xue, Resurrection
4. Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
3. Amir Etminan, It Was Just an Accident
2. Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Bugonia
1 Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value
Best Cinematography
Honorable Mention: Woo-hyung Kim, No Other Choice
5. Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
4. Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
3. Robbie Ryan, Bugonia
2. Lav Diaz, Artur Tort, Magellan
1 Jingsong Dong, Resurrection
Best Director
Honorable Mention: Lav Diaz, Magellan
5. Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
4. Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
3. Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
2. Bi Gan, Resurrection
1 Yorgos Lanthimos, Bugonia
Adapted Screenplay
Honorable Mention: Chaloe Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
5. Kirk Jones, I Swear
4. Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Halberstadt, Laetitia Masson, Nouvelle Vague
3. Park Chan-wook. Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Jahye Lee, No Other Choice
2. Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
1 Will Tracy, Bugonia
Original Screenplay
Honorable Mention: Rian Johnson, Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Men
5. Simón Mesa Soto, A Poet
4. Lav Diaz, Magellan
3. Bi Gan, Resurrection
2. Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
1 Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Sentimental Value
Best Overall Screenplay
Honorable Mention: Bi Gan, Resurrection
5. Park Chan-wook. Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Jahye Lee, No Other Choice
4. Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
3. Will Tracy, Bugonia
2. Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
1 Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, Sentimental Value
Most Original Film
Honorable Mention: Eddington
5. Eternity
4. One Battle After Another
3. No Other Choice
2. Resurrection
1 It Was Just an Accident
Best Original Score or Soundtrack
Honorable Mention: Bryce Dessner, Train Dreams
5. Ludwig Goransson, Sinners
4. Daniel Lopatin, Marty Supreme
3. M83, Resurrection
2. Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
1 Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia
Bonus Category: Best Song
DOA by St. Vincent, Death of a Unicorn
Best Ensemble
Honorable Mention: No Other Choice
5 Nouvelle Vague
4 It Was Just an Accident
3. Bugonia
3. One Battle After Another
1 Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actor
Honorable Mention: Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
5. Josh Brolin, Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Men
4. Benecio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
3. Dylan O’Brien, Twinless
2. Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value
1 Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress
Honorable Mention: Amy Madigan, Weapons
5. Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
4. Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
3. Son Ye-jin, No Other Choice
2. Mariam Afshari, It Was Just an Accident
1 Inga Ibsdotter Lileaas, Sentimental Value
Best Performance from a Female Lead
Honorable Mention: Shu Qi, Resurrection
5. Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
4. Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
3. Zoey Deutch, Nouvelle Vague
2. Renate Reinsive, Sentimental Value
1 Emma Stone, Bugonia
“The Nakadai,” Best Performance From a Male Lead
Honorable Mention: Nick Offerman, Sovereign
5. Robert Pattinson, Mickey 17
4. Robert Aramayo, I Swear
3. Lee Byung-hun, No Other Choice
2. Leonardo Dicaprio, One Battle After Another
1 Jesse Plemmons, Bugonia
Best Overall Performance
Honorable Mention: Renate Reinsive, Sentimental Value
5. Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
4. Leonardo Dicaprio, One Battle After Another
3. Inga Ibsdotter Lileaas, Sentimental Value
2. Emma Stone, Bugonia
1 Jesse Plemmons, Bugonia
Best International Film
Honorable Mention: I Swear, United Kingdom,
5. No Other Choice, South Korea
4. It Was Just an Accident, Iran
3. Magellan, Philippines
2. Sentimental Value, Norway
1 Resurrection, China
Best Picture
15. Twinless
14. Hallow Road
13, The Voice of Hind Rajab
12. A Poet
11. I Swear
10. Mickey 17
9. Nouvelle Vague
8. Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Men
7. No Other Choice
6. It Was Just an Accident
5. Magellan
4. One Battle After Another
3. Sentimental Value
2. Resurrection
1. Bugonia
The moment Bugonia was announced and I heard Yorgos Lanthimos was attached, I knew it would be a film that perfectly aligned with every sensibility I have. Avant-garde dark slapstick satire driven by conspiracy, and a remake of a classic South Korean film baked in irreverence. It all comes together to create a masterful science fiction experience that elevates the legendary original concept through a wild visual language, stunning performances, and a booming orchestral score. One of the best films of the decade, made for weirdos, and all the weirdos I know love it. Nine wins and nominations all over the place.
Yorgos Lanthimos joins a list of esteemed winners, inclduing 2024 winner Mike Cheslik for Hundreds of Beavers:
Hundreds of Beavers (2024), The Zone of Interest (2023) ,Banshees of Inisherin (2022), Memoria (2021), Babyteeth (2020), Parasite (2019), Shoplifters (2018), Call Me By Your Name (2017), The Handmaiden (2016), Barry Lyndon (1975), Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
The rest of the winners included Bi Gan winning an astounding seven awards for his dreamlike look at the cinematic landscape in Resurrection. A masterful piece of art that attracts a hypnotic gaze. Biggest non Best Picture winner in the history of the Weird Cinema awards. The other big prize winners were Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Lav Diaz’s Magellan, and Bong Joon-ho’s underrated Mickey 17. Trier is now on a heater after The Worst Person in the World and now Sentimental Value. Trier’s ability to pull out impactful performance art from his actors is among the best working today. Magellan and Resurrection are two of the most gorgeous movies ever put on film period. Paul Thomas Anderson, an all-time great, won a few awards here continuing the year of PTA for his work on One Battle After Another. It’s not his best, but it was nice to get another PTA on the level of his golden era.
To finish it off, thanks to anyone who puts up with my incessant film obsession and even goes as far as to engage with my work. It means a lot. It’s not always going to be 1939 for film and it’s best to take what we can get. I’ll take some career best from a handful of talented directors and walk out happy. Next year is already looking extremely promising so I’m not going anywhere. See you in 365 days.
Next on the agenda is the 1958 and 2014 retrospective. Date on that is TBD, but won’t be long.
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