10 Best Movies From The Sundance Film Festival 2025

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival was another success. With 88 feature-length films vying for attention, the festival was once again a bastion for independent filmmakers. From romantic thrillers to gruesome horrors and quiet meditative films, the beloved festival (which is eyeing other locations as potential host cities post-2026) has a bit of something for everyone. Jurors announced the winners of Sundance in each category, and the ScreenRant team saw 25 films over the course of six days, so there were a lot of movies to choose from.

When coming up with our top 10 movies from Sundance, we chose the films that stood out to us the most — be it in the way the filmmakers handled the respective onscreen stories or cast performances (or both). There's something in every movie on this list that resonated deeply and we're excited to share them with you here (in no particular order). Keep an eye out for when these movies are eventually released as each is worth watching immediately.

10 Train Dreams

Clint Bentley’s new film is nothing short of a masterpiece. Starring Joel Edgerton and based on Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name, Train Dreams is the story of Robert Granier, a logger in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century. Cinematographer Adolpho Veloso applies a Malick-esque lens to the era and region, combining it with Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar’s lyrical storytelling for something magical.

At 102 minutes, the film is not long, but it has the feel of a classic epic, capturing the simple, sometimes tragic life of one man, but placing it at a time and in a mode that transcends its narrative. With supporting performances from Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, and William H. Macy giving Train Dreams a lived-in feel, the film delivers on a simple premise by digging into the truths of our existence and the role we play in shaping the world around us. – Graeme Guttmann

9 If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

20 minutes into Mary Bronstein’s second feature, I wasn’t sure that I felt good - my pulse was racing and Rose Byrne’s visceral performance was inducing anxiety. I knew, though, that I loved what I was seeing. Told mostly in close-up on Byrne’s face, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is the motherhood horror movie to end all maternal horror.

Byrne stars as Linda, a Montauk woman with an absentee husband who is quite literally being attacked on all fronts. Linda’s relationships with her therapist, her daughter, her patients, and her home are all in various states of decay and Bronstein frames this with all the tension and fear that comes with it. It’s a truly nerve-shredding film with a gonzo performance from Byrne that is as awe-inspiring as it is a shot of adrenaline to the system. – Graeme Guttmann

8 Twinless

Dylan O'Brien entranced audiences at this year's Sundance Film Festival with his performance in Twinless — and not just due to his viral sex scenes. He plays Roman, a shy and withdrawn young man grappling with the death of his twin brother Rocky, who was his primary support system in life. It seems like his psyche is on the mend when he meets fellow grieving twin Denis (played by writer-director James Sweeney, whose portrayal is also worthy of praise), until it becomes clear that Denis' intentions don't necessarily align with his own.

O'Brien as Roman is impressive enough, showcasing a more vulnerable side of his acting that is often lost under layers of comedy, but Twinless also packs a gut punch with both its plot twists and reflections on loss and loneliness. Roman and Denis are each coping in very different and at times unhealthy ways, but their connection strengthens them even when those around them doubt its efficacy.

Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham also makes an appearance as Roman and Rocky's mother, highlighting how grief is not always noble. Sweeney and the entire cast clearly put an incredible amount of passion into the project, so it would be a shame if more audiences don't get to see the final results. But given how talked-about the movie has been, a buyer is certainly waiting in the wings. – Tatiana Hullender

7 Plainclothes

Tom Blyth has been an actor to watch for some time now, but he takes his skills to the next level in Plainclothes, a romantic psychological thriller that actually delivers on the thriller aspect. Blyth plays Lucas, an undercover cop tasked with arresting gay men for indecent exposure. The twist is not that Lucas is also gay — and so must contend with what that means for him — but that he falls in love with Russell Tovey’s Andrew, nearly a target of the police’s operation.

Writer-director Carmen Emmi successfully handles the tension and intensity borne from Lucas’ dilemma, tying that intensity with the anxiety that comes from hiding one’s identity. Tovey and Blyth’s chemistry is good, though it’s Blyth’s anxious-driven performance that truly drives the film’s momentum towards a stunning ending that will stay with you for a long while after it’s over. Plainclothes’ masterful editing adds to the claustrophobic feeling permeating the film, making for one of the best thrillers of 2025 so far. – Mae Abdulbaki

6 Together

Going into Together, Dave Franco and Alison Brie's first onscreen reunion in seven years, I was undeniably excited to see the real-life couple return to the horror genre after their success with The Rental, though also found myself dreading the umpeenth body horror movie of this year's Sundance. Nonetheless, I was wonderfully surprised by just how unpredictable the movie was, as the way writer/director Michael Shanks used his body horror for the theme of codependency was unique and thought-provoking, the story nicely shifted between scares and laughs, and Brie and Franco's real-life chemistry imbued the characters with so much life. – Grant Hermanns

5 The Wedding Banquet

There are few rom-coms that bring balance to their romance and comedy, but The Wedding Banquet, director Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic, beautifully marries both genres. Filled with so much heart, the film is touching and genuinely funny, bringing drama and weight to its story so that it’s not just a bunch of silly antics with no substance. The ensemble cast, which features Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, and Bowen Yang, each gets their time to shine and the consistent interactions between them make their relationships feel authentic. It’s a lovingly made rom-com that will touch your heart. – Mae Abdulbaki

4 Sorry, Baby

Writer-director Eva Victor delivered a powerhouse feature that is unique in its execution and exploration of its protagonist Agnes’ life following a sexual assault. While most films will focus on the assault itself, Victor manages to sidestep showing what happened to Agnes, opting to hear the account in her own words instead. Sorry, Baby is quietly refreshing in its general approach to its story, underscoring how Agnes’ life is not defined by her trauma so much as it is informed by it.

Victor, who also plays the main character, is experienced in infusing some humor into the narrative, balancing the mundanity of the world around her and the passage of time with expertly crafted emotion that hits home. Victor and Naomi Ackie, who plays Agnes’ friend, are wonderful together and the film is moving and deeply effective in the handling of its subject matter. The profoundness of the story is present in the film’s soft reflections on life. – Mae Abdulbaki

3 Rebuilding

Max Walker-Silverman’s first feature A Love Song was a quietly emotional film set against the backdrop of the American West. Walker-Silverman returns to his home state of Colorado for his follow-up feature Rebuilding, a timely story about a community in recovery after a devastating wildfire. Josh O’Connor stars as a subdued cowboy coming to terms with his uprooted life as he struggles to decide whether to rebuild or move on.

With a loving eye for the landscape, a moving story, and an effective supporting cast, Rebuilding is a hopeful film about moving on after tragedy. That it comes in the midst of the Los Angeles wildfires is pure coincidence, but that makes its message all the more profound. Even outside that context, though, Rebuilding is another stellar feature from Walker-Silverman who continues to prove that he can craft films as stunning as they are emotionally resonant. – Graeme Guttmann

2 The Ugly Stepsister

In an age in which filmmakers are striving to be innovative by delivering slasher twists on Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Pan, Emilie Blichfeldt's The Ugly Stepsister finally offers a properly fresh take on a classic tale in the form of Cinderella. Focusing on the titular character, no longer an antagonist, but instead a misunderstood and body-shamed young woman undergoing numerous surgical changes to appear beautiful, Blichfeldt brings the same incisive and biting approach to the theme of beauty from her short films to the semi-fantastical world of the iconic fairy tale. – Grant Hermanns

1 The Things You Kill

There is possibly no better time to debut a masterpiece of Lynchian proportions, which The Things You Kill absolutely is. Director Alireza Khatami's psychological thriller takes place in Turkey, and though the societal context informs the story, the events that unfold feel universal. The movie offers a very different meditation on grief from other projects at this year's Sundance, as the death of Ali Özdilek's (played by Ekin Koç) mother awakes in him a very strong desire for vengeance.

Convinced as he is that his heartless father is responsible for what befell his mother, and struggling with the idea of being infertile when his wife wants a child, Ali hides out in his family's garden until he meets Riza (played by Erkan Kolçak Köstendil). Riza offers to work for Ali as a gardener, and the two men soon become closer than either audience or protagonist could have imagined as they hatch a plan for so-called justice. The Things You Kill may require a second viewing to fully comprehend its nuances, but the tense narrative structure and breathtaking cinematography will without a doubt be worth the time invested. – Tatiana Hullender