The film that took me back to the good old years

This cinematic year was filled with good movies and films that keep destroying the beauty of cinema, this art so very loved by all of us. I got to see movies that gave me hope, films that redefined their genre and told something fresh, challenging what is normally shown in its genre. We had great films such as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025). That film absolutely blew my mind and got me into horror, a genre I often tend to ignore.

But the movie that defined my 2025 wasn't Sinners.

You know, Paul Thomas Anderson is probably my favorite director, or certainly one of my top picks. When he announced One Battle After Another with that monumental cast, I was here for it. My expectations were up there, very high, and you know what? I didn't get disappointed at all!

This is, unequivocally, the best film of the year, and perhaps I'm overhyping it, but the moment you watch it you realize it’s a movie so engaging, so beautifully filmed, with such outstanding acting it's hard not to say it's perfect. Perfection seems to be the very foundation of PTA's cinema. I don't hesitate for a moment to call this last film one of his best movies, one that made me laugh and cry equally, one that had me on the edge of my seat, thrilled.

Isn't this what cinema is about? Isn't the purpose of cinema to feel emotions you wouldn't feel on a daily basis? It absolutely is! It’s not about cheap pretentious scripts, it’s not about politically correct scripts, it’s about portraying life itself, beyond our experiences for sure, but still connecting and bonding with the human experience.

You might be tempted to dismiss the characters in One Battle After Another as too extreme or cartoonish, but look closer. While I haven’t met a sensei exactly like the one portrayed, I've certainly encountered people who maintain that impossibly chill, positive perspective on life. Conversely, DiCaprio's character—a man reeling from the loss of his wife and now facing his daughter’s abduction—conveys a desperation, anxiety, and total frustration that is completely palpable. I witnessed a desperate father looking for his daughter, frantic and under great distress.

One Battle After Another boasts an innovative script. It respects common tropes just enough to subvert them, constantly surprising the audience. This is a non-stop emotional rollercoaster with brilliant ups and downs, driven by sequences so expertly executed that the music, camerawork, performances, and writing all plot together to achieve greatness, entertaining and non-stop. It has been a long time since I've had this much fun at the movies. It is easily my 2025 favorite and one of the ones I love from PTA.

If you want to read a full guide to Paul Thomas Anderson's cinema go and check it out here.

Let me know what your favorite 2025 movie has been, the year is not over yet so the best movie might still be there waiting for you! it might be One Battle After Another too, who knows.