2025 Awards Contenders - adam reviews film

Full reviews for all the 2026 Awards Contenders can be found below.

Reviews

Sentimental Value

After the tragic death of their mother, Sentimental Value focuses on sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) as their estranged father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), an acclaimed film director, reenters their lives. His motivations are far from noble, something that soon becomes clear when he asks Nora, an actress, to star in his new film. After she turns down the role, Gustav instead turns to Rachel (Elle Fanning), an American actress at the height of her popularity. Even then, it becomes painfully clear that this role and this story were always meant to stay within the family.

Written and directed by Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value feels instantly relatable for anyone who has grown up in a dysfunctional family, particularly those shaped by divorce and the complicated emotions that come with it. The characters never feel like people created to serve a story. Instead, they feel instantly recognisable, with real and raw emotions unfolding before the audience’s eyes as they are forced to confront Gustav’s uncomfortable reemergence and the feelings that come with it. It would have been easy for Trier to lean into needless melodrama or create a clear villain, but instead he avoids that entirely, allowing the film to explore the true complexities of family relationships. This is particularly evident in the stark contrast between the sisters and their individual relationships with their father.

For a film like this to work as well as Sentimental Value does, the performances have to be pretty much perfect, and they undoubtedly are. Renate Reinsve is rightfully being praised for her leading role, playing an overprotective sister and aunt while carrying the weight of unresolved trauma caused by Gustav. The pain and resentment she brings to the screen feel completely real, likely leaving audiences reaching for the tissues and perhaps confronting some uncomfortable truths in their own lives. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is just as strong, offering a different side of the same fractured relationship, one that appears more forgiving but no less complicated. Stellan Skarsgård keeps Gustav grounded throughout, portraying his selfishness in a way that feels honest, while also revealing a man clearly struggling with his own unresolved issues. And although Elle Fanning has a smaller role, she brings a surprising emotional weight, making each of her scenes feel considered and memorable.

Sentimental Value is packed with incredible performances and some of the most emotionally poignant scenes of the year, supported by thoughtful, confident storytelling. It is a genuine and well deserved awards contender, even in a year as strong as 2025.

Reviews

Sinners

Sinners, set in 1932 Mississippi, follows identical twins Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) as they return to their hometown to open a juke joint, Club Joke. After acquiring the premises from likely KKK members, the brothers recruit Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) as the joint’s musicians, with Cornbread (Omar Miller) providing muscle on the door. Expecting extreme racism from the former owners to ignite trouble on opening night, the group braces for the worst. Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), Stack’s ex-lover, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke’s ex-lover, add an engaging romantic subplot, but little do they know a group of vampires led by Remmick (Jack O’Connell) is plotting to derail the festivities entirely.

Written and directed by Ryan Coogler, the story of Sinners on paper is audacious and, quite frankly, wild. What Coogler delivers, however, is one of the most exhilarating and surprisingly heartfelt spectacles not just of the year, but perhaps of the decade so far. Part drama, part musical, part thriller, and part horror, Sinners has an enormous amount to juggle, and it would have been easy for it to collapse under its own ambition. Instead, Coogler blends the genres seamlessly, a feat that deserves immense credit.

The characters are superbly written and each is given moments to shine, something the cast fully capitalises on. Michael B. Jordan delivers a career-best performance in the dual role, easily ranking among the year’s strongest performances. The supporting cast is equally impressive, with Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku standing out thanks to some of the film’s most memorable moments. Jack O’Connell’s rise as the villain Remmick is fantastic, and one particular musical sequence may well be the best cinematic scene of the year.

Even the technical aspects of Sinners are equally astounding. The cinematography offers consistently striking visuals, the production design is impeccable, the costumes are jaw-dropping, and the editing is even noticeably brilliant. There should be absolutely no reason to be surprised to see the film nominated across a wide range of technical categories and even taking home more than a few awards.

With so much packed into a film like Sinners, there’s always the risk of things going wrong. Yet Coogler’s sensational filmmaking, combined with outstanding performances and one of the best scores of the year, ensures Sinners never wavers for even a single second cementing itself comfortably as one of the best movies of the year.

Reviews

One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another opens with exposition that introduces audiences to Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), his fellow revolutionary and lover Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), and their shared nemesis Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn). After these opening sequences, where some uncomfortable things occur, the film jumps forward over a decade and focuses on Bob, now living with his teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti), who inadvertently goes missing when Lockjaw resurfaces and begins tracking them down. In a desperate attempt to escape his former enemy and find his daughter, Bob enlists the help of the streetwise Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio Del Toro).

A plot synopsis as simple as that does not even begin to do justice to a movie of the calibre of One Battle After Another, written and directed by legendary filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson. There is so much more going on beneath the surface of this political thriller, including a surprising amount of humour, and much of it is best experienced going in as blind as possible so it can land exactly as intended.

Making a movie with subject matter like this accessible to a mainstream audience is hard enough already, but making a near three hour epic interesting, intriguing, and consistently engaging feels almost impossible. Somehow Anderson pulls it off. While exploring heavy themes like addiction, paranoia, and depression, the film remains surprisingly relatable. There are also more than a few characters who feel uncomfortably close to the current American administration, adding an unexpected but very welcome layer of political satire.

DiCaprio is effortlessly excellent as ever and feels like a lock for best actor conversations. That said, it is the supporting cast that really pushes One Battle After Another into slam dunk territory. Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro make every second of their screen time count, delivering some of the film’s most enjoyable and memorable moments. At the same time, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti are both impeccable, ensuring there is never a dull moment when they are on screen.

It is genuinely hard to find much wrong with One Battle After Another. In fact, it would not be surprising if it goes down as an instant classic. Everything from the cinematography to the score is firing on all cylinders. Like the finest wines, One Battle After Another is bound to age extraordinarily well and should absolutely be experienced on the biggest screen possible.

Reviews

Hamnet

Hamnet tells the story of Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) and her more famous wordsmith husband, William (Paul Mescal). The opening act carefully develops their relationship in the beautiful English town of Stratford-upon-Avon, charting their blossoming romance and the arrival of their children, Hamlet (Jacobi Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes). Chasing his dream of becoming a playwright, William leaves for London, leaving Agnes to raise the children alone. Tragedy soon strikes in a deeply heartfelt way that is bound to leave many audience members in floods of tears, myself included, before leading into one of the most memorable final acts of the year.

Directed and co-written by Chloé Zhao, Hamnet may come across as heavy-handed to some, given its clear intention to be an emotional rollercoaster. For me, however, the carefully crafted characters, beautifully developed relationships, and outstanding performances ensure that the film lands almost flawlessly. This is coming from someone who has studied Shakespeare extensively since childhood and has grown worn out by stories surrounding him. Zhao somehow manages to conjure her magic and make Hamnet feel like a completely fresh take on a story that has been told countless times before.

Jacobi Jupe, despite only appearing in the first half of the film, delivers one of the strongest child performances I have seen this year. On this evidence alone, he undoubtedly has a bright career ahead of him. Paul Mescal, in more of a supporting role, is solid, but it is Jessie Buckley who shines brightest in what is easily her career best performance to date. From start to finish, she is fully committed to the role, and you can feel the pain and anguish her character experiences almost as if it were happening to her in real life, a truly transformative performance.

Technically, Hamnet is just as impressive. From the production design and costumes that fully immerse the audience in 1500s England, to the score that beautifully accompanies each scene, and the cinematography that delivers striking, memorable images throughout, the film feels accomplished in every department. Hamnet is the full package and fully deserving of the awards buzz it has already received and the many accolades still to come.

Reviews

Jay Kelly

Jay Kelly (George Clooney) follows a famous actor in the midst of an existential crisis, one I’m sure most Hollywood superstars hit at some point, where they begin to question whether their career has been worth sacrificing fatherhood, friendships, or any real chance at a love life. If this sounds reminiscent of Sentimental Value, you wouldn’t be far wrong, except I imagine writer-director Noah Baumbach punching the air in frustration, because Jay Kelly is far less relatable and, quite simply, not as good.

The film’s biggest issue is its shallowness. There’s an ongoing sense of celebration surrounding Jay Kelly’s life and career that forms the backbone of the narrative, so when the inevitable moments of self-realisation arrive, they don’t feel earned or particularly organic. This lack of relatability is present throughout, but it’s most obvious in the now-viral ending, where Jay Kelly breaks down as a montage of his career highlights plays out. It feels like Baumbach is aiming for something deeply poignant and emotionally devastating, but instead it landed for me as more of a boo-hoo, why should I feel sorry for this rich asshole moment.

Jay Kelly’s family aren’t the only ones treated poorly either. His manager, played by Adam Sandler, and publicist, played by Laura Dern, are also on the receiving end of his self-centred behaviour. Dern’s character at least sees sense early on and disappears entirely, which is a shame, as she’s barely given any opportunity to shine. Sandler, on the other hand, is afforded more screen time and is very good in the role, but even here the film falls short. Themes surrounding his family life are introduced and then left frustratingly underdeveloped, material that could have made for a genuinely compelling subplot and added another layer to Sandler’s performance.

Ultimately, Jay Kelly tries to juggle too many complex ideas, and most of them end up falling flat. The result is not the emotionally engrossing experience it so clearly wants to be. That’s not to say Jay Kelly is a bad film. It definitely isn’t. But I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed it as much as I’d hoped, instead leaving with more unanswered questions about Jay Kelly’s life than insights, especially given the fairly bloated 132 minute runtime.

Reviews

No Other Choice

No Other Choice fundamentally asks the audience how far would you go to protect your family and your quality of life. That question is posed to Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun), after he is laid off from his job at a paper manufacturer following two decades of service in the midst of an ever changing economic climate. In a world where humans are rapidly being replaced by robots, particularly within manufacturing, what Man-soo believes will be a brief period of unemployment quickly spirals into a situation where his entire world is at risk.

From acclaimed writer and director Park Chan-wook alongside co-writers Don McKellar, Lee Kyoung-mi, and Lee Ja-hye, No Other Choice presents itself as a dark comedy as Man-soo attempts to beat out his competition for a new job by quite literally eliminating them by whatever means necessary. While both the premise and much of the execution largely follow what you might expect, the film truly shines in how it captures Man-soo’s humanity as he is confronted with the act of murder. Watching him wrestle with the emotional weight and moral dilemma of his actions is arguably the strongest element of the entire film, especially after the groundwork has been laid for the struggle he finds himself in.

For the most part Man-soo’s family is pushed into the background, with little development given to characters such as his wife Lee Min (Son Ye-jin). While this would be a drawback in many films, it does not significantly detract from the overall quality of No Other Choice. Even without fully fleshed out supporting characters, Man-soo’s anguish and love for his family are deeply felt, as is the pain of no longer being able to provide as the so-called man of the house. Lee Byung-hun delivers a sensational performance that makes you root for Man-soo despite the despicable nature of his schemes, and it is this performance that largely carries the film’s thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Despite a few minor grievances, No Other Choice stands out as one of the more enjoyable and surprising cinematic experiences of the year. It is a film that balances dark humour with genuine tension, making you laugh while keeping you firmly gripped by its compelling story. Well worth the watch.