Between theatrical and streaming, there were upwards of 500 new movies released this year, and though a select few clearly set themselves apart—notably, those on our Best Films of 2025 list—it’s no surprise that, when it came to widespread public attention, more than a few gems fell through the cracks.
From eclectic American indies to audacious imports, there were dramas, thrillers, family-friendly fantasies, and documentaries deserving of greater consideration. Embracing traditional genres while pushing boundaries, they found new ways to deliver electric kicks, all without the massive budgets and star-studded casts that their more critically hailed brethren boasted. They were the little engines that could, and if they failed to make a huge dent in an overcrowded marketplace, they nonetheless left a mark on those who saw them, reminding cinephiles that the fringes are often where the true discoveries reside.
For those willing to look beyond the multiplex’s mainstream offerings, Spielberg-ian flights of fancy, wrenching social-realist tales of woe, timely non-fiction epics, and nerve-rattling horror shows awaited. Of those underseen affairs, these were the cream of the crop—our picks for the best films you probably missed (but shouldn’t have) in 2025.
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