Mansel Stimpson Looks Back at the Year of 2025
Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
This year's releases have not matched the exceptional number of outstanding films that reached us in 2024 but even so there has been much to applaud provided, of course, that you have been able to see it. Too many viewers increasingly find that they are in areas where the only cinemas close to hand offer mainstream fare and many of the best films do not fall into that category. The multiplicity of platforms and the increasing popularity of works presented there or on TV in serial form have only added to the struggle to draw audiences away from home viewing.
Nevertheless, even if seen less widely than they deserved, quality work continues to appear and is most certainly to be found in the year’s outstanding performances, many of them from new or upcoming players. Among the actresses, Eva Victor stood out for Sorry, Baby and in a very special way because her screenplay and direction were as exceptional as her own portrayal of the central character. But Elin Hall in When The Light Breaks, Tessa Van den Broeck in Julie Keeps Quiet and Joana Santos in On Falling were exceptional too and, indeed, more than one film contained great work from not one but from two actresses unfamiliar to us (Santosh, Dreamers). When it comes to more established names, Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn made a great pair in Dragonfly and Josiane Balasko and Hélène Vincent were ideally cast in François Ozon’s When Autumn Falls. For that matter Leonie Benesch who made her name in 2023’s The Teachers’ Lounge is just as wonderful in Late Shift.
As for memorable work by male actors, we had as prime examples Cillian Murphy in Steve and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Thing with Feathers and once again equally outstanding contributions came from less established names including Robert Aramayo (I Swear,) Frank Dillane (Urchin) and Harry Melling (Pillion).
When it comes to the best films I am once again taking the view that, on account of my being a critic who sees a large number of documentaries, it is desirable that I should list not only my Top 10 but also name the ten runners up. That’s because five documentaries are included here with four in the Top 10, but I recognise that, while they have the advantage of being easier to bring off than a work in which actors and writers face their own challenges, they count as less meaningful choices for viewers who are not attracted to this genre.
First of all here are my ten runners up: 11. Oslo Stories Trilogy: Love 12. Sentimental Value 13. Blue Moon 14. Palestine 36 15. Souleymane’s Story 16. Pillion 17. I'm Still Here 18.The Road to Patagonia 19. Urchin 20. April. But, before I list the top 10, I would add that, although it appears above only as number 15, a second viewing of Souleymane’s Story with a rapt audience has made this for me the most haunting film of the year despite weaknesses in the earlier scenes which kept me from giving it the highest of ratings. Furthermore, if Eva Victor is my Actress of the Year, I would unquestionably pick Abou Sangaré, the non-professional but stunning lead in Souleymane’s Story, as my Actor of the Year.
Mansel Stimpson’s Favourites
