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Juan Martinez, from left, Ricardo Chavira, Madison Taylor Baez, Seidy Lopez and Daniela Estrada star as the Quintanilla family in “Selena: The Series.”<\/p>\n
Contributed by Sara Khalid\/NETFLIX<\/p>\n
It was a year when movies felt restless, urgent and deeply personal \u2014 shaped by politics, grief, memory and the simple pleasure of watching great actors do great work. As awards season ramps up, the Golden Globe nominations<\/a> offer a useful snapshot of what resonated in 2025, from sprawling prestige dramas to ambitious genre films and Austin-connected projects<\/a> that made their mark on the big screen.<\/p>\n The Golden Globes\u2019 film field is led by Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s “One Battle After Another,” with nine nominations, followed closely by\u00a0Joachim Trier\u2019s “Sentimental Value.” Several of the year\u2019s most talked-about movies landed major nominations, setting the stage for a Globes ceremony that reflects a wide, sometimes surprising, range of storytelling. Here\u2019s a look back at the films that stood out most this year, and how they factor into the awards conversation.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 1. ‘Sentimental Value’<\/p>\n Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Renate Reinsve star in Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value.”<\/p>\n Provided by Austin Film Festival \/ “Sentimental Value”<\/p>\n Joachim Trier\u2019s quietly devastating family drama is one of the year\u2019s most finely observed films. Set against intimate domestic spaces and the Oslo skyline, the movie explores loneliness, abandonment and the emotional inheritance passed through generations. Trier\u2019s precise visual language \u2014 every room, landscape and silence carefully considered \u2014 makes the film feel fleeting and precious, as if each moment might slip away too quickly. Renate Reinsve anchors the film with a performance defined by restraint, while the supporting cast, including Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, deepens its emotional pull. The soundtrack, a Trier signature, lands with precision.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Drama; Best Motion Picture \u2013 Non-English Language; acting nominations for\u00a0Reinsve, Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Skarsg\u00e5rd; Best Director; Best Screenplay.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 2. ‘One Battle After Another’<\/p>\n Actor\u00a0Benicio del Toro, actress Regina Hall, actress Teyana Taylor, actor Leonardo DiCaprio during an interview on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.<\/p>\n Rosalind O’Connor\/NBC via Getty <\/p>\n Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s nearly three-hour epic never loses momentum. Political without being didactic, the film taps into contemporary anxieties around immigration, power and resistance, delivering tension, spectacle and emotional weight in equal measure. A standout car chase sequence is already the stuff of moviegoing legend.\u00a0The ensemble cast is stacked, and Anderson\u2019s direction balances urgency with empathy. It\u2019s a big movie that still feels personal.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Musical or Comedy; acting nominations for Leonardo\u00a0DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn; Best Director; Best Screenplay.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 3. ‘Hamnet’<\/p>\n Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal star in Chlo\u00e9 Zhao’s “Hamnet.”<\/p>\n Provided by Austin Film Festival \/ “Hamnet”<\/p>\n A meditation on grief and love,\u00a0Hamnet uses nature and sound to powerful effect, pairing an evocative score with images that linger. Jessie Buckley delivers one of the strongest performances of her career, grounding the film\u2019s emotional core and inviting viewers back to Shakespeare\u2019s “Hamlet” with a fresh perspective.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Drama; acting nominations for Buckley and Paul Mescal; Best Director (Chlo\u00e9 Zhao); Best Screenplay.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 4. ‘Frankenstein’<\/p>\n Guillermo\u00a0del Toro speaks during Netflix’s “Frankenstein” New York Special Screening on October 20, 2025 in New York City.<\/p>\n Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for Netflix<\/p>\n Guillermo del Toro\u2019s take on Mary Shelley\u2019s novel embraces the spirit rather than the letter of the book \u2014 and it works. This is a film built for the big screen, lush and tactile, with performances that give emotional dimension to a familiar story. Jacob Elordi brings fragile confusion to the creature, while Oscar Isaac plays a creator warped by grief. Mia Goth\u2019s dual roles add another layer of unease.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Drama; acting nominations for Isaac and\u00a0Elordi; Best Director.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 5. ‘Bugonia’<\/p>\n Yorgos Lanthimos\u2019 latest is comparatively restrained, but still unmistakably his. Set in a world where conspiracy theories threaten to overwhelm reality, the film feels timely without losing its surreal edge. Jesse Plemons leans into unhinged intensity, while Emma Stone counters with calculated control.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nominations include: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Musical or Comedy; acting nominations for Stone and\u00a0Plemons.<\/p>\n 6. ‘Nouvelle Vague’<\/p>\n Guillaume Marbeck portrays French filmmaker Jean-Luc\u00a0Godard and Zoey Deutch portrays Jean Seberg in Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.”<\/p>\n PROVIDED BY NETFLIX<\/p>\n Richard Linklater\u2019s black-and-white love letter to French New Wave cinema<\/a> premiered in Austin with the air of an event \u2014 part film screening, part cinephile communion. Re-creating the making of Jean Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” the movie doubles as a meditation on artistic freedom and discipline. It\u2019s meticulous, playful and deeply affectionate toward cinema itself.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Musical or Comedy.<\/p>\n 7. ‘Zootopia 2’<\/p>\n Smart, fast and unexpectedly sharp, the animated sequel works for kids and adults alike. Pop culture references, a standout Shakira song and a plot that wrestles with power, propaganda and history make it one of the year\u2019s most entertaining surprises.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nomination: Best Motion Picture \u2013 Animated.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 8. ‘Weapons’<\/p>\n Zach Cregger cements his place in modern horror with a film that balances brutal gore, dark humor and genuine invention. With unforgettable set pieces and a terrifying supporting turn from Amy Madigan, “Weapons” already feels like a genre benchmark.<\/p>\n Golden Globe nomination: Supporting Actress for\u00a0Madigan.<\/p>\n 9. ‘It\u2019s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’<\/p>\n Jeff Buckley performs on stage at The Garage, Islington, London , United Kingdom, on September 1, 1994.<\/p>\n Martyn Goodacre\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The documentary that turned skeptics into believers. Intimate without being definitive, it captures Buckley\u2019s artistry, contradictions and emotional intensity through careful use of music and archival material.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 10. ‘Eddington’<\/p>\n Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in “Eddington.”<\/p>\n Provided by A24.<\/p>\n Ari Aster trades folk horror for a paranoid modern Western set during the early days of COVID-19. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal face off in a story that mirrors political divides familiar to Texans<\/a>, from conspiracy culture to battles over development and power. Uncomfortable, violent and unnervingly recognizable, it\u2019s one of the year\u2019s most provocative films.<\/p>\n Honorable mentions<\/p>\n L to R: Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in WICKED FOR GOOD, directed by Jon M. Chu.<\/p>\n Giles Keyte\/Provided by Universal Pictures<\/p>\n “Sinners”: A stylish, action-forward vampire film that centers Black history and culture, with a magnetic performance by Michael B. Jordan.<\/p>\n “Bring Her Back”: A harrowing follow-up from the “Talk to Me” directors, pairing extreme horror with an unflinching look at grief.<\/p>\n “Blue Moon”:Another strong outing from Linklater, with Ethan Hawke earning acclaim as lyricist Lorenz Hart.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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