Sundance 2025: The Top Films You Can’t Afford to Miss!

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is quickly approaching, and there will be so many movies that one person couldn’t possibly watch them all. To make things easier, here’s a list of the must-watch films screening at the festival.

OPUS, Ayo Edebiri, 2025. Courtesy Everett Collection

Opus finds a young writer at a remote compound owned by a famous rock star, that surrounds himself with strange individuals and it all seems like a cult. The writer finds herself in the middle of the rock star’s twisted scheme.

Starring: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder

Kiss of a Spider Woman, photo supplied by Sundance Film Festival

In 1981, during Argentina’s Dirty War, a gay man named Luis Molina is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. To cope with his harsh reality, he imagines films with a famous actress, but his life changes when he shares a cell with a Marxist named Valentin, and they form a strong connection.

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tony Dovolani, Josefina Scaglione, Bruno Bichir

Josh O'Connor in Rebuilding. Photo supplied by Sundance Film Festival

The film follows a cowboy named Dusty, whose ranch burns down in wildfires. He ends up in a FEMA camp, where he meets others who have faced similar fates, along with his daughter and ex-wife.

Starring: Josh O’Connor, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Amy Madigan, Jefferson Mays

Marcel Zyskind. Variety

In a twisted version of Cinderella, Elvira tries to outshine her beautiful stepsister and win the prince’s attention, no matter the cost. The film explores Elvira’s obsession with beauty, using dark humor and body horror to critique the beauty industry’s impact on self-worth and societal status.

Starring: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Malte Gårdinger

First look at Ben Whishaw's Peter Hujar’s Day. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Set in December 1974, the film focuses on photographer Peter Hujar and his friend Linda, exploring the artistic world of New York City at the time. Through their conversations, the film highlights the struggles and introspective moments of being an artist in a place where success was hard to come by.

Starring: Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall

Dev Patel in Rabbit Trap. Bankside Films

In 1973, married musicians Daphne and Darcy Davenport move to a remote cottage in Wales to finish their album. While there, they accidentally capture a mysterious sound, which slowly causes them to lose touch with reality.

Starring: Dev Patel, Rosy McEwen

Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. A24

As her world unravels, Linda struggles to cope with her child’s unexplained illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and a deteriorating relationship with her therapist.

Starring: Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Josh Pais, ASAP Rocky

Helena Zengel in The Legend of Ochi. Copyright Encyclopedia Pictura

In a secluded northern village, a young girl named Yuri is taught to stay indoors after dark and fear the mysterious forest beings called the ochi. When she finds a baby ochi abandoned by its pack, she sets out on an unforgettable journey to return it to its family.

Starring: Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Thing With Feathers. Anthony Dickenson/ Courtesy of Sundance Institute

In this chilling thriller, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a widower haunted by a mysterious presence in the apartment he shares with his two young sons. As they struggle to cope with the sudden loss of their wife and mother, their lives take a terrifying turn.

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell

Juliette Lewis in By Design. Photo supplied by Sundance Film Festival

In this quirky twist on the body swap genre, a woman falls in love with an expensive chair and ultimately becomes it. The chair is then gifted to a handsome piano player by his ex, setting off a bizarre chain of events.

Starring: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney