Great performances don’t just entertain—they resonate, haunt, and sometimes even redefine what we expect from an actor. Every year, a handful of performances transcend mere acting and become something truly unforgettable—transforming films, elevating storytelling, and leaving audiences in awe.
In 2025, we saw performances that pushed boundaries, breathed life into complex characters, and made films unforgettable. It was an incredible year that spawned multiple instant classics, as well as plenty of other gems. From massive films with huge ensembles to intimate family dramas, a wide range of talent was on display. Several young stars asserted their arrivals, while a few familiar faces reminded us of their prowess.
These are the performances that truly defined cinema last year. These are the 50 Best Movie Performances of 2025.
20. Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg in Rental Family
I said in my review that I love watching Brendan Fraser cry, and that’s true, but certainly not everything he has to offer. I’m among the many Fraser fans who were waiting for his big comeback role, and I think Rental Family really sticks the landing. He gets to really bring the heartwarming good guy energy while still being a character with a lot of flaws who makes some icky decisions. It’s a dynamic he nails, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast is off the charts, especially with Shannon Mahina Gorman, who is killing it at her first-ever acting credit. It’s a very beautiful film, and Fraser is the glue that holds the story together.
–Valerie Morreale
19. Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in Hamnet
He may have been overlooked by the Academy for an Oscar nom but Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare is quietly brilliant. His role is not flashy and takes a backseat to Jesse Buckley’s incredible work as Agnes, but Mescal still manages to articulate grief, love, and creative angst in every pause and subtle expression. There’s a humanity that he brings to this legendary literary figure, which makes him feel real and relatable in a way so many other performances in the past have not. Hamnet is undoubtedly Jesse Buckley’s film, but without Mescal’s solid performance opposite her, so much of the story’s weight and resonance simply wouldn’t land. His performance lingers in your mind long after the credits roll, reminding you how essential he is to the film’s heart.
–Romona Comet
18. Michael B. Jordan as the Smokestack Twins in Sinners
In Sinners, Michael B. Jordan takes on the task of playing the Smokestack twins, and he does it wonderfully. His performances create two very distinct people, each with their own quirks, energy, and charm. It’s thrilling to watch, especially when the twins are interacting with one another, both before and after the sun goes down at the juke joint. Jordan’s ability to switch between these two personalities effortlessly, while also creating a deep and meaningful relationship between them, is one of the most impressive and memorable things I’ve seen on screen all year. Perhaps he won’t win the Oscar for his duality, but he deserves to be among the nominees for sure.
–Romona Comet
17. Emma Stone as Michelle Fuller in Bugonia
Stone has delivered so many great performances over the past decade or so that we’re starting to take her for granted. However, in Bugonia, she reminds us of why she’s becoming one of the most decorated performers of her time. Much of the fun in Bugonia is going back and forth on the question of whether Stone’s Michelle Fuller character is indeed an alien or not. She plays it wonderfully – giving enough hints for the movie to go in either direction. The great thing about Stone’s acting is that she always keeps things playful. As Fuller, she gets to balance her fierce intensity and delightful screen presence to deliver another performance for the ages.
–Raf Stitt
16. David Jonsson as Pete McVries in The Long Walk
Everyone shut up and give David Jonsson the award. Okay, but seriously, Jonsson really showed everyone his incredible acting ability and established himself as a contender this year. Though not the starring role, Jonsson was the role everyone who watched The Long Walk remembered, as he brought Peter McVries to life, and I would say even improved him from his book counterpart. He’s thoughtful and caring without straying very far from a traditional masculine stereotype. It’s a role with a lot of nuance, and Jonsson says so much with his stature and facial expressions that really establish who he is early on. The film’s ending is heartbreaking, mostly because Jonsson absolutely nails the tone. Despite his role in Romulus last year, this is really a breakout role for him, and I’m very excited to see what he does next.
–Valerie Morreale
15. Josh O’Connor as Jud Duplenticy in Wake Up Dead Man
I recently wrote about how Wake Up Dead Man was one of my favourite films from 2025, and a large portion of why that was is due to the incredible performance by one of the co-leads, Josh O’Connor. O’Connor plays Jud Duplenticy, a former boxer and new addition to the priesthood of the Catholic Church. Filled with ‘new ideas’ of faith, he quickly ruffles a few feathers and finds himself the number one suspect in a murder.
What makes the performance stand out is its moral patience. O’Connor never pushes Jud’s goodness outward; he lets it exist subtly, even under suspicion. So often we’ve seen the judgmental priest or the overtly gracious one, but very seldom do we find one operating in the grey – especially with such honesty. We’re rarely invited to doubt his innocence because of the way in which he quietly cares for his flock. Even when confronted by the unbelief of private detective Benoit Blanc, he doesn’t try harder to convert him. He simply believes in his convictions that the truth will be revealed. An Oscar nomination was sadly not to be here, but I’ll put money on it that it comes before the next Knives Out film… if not sooner!
–Thomas Riest
14. Eva Victor as Agnes Ward in Sorry, Baby
Though I’m late to the party, Sorry, Baby is one of the best directorial debuts I’ve ever seen, and Eva Victor is a remarkable lead. They’re just fully believable in the role of Agnes, and portray trauma with so much nuance and realism that any viewer should feel a lot of empathy. While I enjoyed their scenes with Naomi Ackie, I think it’s the scenes where they’re by themselves are the parts of this performance that feel the most powerful. It’s an intimate portrayal of moving on from pain in the silence, while others around you continue to live. By far one of the best films of the year and a performance that’s so good it’s hard to quantify.
–Valerie Morreale
13. Michael Cera as Bjørn in The Phoenician Scheme
The most surprising thing about Wes Anderson casting Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme is that they’d never worked together before. Cera feels like such a natural fit for Anderson’s style on paper. His stilted awkwardness feels right at home alongside Anderson’s slightly-off-kilter dialogue and meticulously crafted set design. In practice, though, Cera isn’t just doing what he’s done before – he is reinventing himself. He is subverting our expectations of him as an actor and our expectations of how characters behave in Wes Anderson movies to surprise us with additional dimensions that we weren’t expecting.
At first, Bjørn Lund displays a level of social awkwardness that makes George-Michael Bluth look well-adjusted. Then, in one of the funniest reveals of the year, he removes his glasses and inhabits a level of suave, smooth-talking bravado that we’ve never seen from him. It’s a different style of comedy than we are used to seeing from Cera, and he fully inhabits both the Jekyll and the Hyde of his character. Rather than simply matching the Anderson aesthetic, which would be easy for him to do, he elevates and challenges it.
–Bryan Loomis
12. Renate Reinsve as Nora Berg in Sentimental Value
Renate Reinsve has some tough comps to live up to with her performance in Sentimental Value. She’s channeling Gena Rowlands in Opening Night in her theater scenes. The father-daughter storyline of generational differences brings to mind Setsuko Hara’s phenomenal work in Late Spring. And her repeat collaboration with Joachim Trier calls to mind the fruitful collaboration of another Scandinavian duo, Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann.
Of course, because she’s Renate Reinsve, she knocks it out of the park. She plays a character who has lived through her parents’ constant fighting and divorce, which has made her very non-confrontational and depressed. But she plays some very heavy subject matter with a lightness and relatability that makes the movie a lot more watchable, and actually strengthens the movie’s message rather than neutering it. Her tearful moment of catharsis alongside Inga Ibsdotter-Lilleas is the best scene in the film, and the two of them improvised some key details.
–Bryan Loomis
11. Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-su in No Other Choice
In any other year, Best Actor would be an easy pick, and it would be Lee Byung-hun. Coming hot off Squid Game, Byung-hun gets to really flex in the lead role. In traditional Park Chan-wook fashion, his character Man-su is both deeply relatable and completely unhinged. It takes an actor with talent and skill to really work in a role like this, and Byung-hun is a revelation in every scene. I’m not familiar with his work in Korean cinema, but he really is a joy to watch, and I’d love to see him do even more in the future. In a fair world, this would be this year’s Parasite, but there are just too many good movies this year, and Lee Byung-hun has been robbed.
–Valerie Morreale
30-21 | 10-1
What were some of your favorite performances of 2025? Do you think they will show up in the Top 10?