‘I’ve waited for this movie my whole life’: Guardian readers’ best films of 2025
From the surreal fairytale The Ice Tower to the revenge western Tornado, our readers share the films that had the biggest impact on them this year
My weirdest Christmas: I sat on a desk chair watching the strangest film I’ve ever seen
Away from our families, my flatmate and I hung out in his bedroom, Christmas lunch on our laps, watching a poorly written, jarringly inappropriate movie
The Devil’s Backbone review – rich, rousing ghost story is early gothic gem from Guillermo del Toro
Executed with trademark technical flair and empathy, this part-horror, part-fairytale set in a haunted orphanage from 2001 is one of the director’s best
Chris Rea obituary
Singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his enduring hit Driving Home for Christmas
First footage of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey released online
Trailer shows Matt Damon as the Greek hero, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as Telemachus
Avatar Fire and Ash: harmony is no longer guaranteed in James Cameron’s threequel – discuss with spoilers
Crucial tonal shifts mean the film asks harder questions than the series ever has before
Doctor Zhivago at 60: David Lean’s sweeping romantic relic endures
Julie Christie remains as magnetic as ever in the mammoth big-screen adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel
‘Cue air punches and tears’: why Next Goal Wins is my feelgood movie
Continuing the series where writers pick their go-to mood-lifting films is a look back to an inspiring sports documentary
Light Needs review – a blooming lovely meditation on plants and their people
Houseplants appear to make conversation and yearn for lost friends in a witty yet luminous documentary from Jesse McLean
‘You have to be ready to see it’: Abel Ferrara and Catherine Breillat on why Pasolini’s Salò is a gift that keeps giving
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s notorious film is now 50 years old, and its cavalcade of shocking cruelty and violence still leaves a stark impact on its viewers. Film-makers explain why Pasolini ‘was a saint to us’
Match the celeb to the panto – and other puzzlers in our bumper Christmas culture quiz
From corny adverts to snowy murder plots, test your knowledge with these seasonal questions
Kate Winslet tells of being body shamed and told to do ‘fat girl parts’ when young
Actor says comments from teachers and schoolmates about her size resulted in her barely eating at 19 years old
The best – and worst – films out on Boxing Day in Australia this year
Desperate for two hours of silence in a cinema, or a movie to entertain the family? We’ve got you covered – here’s our comprehensive guide to the films out on 26 December
From California to Tehran, this year has been about the films that resist
Films such as One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent and It Was Just An Accident celebrate the importance of fighting back against oppressive forces
Renate Reinsve on vomit-inducing reviews and 19-minute standing ovations: ‘You feel your face go stiff from smiling so long’
The Norwegian star was considering giving up acting to be a carpenter when Joachim Trier wrote The Worst Person in the World for her. Now the pair have teamed up again – but she refuses to get carried away by all the praise