A Glean movie guide
2025’s Essential Cinema
The Year in Film
From sweeping epics to intimate indies, these are the year’s definitive must-watch films.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a masterclass in large-scale action with a career-best turn from Leonardo DiCaprio.
Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
- 02
Sinners
Ryan Coogler reinvents vampire mythology in this atmospheric, Southern Gothic supernatural thriller.
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
- 03
Nickel Boys
A visually innovative and emotionally devastating adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.
- 04
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
A vibrant and immersive exploration of family secrets that maintained a perfect critical score all year.
On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family.
- 05
Superman
James Gunn successfully revitalizes the icon with a hopeful, character-driven story that captures the heart of the hero.
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
- 06
The Secret Agent
A masterfully directed political thriller that blends sharp social commentary with intense, stylized suspense.
Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.
- 07
Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos brings his signature dark humor to a bizarre and inventive sci-fi conspiracy tale.
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
- 08
Flow
A breathtaking, wordless animated adventure that finds profound emotional depth in a world reclaimed by nature.
As the ‘flow’ progresses, the world where our ‘giant’ once stood gradually fades away, replaced by their inner worlds. Our ‘giant’ continues to advance endlessly, questioning the relationship between the world and oneself.
- 09
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
A spectacular conclusion to the franchise featuring some of the most ambitious stunts in cinema history.
Ethan Hunt and team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe — with the world's governments and a mysterious ghost from Hunt's past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
- 10
Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie’s solo directorial effort is an energetic, stylish biopic that became an unexpected critical sensation.
Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
- 11
Black Bag
Steven Soderbergh crafts a sleek, unconventional espionage thriller anchored by powerhouse lead performances.
When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband – also a legendary agent – faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.
- 12
F1
A technical marvel that uses groundbreaking cinematography to put you directly inside the cockpit of a racing car.
Racing legend Sonny Hayes is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.