Najbolji filmovi 2025. godine pokazali su da se bioskop vraća u velikom stilu. U svojoj analizi savremene svetske kinematografije velšanski glumac Danijel Filips (Daniel Phillips) objašnjava zašto je ova godina donela pravu renesansu filma, kako su horor i animacija ponovo osvojili publiku i koji su naslovi obeležili godinu na velikom platnu.
Ako ste pre dve nedelje gledali dodelu BAFTA nagrada, imali ste sreće! Glavno veče britanske filmske akademije ponudilo je vulgarne šale, političke vruće teme, beskrajno duge govore i – da, čak i jednu rasnu uvredu. Nedostajalo je samo deset krigli toplog piva i kebab u četiri ujutru da bi veče bilo potpuno u duhu klasičnog britanskog izlaska.
Ali usred tog haosa možda vam je promakla izjava Pola Tomasa Andersona – legendarnog reditelja i dobitnika brojnih nagrada za prošlogodišnji film „One Battle After Another“ – koji je podelio nekoliko reči mudrosti.
„Svako ko kaže da se filmovi više ne prave kao nekada može slobodno da ide dođavola“, dobacio je u svom tipično smirenom i suzdržanom maniru. (Prilično neobično za jednog Kalifornijca, zar ne?)
U pravu je. 2025. je bila briljantna godina za film.
Svaka godina ima svoj deo dobrih ostvarenja, ali ova je delovala drugačije. Kao prava renesansa za bioskop i za samo iskustvo gledanja filma.
Godine 2024. filmovi „Anora“ Šona Bejkera i „The Brutalist“ Brejdija Korbeta podelili su većinu nagrada u sezoni priznanja. Oba filma sam veoma voleo (iz potpuno različitih razloga) i oba su bila među mojih pet najboljih filmova te godine. Ove godine nisam siguran da bi se ijedan od njih našao u mojih deset najboljih.
PROČITAJTE I OVAJ TEKST:
Ali to zapravo nije ni važno. Liste i rangiranja mogu biti zabavne teme za razgovor, ali su u suštini proizvoljne i subjektivne.
Pitanje koje sam sebi postavljao jeste: šta je to učinilo 2025. tako nezaboravnom godinom za ljubitelje filma? Šta je to za mene lično, ali i za čitavu industriju, ponovo rasplamsalo ljubav prema ovoj umetnosti i ostavilo je u boljem stanju?
Svet je pun onih koji stalno prigovaraju, večitih kritičara iz kafana i umornih gunđala koji najviše vole da omalovažavaju sve što ima veze sa modernom umetnošću – posebno film.
A kada malo zagrebete ispod površine i pitate ih kada su poslednji put bili u bioskopu, često ćete dobiti prazan pogled i odgovor poput:
„Ne znam… možda pre petnaest godina? Radije gledam „Star Wars“ kod kuće. Holivud je danas previše ‘woke’.“
(Doslovan citat iz razgovora koji sam nedavno vodio.)
Ovaj tekst nije za te ljude.
Volim da verujem da i dalje postoje mnoge otvorene i radoznale duše koje zanima umetnost. I iskreno – da još uvek postoje ljudi koji žele da uživaju bez okova predrasuda.
Zato, evo nekoliko razloga zbog kojih je prošla godina bila fantastična za veliki ekran – i, mnogo teži zadatak – mojih pet najboljih filmova godine.
Dok čitate ovaj tekst, držite pored sebe činiju soli. Šaku za kokice, a prstohvat za moje mišljenje.
Ja sam otvoreni ljubitelj horora i poslednjih deset godina za mene nije bilo lako. Naravno, povremeno bi se pojavio poneki dragulj poput „Midsommar“, „Parasite“ ili „Hereditary“ (a činjenica da Toni Kolet nije dobila Oskara i dalje je jedna od velikih nepravdi modernog filma).
Ali beskrajni rimejkovi i nastavci besmisleno loših franšiza ostavili su me razočaranim – i, što je najvažnije, nimalo uplašenim. Zato je bilo pravo osveženje što je 2025. donela talas originalnih horor filmova koji su publiku ostavili sa mokrim pantalonama, a bioskopske blagajne potpuno punim.
Moj lični favorit bio je „Sinners“, pikantna i zavodljiva „čaša otrova“ Rajana Kuglera, začinjena brojnim drugim žanrovima – džezom, komedijom, porodičnom dramom, romansom i politikom… i vampirima.
U suštini, „Sinners“ je film o tome kako bela kultura može postati parazit crnačke kulture, na štetu njenih stvaralaca. U rukama slabijeg reditelja to bi lako skliznulo u parodiju poput filma „Scary Movie“, ali Kugler je vizionar i još jednom pokazuje zašto je jedan od najuzbudljivijih reditelja u Holivudu.
Mesec dana nakon velikog uspeha filma „Sinners“, publika je dobila „Weapons“, još jedno originalno i zastrašujuće ostvarenje. Film nose odlične uloge Džulije Garner i Džoša Brolina, ali ga u život zaista vraća nezaboravna Ejmi Medigan u ulozi „tetke Gledis“.
Film je izazvao mnogo komentara, a prodavnice kostima za Noć veštica počele su da pune police narandžastim perikama. Potpuno zaslužena nominacija Ejmi Medigan za Oskara za najbolju sporednu glumicu bila bi nezamisliva pre deset godina i dokaz je da se ovaj žanr konačno tretira sa umetničkom ozbiljnošću koju zaslužuje – ako se uradi kako treba.
Među drugim upečatljivim, ali manje zapaženim filmovima prošle godine nalaze se i „Bring Her Back“ – tužan i duboko uznemirujući film o dvoje mladih siročadi i njihovoj usvojiteljki – kao i prijatno otkačeni „Send Help“. (Kako je lepo ponovo videti Rejčel Mekadams na ekranu, i to u briljantnoj i potpuno neobuzdanoj ulozi.)
Dođe mi da u ovu kategoriju ubacim i „Song Sung Blue“, ali jedino zaista zastrašujuće u vezi sa tim filmom jesu scenario, gluma Kejt Hadson i činjenica da je uopšte snimljen. Zato je možda bolje da pređemo dalje.
Suština je sledeća: ovaj žanr je živ, zdrav i profitabilan. Horor često bolje od bilo kog drugog filmskog žanra hvata apsurd, tragediju, monotoniju, uzbuđenje i tugu stvarnog života. Zato, molim vas, filmski studiji – poštedite nas beskrajnih rimejkova. Poštedite nas „The Conjuring“ dela 26 ili još jednog besmislenog rimejka „The Exorcist“. Nastavite da ulažete novac u mlade i talentovane autore i publika će doći. A bioskop će zbog toga biti mnogo zdraviji.
Ne verujem da film mora da zarađuje novac da bi bio uspešan. Umetnost je nešto što bi trebalo da hrani nas i društva u kojima živimo, a to je, po mom mišljenju, neprocenjivo. Zapravo, većina mojih omiljenih filmova iz 2025. godine jedva da je uznemirila računovođe kada je reč o prodaji bioskopskih karata. Ipak, ja sam i realist i veoma sam svestan da živimo u izrazito kapitalističkom svetu, u kojem je određena količina profita ipak neophodna.
Na scenu stupa – animacija.
Animacija se prodaje. A prošle godine prodavala se više nego bilo šta drugo.
Ne mislim da je 2025. bila izuzetna godina kada je u pitanju kvalitet animiranih filmova. Nijedno ostvarenje ne može da se poredi sa filmovima poput „Toy Story“, „The Incredibles“, „Ratatouille“ ili „Monsters Inc„ (koje smatram vrhuncem animiranog filma), a možda čak ni sa sasvim dobrim ostvarenjima poput „Moana“ ili „Frozen“. Ipak, publika – naročito deca – ne bi se složila sa mnom. I drago mi je zbog toga.
„K-pop Demon Hunters“ nije baš bio po mom ukusu, ali njegov uspeh je bio neosporan. Film je nastao za Netfliks, imao je ograničenu bioskopsku distribuciju tokom samo jednog vikenda, a ipak je zaradio neverovatnih 25 miliona dolara.
Možda je još iznenađujući njegov globalni kulturni uticaj. Zarazne pesme, upečatljiva vizuelna estetika i korejski glumci koji pozajmljuju glas likovima, sa gotovo porcelanskim izgledom, dostigli su status ikone širom sveta i možda čak prevazišli ono što danas podrazumevamo pod pojmom filmske zvezde.
A zatim je stigao Zootopia 2, koji je na svetskim blagajnama inkasirao zapanjujućih dve milijarde dolara.
Prvog dana na školi glume prisustvovao sam uvodnom govoru koji je održala voditeljka mog studijskog programa. Bila je to pomalo zabludela žena koja me je, posle iscrpljujućeg procesa audicija, na kraju ipak primila.
Dok smo moje kolege i ja sedeli ispred nje, napetih ramena i oznojenih dlanova, započela je govor za koji sam siguran da je smatrala inspirativnim.
„Svi ste ovde zato što to zaslužujete. U naredne tri godine naučićete kako da postanete glumci… PRAVI glumci. POZORIŠNI glumci!“
„Ma, dajte!“ pomislio sam u sebi. „Ne želim da budem glumac. Ja ću biti jebena FILMSKA ZVEZDA!“
Nažalost, industrija se nije složila sa mnom.
Obožavam filmske zvezde i poštujem ulogu koju imaju u našoj kulturi.
Ove godine vratile su se neke od retkih koje su nam još ostale.
Bred Pit nam je u filmu „F1″ pokazao koliko su njegovi geni izuzetni, Džulija Roberts je pružila snažnu glumačku interpretaciju u filmu „After the Hunt“, Tom Kruz je dokazao da za njega još uvek ne postoji „Nemoguća misija“, Džordž Kluni je u filmu „Jay Kelley“ pokazao prednosti dobrog zubara, Dženifer Lorens nas je podsetila zašto je možda najtalentovanija glumica svoje generacije u filmu „I’m Sorry Darling“, dok se Leonardo Dikaprio u filmu „One Battle After Another“ transformisao u figuru koja podseća na Džeka Nikolsona.
(A da i ne počinjem o Itanu Houku u filmu Blue Moon. Houk možda ne spada u prave „filmske zvezde“, ali je jedan od najvećih umetnika svoje generacije i pruža najbolju glumačku izvedbu godine.)
Svako nebo treba svoje zvezde i veoma sam srećan što ih još uvek imamo. Neka sjaje još mnogo godina.
Ali dosta mojih pretencioznih razmišljanja. Ono što je prošlu godinu zaista učinilo tako izuzetnom jeste sama količina vrhunskih filmova.
Dakle, bez daljeg uvoda: ovo je mojih pet najboljih filmova iz 2025. godine.
Opustite se, uživajte i vidimo se u bioskopu.
1.No Other Choice – režija: Park Chan-wook
2.The Ice Tower – režija: Lucile Hadžihalilović
3.Nouvelle Vague – režija: Richard Linklater
4.Sentimental Value – režija: Joachim Trier
5.One Battle After Another – režija: Paul Thomas Anderson
Autor: Danijel Filips (Daniel Phillips)
PROČITAJTE I OVAJ TEKST:
PROČITAJTE I OVAJ TEKST:
If you watched the recent BAFTA’s, lucky you! The British academy’s flagship night served-up vulgar jokes, political hot potatoes, long-winded speeches and, yes, a racial slur! All it lacked was ten pints of warm beer and a 4am kebab, which would have made it a traditional British night out.
But amongst the chaos, you might have missed Paul Thomas Anderson – legendary filmmaker and winner of multiple awards for last year’s ‘One Battle After Another’ – dispensing some words of wisdom:
‘Anyone who says they don’t make films like they used to can piss right off’, he quipped, in his typically calm and understated manner. (Unusual for a Californian, don’t you think?)
He is correct. 2025 was a brilliant time for movies. Every year has its share of great work but this one felt different. It felt like a true renaissance for cinema and the cinematic experience.
In 2024, Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ and Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ shared most of the award season spoils. Both films I liked very much (for very different reasons) and both were included in my top five films of that year. This year I’m not certain either would have made my top ten. But that’s neither here nor there. Lists and rankings can be fun conversational topics but are ultimately arbitrary and subjective.
The question I’ve been pondering is what made 2025 such a memorable year to be a cinephile? What was it for me personally and the industry in general that reignited my love for the art and left it in a better place?
The world is full of naysayers, pub-bores and jaded-complainers who love nothing more than pouring scorn on anything when it comes to modern art, particularly films. And when you scratch their oily surface and ask them when they last visited a cinema, their empty expression will often be followed by something like: ‘Oh I don’t know…. Maybe fifteen years ago? I prefer to watch Star Wars at home. Hollywood’s too woke nowadays.’
(A verbatim quote of a conversation I had recently)
This article is not for those people. I like to believe there are still many open-minded and artistically curious souls out there. And frankly: that there are still people who like to enjoy themselves without the shackle of prejudice.
So, here are a few of my catalysts of a wonderful year for the big screen and – a much harder task – my top five films of the year.
When reading this, keep a bowl of salt nearby. A handful for your popcorn and a pinch for my opinions.
I’m an unapologetic horror buff and as such the past ten years have been tough-going. Sure, you still get the odd gem now-and-then with Midsommar, Parasite and Hereditary (Toni Collette’s Oscar snub remains one of the great modern injustices) but the endless reboots of ludicrously corny franchises left me deflated and – crucially – not remotely scared.
How refreshing then that 2025 saw a slew of original horror works that left audiences with urinated-pants and box offices with full coffers.
My personal favourite was ‘Sinners,’ Ryan Coogler’s spicy and delicious glass of poison, garnished with a multitude of other genres including jazz, comedy, family, romance, and politics…. And Vampires…
At its heart Sinners is a film about how white people can become parasites of black culture, to the detriment of its creators. In the hands of a less-skilled director this might have slipped into a Scary Movie-type parody, but Coogler is a visionary and continues to show why he’s one of the most exciting directors in Hollywood.
One month after Sinners enjoyed a wildly profitable run, audiences were treated to ‘Weapons,’ another original and terrifying creation. Anchored by terrific performances from Julia Garner and Josh Brolin but brought to life by the unforgettable Amy Madigan as ‘Aunt Gladys’.
Weapons got tongues wagging and Halloween costume-shops stocking-up on orange wigs. Madigan’s thoroughly-deserved Best Supporting Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars would have been unthinkable ten years ago and is proof the genre is being treated with the artistic seriousness it deserves.. If done correctly.
Other impressive but less-seen works from last year include ‘Bring her back’ – a sad and deeply unsettling film about two young orphans and their adopted-mother – and the delightfully barmy ‘Get Help.’ (How lovely to see Rachel McAdams back on screen and delivering a brilliant and unhinged performance)
I’m tempted to mention ‘Song Sung Blue’ in this category, but the horrifying things about that was the script, Kate Hudson’s acting, and the fact it got made at all. So perhaps we should move on.
The point is: the genre is alive, well and profitable. Horror often captures the absurdity, tragedy, monotony, exhilaration and sadness of real-life better than any other genre. So please, film studios, spare us the reboots. Spare us ‘The Conjuring part 26’ or another pointless remake of ‘The Exorcist’. Keep giving money to young, talented creators and the audiences will come. And cinema will be much healthier for it.
I don’t believe a film needs to make money to be a success. Art is something that should nourish us and the societies we inhabit, which is something I consider priceless. In fact most of my favourites of 2025 barely troubled the accountants when it came to ticket sales. But I’m also a realist and all too aware we live in a rampantly capitalistic world, where a certain amount of profit is a necessity.
Enter the stage: Animation…
Animation sells. And last year it sold more than anything else.
I don’t think 2025 was a vintage year in terms of quality. None of the releases could be compared to ‘Toy Story’, ‘The Incredibles’, ‘Ratatouille’ or ‘Monsters INC’, (which I consider to be the apex of animated motion pictures) and perhaps not even in the class of thoroughly decent films like ‘Moana’ or ‘Frozen’, but audiences – particularly children – disagreed with me. And I’m happy they did.
‘K-pop Demon hunters’ was not my particular cup of Korean tea but its success was undeniable. A film created for Netflix, it had a limited, one-weekend cinematic release and earned a staggering $25m.
Perhaps even more surprising has been its global cultural impact. The catchy songs, bold visuals and its porcelain-skinned Korean voice actors have reached iconic status all across the world, and perhaps transcended what it means to be a Movie Star.
And then came ‘Zootopia 2’, which pocketed a mind-boggling $2b at the global box office.
On my first day of drama school, I attended a welcoming talk by the head of my course. She was the misguided lady who accepted me after an exhausting audition process.
As me and my classmates sat before her with tense shoulders and sweaty palms, she began what I’m sure she believed to be an inspiring pep-talk:
“You are all here because you deserve to be. Over the next 3 years you will learn how to be actors… PROPER actors. THEATRE actors!”
“Bollocks!” I thought to myself. “I don’t want to be an actor. I’m going to be a fucking MOVIE STAR!”
Sadly, the industry didn’t agree.
I adore movie stars and respect the role they play in our culture.
This year, some of the few remaining stars returned.
Brad Pitt showed us how wonderful his genes are in ‘F1’, Julia Roberts delivered a weighty performance in ‘After the hunt’, Tom Cruise showed that they have yet to find him an impossible mission, George Clooney proved the benefits of having an excellent dentist in ‘Jay Kelley’, Jennifer Lawrence reminded us why she might be the most talented actress of her generation in ‘I’m sorry darling’, and Leonardo DiCaprio morphed into Jack Nicholson-like shape for ‘One Battle After Another’.
(And don’t get me started on Ethan Hawke in ‘Blue Moon.’ Hawke doesn’t quite qualify as a true ‘movie star,’ but he is one of the finest artists of his generation and delivers the best performance of the year)
Every sky needs stars and I’m very glad we have some left. May they burn bright for many years to come.
But enough of my pretentious ramblings. What chiefly made last year so great was the sheer number of top-quality movies.
So, without further ado: These are my top five films of 2025.
Relax, enjoy, and see you at the movies.
1. NO OTHER CHOICE – Directed by Park Chan-Wook
2. THE ICE TOWER – Directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović
3. NOUVELLE VAGUE – Directed by Richard Linklater
4. SENTIMENTAL VALUE – Directed by Joachim Trier
5. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER – Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
AUTHOR: DANIEL PHILLIPS
