CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
A recent report by Betoota Cinema Friends (The Real BCF) has found that the top ten best movies of 2025 are either set in the olden days, or in a parallel universe where nobody is enslaved to the algorithms of social media.
From the American sporting epic MARTY SUPREME to the Brazilian Oscar-favourite THE SECRET AGENT, the best movies appear to be set before 2012 - from a time when things were simpler but also more interesting.
The best films of 2025 that weren't specifically biographical period pieces were instead set in alternative timelines. With some even being set in alternative timelines and the past at the same time.
Whether it's the genre-bending Vampire-Western SINNERS, or ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, the films also taught us a lot about the world we now live in - with polarising politics and reactionary authoritarian regimes rapidly becoming the mainstream form of governance around the world.
This rise in films not set in the current era can be put down to the fact that culture has been completely flattened by iPhones - as billions of people spend their days taking in snippets of information that blur the line between 'news' and mindless brain numbing content.
The saturation of CCTV camera surveliance across our cities, and the computerisation of vehicles and telephones has also killed the entire contemporary 'heist' genre. However, the recent jewel theft at the Louvre Museum provides hope that society has become so dependent on technology that the old school 'Ocean's 11' style burglaries are making a comeback.
"Everyone is looking at their screens" says local Betoota cinema buff, Margaret Endavid, a spokesperson for the Real BCF.
"That doesn't make for a very interesting culture"
"Banning kids from having phones is probably a good start at reversing this toxic cultural glitch we have willingly walked right into"
However, there was one fim that bucked the trend in 2025 - even if it was technically released in late 2024.
That is, the Oscar-winning drama ANORA, set in modern day Brooklyn. According to the Real BCF, this is the only award-winning 2025 film that was set in the current era, and it was the most politically incorrect film in years.
"A spectacular film. Although nobody wants to say that because literally every character is problematic" she says.
"It's Pretty Woman but without the working girl needing to be 'saved' by the rich man. People don't make films like that these days because genuine conversations between real people is too scary to put on screen"
"Not when everyone is online pretending to be a morally pure versions of themselves"
Head to the Betoota Advocate's Last Video Store on YOUTUBE to hear our town's definitive list of the top ten films of 2025.
