The slate of 2025 films has been under a lot of pressure, as this year has been expected to be a turning point for the better in the film industry.
Thankfully, the year’s box office has been swinging in a positive direction, as the comic book films Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps have surpassed expectations. In the realm of original films, the ambitious IMAX release of the Apple TV+ racing film, F1, and Ryan Coogler’s masterful vampire thriller, Sinners, have shown that there is still healthy interest in projects that aren’t based on existing franchises.
This year has also offered solace in knowing that audiences are willing to frequent theaters more, as there have been concerns that streaming services would put chains like AMC and Plano-based Cinemark out of business.
Many of the year's best films didn’t get the chance to connect with audiences, though. Due to restricted releases that only reached coastal cities, many prominent independent films have only recently been available in very limited release or on digital rental services. In a summer where Jurassic World Rebirth and How to Train Your Dragon have shattered box office records, these under-the-radar films are equally deserving of attention.
A Little Prayer
Although it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2023, the independent family drama A Little Prayer is finally receiving a larger rollout in August thanks to Music Box Films. Shot in North Carolina, the film features David Strathairn as the aging patriarch of a working-class family who begins to suspect that his son (Will Pullen) has been unfaithful to his daughter-in-law (Jane Levy). With the patience of a stage play and the authentic dialogue of a slice-of-life time capsule, A Little Prayer is an intimate examination of familial dysfunction that chooses to avoid any melodramatic escapades. Although it’s well acted by the entire cast, Levy in particular is brilliant as a young woman whose compassion is her greatest weakness.
On Swift Horses
A period epic that feels like the type of film that “they just don’t make anymore," On Swift Horses is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Shannon Pufahl, which centers on a veteran (Will Poulter), his younger brother (Jacob Elordi) and bride-to-be (Daisy Edgar-Jones) during their migration to California in the aftermath of the Korean War. Although it shares commonalities with the classic literature of John Steinbeck and William Faulkner, On Swift Horses charts the underreported history of LGBTQ+ relationships during the epicenter of the new American century. Sony Pictures Classics attempted to re-release the film during Pride Month in order to gain more buzz, but it will hopefully generate awards attention for its gorgeous production design and memorable score by Mark Orton.
Omaha
One of the best films to debut at this year’s Dallas International Film Festival, Omaha is a staggeringly personal family drama that shines a spotlight on nuance within Nebraska state law, which allows parents to surrender their children to the state under “safe haven” laws. Although the notion of giving up parental responsibilities may seem unthinkable, Omaha has empathy for the plight of a struggling father, played in a career-best performance by John Magaro.
My Dead Friend Zoe
While there have been many films that have attempted to start conversations about veterans' issues, My Dead Friend Zoe has a wholly original take on post-traumatic stress disorder. The film explores the hardships experienced by the Afghanistan veteran Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) as she’s overwhelmed by memories of her best friend (Natalie Morales), who was killed in action. Despite the heavy subject matter, My Dead Friend Zoe is surprisingly enjoyable thanks to the rye, compassionate portrayal of veterans supporting one another. Martin-Green has particularly strong chemistry with Ed Harris, who gives a powerful performance as Merit’s grandfather, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
Sorry, Baby
In what became one of the highest profile acquisitions at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, A24’s Sorry, Baby is an impressive achievement by Eva Victor, who wrote, directed and starred in this semi-autobiographical dark comedy about a young woman recovering from a traumatic incident from college. Sorry, Baby shows that even the most devastating moments in life can inspire humor with the benefit of time. Victor is incredibly brave in her storytelling, and she assembles an impressive supporting cast, which includes a magnificent one-scene role from John Caroll Lynch.
The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Toons Movie
As ludicrous as it seems to suggest that a brand as significant as Looney Toons could be an “underdog,” the first fully animated feature in the franchise’s 95-year history was unceremoniously abandoned by Warner Bros. in the aftermath of its acquisition by Discovery. Thankfully saved by the independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment, The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Toons Movie is a hilarious tribute to ‘50s sci-fi that centers on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as they save the planet from extraterrestrial invaders. It’s rare to see 2D animation given such exposure, and it's particularly rewarding to see such detail-oriented craftsmanship within a film that serves as a labor of love to timeless characters.
Presence
Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh may be the busiest man in Hollywood, as he directed three new films in 2025. The espionage thriller Black Bag received rave reviews in March, and his latest black comedy, The Christophers, will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. His experimental supernatural film, Presence, however, struggled to connect with audiences when it debuted back in January. That may have been a result of its misleading marketing campaign — while advertisements suggested it was a scary haunted house thriller in the vein of The Conjuring, Presence is actually a rather grounded examination of one family’s emotional ignorance from the perspective of a ghost. While it may not offer up a lot of jump scares, the film is a surprisingly profound drama that puts its point-of-view gimmick to good use.
