It is that time of year again when the film world looks toward France for one of the most prestigious and often contrarian signals of cinematic excellence.

Cahiers du Cinéma is the legendary publication that birthed the French New Wave and championed the auteur theory. Every year, they make a top 10 list of what they think are the best movies of the year.

Well, they just dropped the list for 2025, and it's pretty interesting.

Let's dive in.

Cahiers du Cinéma Best Movies of 2025

Here’s the full 2025 top 10. Many of them have not been released in the United States yet, so we'll have to keep an eye on that.

  1. Afternoons of Solitude (Albert Serra)
  2. One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
  3. Yes! (Nadav Lapid)
  4. The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
  5. I Only Rest in the Storm (Pinho)
  6. L'Aventura (Letourneur)
  7. Sept Promenade Avec Marc Brown (Creton/Barre)
  8. Nouvelle Vague (Richard Linklater)
  9. Laurent Dans le Vent (Balekdjian/Couture Eustachon)
  10. Miroirs No. 3 (Christian Petzold)

Summing It All Up

As award season heats up, Cahiers du Cinéma has once again planted its flag, reminding us that cinema is vast, strange, and much more than just what is playing at the local multiplex.

These might be titles we see at the Oscars for the Best International features, and they're titles we should definitely seek out if we want to explore a more diverse range of films.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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