Everything I Saw at Sundance Film Festival 2025 Ranked

This year I had the pleasure of attending the Sundance Film Festival for the first time. It was an absolute dream come true and I got to see some incredible films. Here is my list of all the films I saw at Sundance 2025 ranked.

Sundance 2025 Ranked 

6. Bunnylovr

Katarina Zhu’s directorial debut, Bunnylovr, deals with Rebecca, whom Zhu portrays herself, a Chinese American cam girl as she drifts listlessly through life while struggling to connect with anyone. The film follows her as she attempts to rekindle her relationship with her dying, absentee father, keep up a friendship with her friend Bella (Rachel Sennott), and explores a complicated dynamic with a client (Austin Amelio). 

Immensely personal and incredibly well-crafted, Bunnylovr does succeed in being the intimate character study and portrait it wants to be, though the film as a whole leaves much to be desired. Apart from the focus on its lead, Bunnylovr ends up feeling underbaked and shallow and unengaging for most of its sub-90 minute runtime. It is, however, a very serviceable directorial effort from Zhu and contains an excellent performance from her as well. I am very interested to see more of her in front of and behind the camera in coming years. Though I was not a huge fan of Bunnylovr, I’m very appreciative of what director and star Katarina Zhu tried to do with it. 

Read the full review from Leah Peifer. 

5. The Virgin of Quarry Lake

Psychosexuality clashes with horror clashes with a coming-of-age tale in Laura Casabé’s The Virgin of Quarry Lake. The film follows Natalia (Dolores Oliverio) during a hot summer in Argentina in 2001 as she falls in love with her friend Diego (Agustín Sosa) and the fallout that follows when he in turn falls in love with another friend Silvia (Fernanda Echevarría del Rivero). Unhappy with Diego and Siliva’s relationship, Natalia harbors not only bitter rage and jealousy, but a dark and ancient power that begs to be unleashed. 

Though not as good a horror film as it is a coming-of-age story, The Virgin of Quarry Lake balances its two sides well enough and ends up culminating in a terrifying climax. There’s a discomforting blend of psychological unease and supernatural dread that just works so well. Argentine horror has been an overlooked niche for quite a while, but with When Evil Lurks a couple years ago and The Virgin of Quarry Lake this year, I’m hoping it gets the props it deserves. Laura Casabé is an exceptionally talented newcomer on the scene and I expect her popularity to rise once The Virgin of the Quarry Lake gets a wide release. 

4. Bubble and Squeak

Evan Twohy’s Bubble and Squeak is a quirky and quite funny, albeit underbaked, screwball comedy. The film follows Declan (Himesh Patel) and Delores (Sarah Goldberg), an American couple on their honeymoon, that find themselves on the lam when they’re accused of smuggling cabbages into another country, in which they are banned. 

Reminiscent of Wes Anderson in both craft and content, though not near as good as any of his stuff, Bubble and Squeak is a lot of fun. Patel and Goldberg are great comedic actors, and though I didn’t exactly feel their chemistry while they riffed off each other, they still put in hilarious performances. They’re supported by Matt Berry, Dave Franco, and Steven Yeun, who I think are by far the highlights of the movie, however they are greatly underutilized. Though I didn’t love Bubble and Squeak, I quite enjoyed it and I’d love to see more of Twohy, as his work with a more refined script could be great. 

3. Opus

Mark Anthony Green’s Opus is a spellbinding thriller that follows the enigmatic return of reclusive popstar Moretti (John Malkovich) after a 30-year hiatus. To unveil his long-awaited new album, Moretti invites a select group of journalists and high-society figures to his secluded compound. What seems to be just an extravagant listening party conceals something much more sinister however. Among the guests is young writer Ariel (Ayo Edebiri), who finds herself entangled in this mystery.  

Darkly funny and suspenseful, Opus was a major standout at Sundance. Though its premise may seem a tad redundant in the wake of such films as Blink Twice and The Menu, Opus puts a unique spin on the narrative with its popstar angle and an addition of cult horror. Ayo Edebiri shines in the first non-comedic role I’ve seen her in and Opus proves she desperately needs to branch out from just comedy and deserves more leading parts. Meanwhile, John Malkovich is so delightfully unhinged here. I loved Opus.

2. If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You

Maybe the most stressful experience I’ve ever had at the movies, I absolutely loved Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You and I’m not sure if I’ll ever see it again. The film follows Linda (Rose Byrne) as she struggles to balance parenting a sick child, an unhelpful absent husband, a flooded condo, and issues with her therapy clients and her own therapist (Conan O’Brien). The film feels like a compilation of one inconvenience after another and genuinely was such a distressing watch in the best possible way. 

Rose Byrne gave me so much anxiety in what is certainly a career-best performance and I wouldn’t be surprised if her name is in award contention come awards season. Byrne is such an incredible lead but also bounces off her excellent supporting cast, including A$AP Rocky and Conan O’Brien, so well. I hadn’t seen either performer in an acting role before and both blew me away. O’Brien is especially great not only in comedic moments but in dramatic ones as well and I’m so excited to see his journey as a dramatic actor continue. Anxiety-inducing and immensely enjoyable, If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You is a must-watch when it gets its wide release. 

1. Sorry, Baby

Sorry, Baby, directed by and starring Eva Victor, is a hilarious and poignant look at dealing with one of the darkest things anyone can go through. After Agnes (Eva Victor) goes through a harrowing ordeal, she finds herself unable to move past it. When her best friend Lydie (Naomie Ackie) visits and informs her of a significant life milestone that she is about to reach, Agnes begins to process her circumstances and begin the long journey of healing. 

Sorry, Baby is so honest and deeply touching, infused with this heartwarmingly beautiful sense of humor. It isn’t afraid to go to some very dark places and treats those dark places with the gravity and sincerity they deserve, yet always maintaining this core of hopefulness. It joins the recent wave of coming-of-age stories that deal with young adulthood rather than the teenage or adolescent years, such as Frances Ha or The Worst Person in the World. Without a doubt, Sorry, Baby is my favorite film from Sundance 2025. 

All of these films are absolutely worth your time and I hope they’re all acquired for release so more people can see them because they truly deserve to be watched.

If you liked this 2025 Sundance Film Festival ranked list feel free to check out more of our lists and film festival coverage at Feature First!