2025's Best International Films: Mature, Political, and Daring
In her 2025 compilation of outstanding international films, Margherita Bordino highlights a cinema that is both bold and politically engaged. Central to this selection are themes of historical memory, collective trauma, and the struggle for freedom and identity. The lineup includes 16 notable films: "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" by Mohammad Rasoulof (Tehran protests), "A Simple Incident" by Jafar Panahi (revenge), "The Brutalist" by Brady Corbet (architect László Toth), "The Voice of Hind Rajab" by Kaouther Ben Hania (true story from Gaza), "A Real Pain" by Jesse Eisenberg (Holocaust memorials), "Emilia Perez" by Jacques Audiard (gender reassignment), "The Legend of Ochi" by Isaiah Saxon (girl and rare animal), "Mickey 17" by Bong Joon-ho (overpopulation), "28 Years Later" by Danny Boyle (rabies outbreak), "A House of Dynamite" by Kathryn Bigelow (missile crisis), "Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos (paranoid beekeeper), "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" by Simon Curtis (1930s), "Eternity" by David Freyne (love afterlife), "The Smashing Machine" by Benny Safdie (wrestler Mark Kerr), and "Enzo" by Robin Campillo (teenager to bricklayer). This article appeared in Artribune.
Key facts
- The roundup was written by Margherita Bordino for Artribune.
- The films were released in Italian theaters in 2025.
- Mohammad Rasoulof's film is set in Tehran during popular protests after a young woman's death.
- Jafar Panahi's film starts with a dog being hit by a car.
- Brady Corbet co-wrote 'The Brutalist' with his wife Mona Fastvold.
- Kaouther Ben Hania's film is based on a true story of a six-year-old girl in Gaza.
- Jesse Eisenberg's film follows two cousins traveling to Poland.
- Jacques Audiard's film is set in Mexico and involves a drug lord changing gender.
- Isaiah Saxon's film stars Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, and Finn Wolfhard.
- Bong Joon-ho's film features a 'sacrificable' clone concept on planet Niflheim.
- Danny Boyle's film is set 28 years after a rabies virus outbreak in the UK.
- Kathryn Bigelow's film stars Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson.
- Yorgos Lanthimos's film involves a CEO being kidnapped by a paranoid beekeeper.
- Simon Curtis's film is set in the 1930s after the Great Depression.
- David Freyne's film explores love in the afterlife with a one-week choice.
- Benny Safdie's film is about MMA wrestler Mark Kerr in the 1990s.
- Robin Campillo completed the film 'Enzo' after Laurent Cantet's death on April 25, 2024.
Entities
Artists
- Margherita Bordino
- Mohammad Rasoulof
- Jafar Panahi
- Brady Corbet
- Mona Fastvold
- Kaouther Ben Hania
- Jesse Eisenberg
- Jacques Audiard
- Isaiah Saxon
- Helena Zengel
- Willem Dafoe
- Emily Watson
- Finn Wolfhard
- Bong Joon-ho
- Danny Boyle
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Idris Elba
- Rebecca Ferguson
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Simon Curtis
- David Freyne
- Benny Safdie
- Robin Campillo
- Laurent Cantet
- Mark Kerr
Institutions
- Artribune
- Mezzaluna Rossa (Red Crescent)
- Casa Bianca (White House)
Locations
- Tehran
- Iran
- Gaza Strip
- Poland
- Mexico
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Niflheim