Perhaps February is too early to crown something “the funniest film of the year,” but I feel strangely confident in declaring Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie exactly that. In fact, I first saw it back in October 2025. So as far as I’m concerned, it has already held that title for two consecutive years. And yet, it’s so much more than merely an excellent comedy. This is the rare project fueled by an almost reckless passion for filmmaking itself. It’s wildly inventive, absurdly imaginative, and unafraid to push creative, cinematic, and even legal boundaries. It feels as though films like this only come along once in a generation. It’s the type of movie that makes audiences wonder, “How did this get made? How did they get away with it? How much of this is real? Was any of it even legal?”

Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just An Accident is a masterclass in balancing tonal extremes. The film shifts between humor and rage with remarkable dexterity. Panahi injects a surprising amount of levity into a story that’s both dark and devastating, striking a pitch-perfect balance that keeps the audience laughing, engaged, and unsettled in equal measure. It Was Just an Accident is a captivating, darkly hilarious, and thought-provoking exploration of the futility of revenge and the vicious cycle of vengeance it perpetuates.

In September 2023, a single phone call shattered my world. Much like the protagonist in the opening scene of Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, I thought I had it all. After overcoming a childhood steeped in financial strain, I finally secured a job that freed me from living paycheck to paycheck. My success exceeded my wildest expectations, given the position from which I started. I thought I made it. But then, everything was ripped right out from under me in an instant.

Sentimental Value ranks among the best films I’ve seen about fractured families, intergenerational trauma, and healing through art—and I’ve seen a lot of them. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel or do anything groundbreaking. In fact, the story is relatively predictable, but it’s executed with such masterful emotional precision and sincerity that it feels revelatory.