AS another year comes to a close, looking back 2025 may not have been an exactly stellar year, but there were still plenty of great films and many in my top ten appear to share a theme of quiet, emotionally-affecting stories of characters trying to find their place, or just talk about long-held emotions. And so, here are my (somewhat rough) top ten films of 2025. (As a note, I'm yet to see the likes of Avatar: Fire And Ash or Marty Supreme).

10. Restless - The most terrifying film of the year. A descent into tiredness and madness at the threat of all-night-partying neighbours. Fear and suspense are thick in this British indie horror.

9. Train Dreams - A sobering look at a grand, sweeping, ordinary life. Joel Edgerton gives a wonderfully subtle physical performance, carrying the weight of life against the backdrop of the changing face of America.

8. Good One - An intelligent, emotionally observant look at generational and gender gaps and the dialogues that come with them. Bringing unease into calm environments and always with thoughtfulness.

7. On Falling - Loneliness has rarely been captured as accurately as it is by star Joana Santos and Laura Carreira in her empathetic feature debut. Capturing tension, worry, isolation and hope.

6. The Ballad Of Wallis Island - Overflowing with heart, and one of the best soundtracks of the year, this true British gem is full of charm, comfort and many, many laughs. I wish this was more in the awards conversation for its songs, screenplay and Tim Key's fabulous supporting turn.

5. Alpha - Julia Ducouranu turns to more subdued body horror, using that to heighten the more gradual development of the personal and uncertain fears on display.

4. Sorry, Baby - Capturing frustrating barriers and healing understanding with profound emotion, multi-hyphenate Eva Victor's stunning portrait of coming to terms with tragedy at your own pace is stirring, occasionally humorous and fittingly complex in its layers.

3. Saturday Night - Buzzing with frantic energy as the broadcast of the first Saturday Night Live nears, the no-holds-barred pacing of Saturday Night propels the delirious, full-force entertainment of this un-saccharine homage.

2. Memoir Of A Snail - Adam Elliott understands and cares about people, especially those who feel like outsiders. That's the key to his work. Tenderly capturing uplift and joy alongside the strong emotional punches. One quiet image in the first ten minutes had me almost crying and I was on the verge of tears the rest of the way through.

1. Hard Truths - Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives the best performance of the year as she encapsulates Mike Leigh's honest portrait of the pain of unspoken emotions. Creating punches of both humour and emotion this has been my film of the year since first seeing it in October 2024, and many of those punches have stayed with me since then.