2025 was a phenomenal year for film and set a high bar that 2026, while solid, has still not quite not met. Heavy hitters like Sinners, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, One Battle After Another and No Other Choice among several more were outstanding. It was a year filled with quality and variety and, with how many major hits there were, some films were bound to fall under the radar which I think deserve more attention. Here are just a handful of these underseen gems.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo is a Chilean film and the debut feature from director Diego Céspedes. This film takes the perspective of Lidia, a young Chilean girl, who grows up alongside her queer family during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. It’s a brilliant and heart-wrenching yet ultimately warm drama.
Taking place in a mining town, the film analyses anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in relation to working-class areas, with queer characters getting harassed or even killed for spreading the "plague" (a clear allusion to AIDS - only through a childlike lens). The queer community surrounding Lidia are more open about their identities and are resultingly subject to hate crimes by the town. Céspedes departs from a conventional narrative, relying instead on a well-crafted atmosphere for storytelling. The cinematography enhances said atmosphere with great colour grading and shot composition; pivotal locations like the lake create an utterly harrowing, though truly enveloping feel.
The film is bursting with life despite its bleak subject areas, which are nicely anchored through dreamlike imagery from Lidia's ever-hopeful and youthful perspective. The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo emphasises resilience in queer communities during a time of great strife and is as relevant as ever with how queer people around the world, including those in 'progressive' countries, are increasingly marginalised. Most of all, it’s a film which conveys love in a truly powerful manner, courtesy of the great performances and writing. A truly poignant 2025 release that comes highly recommended.
My Father's Shadow
My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr. in his debut, is a drama that takes place during the Nigerian Presidential Election of 1993: a significant period in Nigerian history after the end of British rule. The election came following ten years of military control and the results of which were ultimately ignored by the incumbent military who, despite losing, resumed their rule. Depicting this, My Father's Shadow creates chaos across a Lagos coursing with civil unrest, reflected through the two children of the main protagonist Folarin. As the story progresses and they learn more about their father, they grow more distant from him. Yet, Folarin wants to be there for his children, crafting Davies Jr.'s fascinating look at fatherhood amidst the chaotic yet comfortable atmosphere of the city and the growing military presence as the day ends.
Credit: British Film Institute, via the BFI Website
It's an immensely confident debut, delivering a world that feels simultaneously intimate, busy and haunting. It gives an amazing look at Nigeria in the 1990s and feels alive. The performances are its heart and soul: the actors set out to enhance an already moving film, especially Godwin Chiemerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo who, in their first performances, prove to be outstanding with their facial expressions and subtlety. My Father’s Shadow is a film that is masterfully made and brilliantly tragic, and I cannot do it justice by just talking about it.
Lost in Starlight
In June 2025, KPop Demon Hunters released to immense success, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. However, just one month prior, another South Korean animated film debuted on Netflix: Han Ji-won's Lost in Starlight. Because of the success of the former, this film got lost in the shuffle. While KPop Demon Hunters is still a solid film, Lost in Starlight is exceptional, and something truly special.
Set in 2050 South Korea, the film explores ideas about love between the two main protagonists: one being an astronaut; the other a musician and mechanic. The chemistry between the two leads is unreal and tangible even in animation, meaning audiences are bound to be invested in their relationship. This led to some genuinely jaw-dropping, emotionally resonant sequences especially towards the film's denouement. The animation by studio Red Dog Culture House is utterly fantastic; while some scenes had awkward CGI here and there, the rest is beautifully hand-drawn and a visual feast. The script is also excellent, making this futuristic world feel realised with star-crossed characters that feel refreshingly grounded and human. It may not be the best animated romance film of 2025 (Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc is simply phenomenal), but it is still an undeniable must-watch.
The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent is the probably the most well-known of this list, but I would still argue it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. It may sound silly talking about a Best Picture nominee like that, but this film is truly fantastic, and my personal second favourite of the year just behind Sinners. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho - who previously directed the anti-colonial masterpiece Bacurau - The Secret Agent takes place in 1977 Brazil under military dictatorship. The main protagonist Armando is played to perfection by Wagner Moura in my standout performance of the year. He balances multiple distinct identities and feels like completely different people in each.
The casting across the whole picture is also perfect, especially Tania Maria as Dona Sebastiana who creates such a warm presence for her community of political refugees. Udo Kier, in his final role before his death, also proved to be a very memorable addition even though he was only in one scene. Every part, no matter how minor, is played flawlessly. Casting director Gabriel Domingues was subsequently nominated for the inaugural Best Casting Oscar: a well-deserved nomination that would've been a perfect first winner.
Credit: NEON, via NEON Rated, and CinemaScópio
The film is also extremely well written and directed. It’s a lot more subtle compared to its fellow Best Picture nominees, demonstrated through Moura’s performance as well as the fluctuating structure that bounces between 1977, 2025 and flashbacks prior to the events of the film. In doing so, it creates a busy atmosphere, emphasised by the setting of Carnival. Never have I seen a film which feels as alive as this one, able to truly capture a snapshot of life. It explores the seediness of the dictatorship with pinpoint accuracy through elements like the seemingly out-of-place severed leg subplot, which was actually a real story in Recife. Whenever this appeared in the newspapers, it was widely recognised as a cover-up for corruption, which is depicted in the film. It truly does feel like a time capsule, especially with how it jumps between various eras.
The Secret Agent is foundationally about resistance and culture, fighting against the far-right military government where even the present-day supporters of such tried to block this film from receiving recognition at the Oscars. In this way, it's reminiscent of 2024's I'm Still Here: Walter Salles' similarly phenomenal film about Brazil's dictatorship. Mendonça Filho displays reverence for the medium of cinema as part of our culture, utilising the projectionist protagonist's affinity for Jaws as a major icon for the characters. It’s a slow burn that didn't initially click with me, but everything starts to make sense from the second half onwards where it became beautiful, immersive and devastating. It's a stunning work that only gets better the more you think about it, and I encourage everyone to dive into it.
Those were just a handful of my picks for underappreciated films from 2025. Some honourable mentions also include: Blue Moon, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Eva Victor's directorial debut Sorry, Baby, which are more well-known though equally excellent. There’s even more I've yet to see like Palestine 36, From Ground Zero, The Ballad of Wallis Island and Sore: A Wife from the Future. 2025 will be remembered as an all-timer year for cinema, though 2026 is no slouch either. There's an assuredly interesting slate of renowned directors and films to round out the year, and more underseen gems are bound to come.
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