I am a film binge watcher – these are five movies you need to watch this year

As a self-proclaimed film fanatic who watches at least two or three movies per week, I take great pride in my recommendations. This year, I have made it my mission to make a dent in my ever-growing watchlist, and it’s going pretty well, but it can be hard not to resist the dozens of new releases, particularly as we gear up for Oscar season.

There’s a newly released rom-com in there, a beautifully moving picture set in Shetland, and a two-hander that secured many awards among my favourites. Here are my highlights of the year so far.

The Outrun was the first film I watched this year. Saoirse Ronan plays a recovering alcoholic who returns home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It is such a beautiful film and will likely make you want to visit Orkney or somewhere secluded. More than that, though, it is a story of becoming sober and the complexities that come with that. It felt very relevant as more and more people decide to take the sober path of life. The Outrun was directed by Nora Fingscheidt, based on the 2016 memoir The Outrun by Amy Liptrot.

Materialists is a 2025 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Celine Song, who formerly directed the popular movie Past Lives. The film stars Chris Evans, Zoë Winters, Marin Ireland, and Louisa Jacobson alongside Pascal and Johnson. Materialists is set against the backdrop of New York City’s luxury-driven dating culture, and it follows a love triangle between a matchmaker, her aspiring actor ex-boyfriend, and a charming millionaire. I absolutely loved this film; it felt like the most accurate depiction of modern-day dating that I had seen in a while, mixed with the classic rom-com moments that have been lacking in cinema as of late. I watched it earlier this week, and it has stayed with me ever since. A must-watch.

A Real Pain is a 2024 comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. It is an international co-production between Poland and the United States, and the film stars Eisenberg alongside Kieran Culkin. The pair play two cousins who embody the opposite of one another as they reunite for a Jewish heritage tour through Poland in honour of their late grandmother, but their historic tensions resurface as they immerse themselves against the backdrop of their family history. I watched this film on a long-haul flight in March. I was aware of it and had heard good things, but it still really took me by surprise. I was truly engrossed in the picture from start to finish; it even had me crying. It’s a 90-minute feature too, which is a rarity these days and the perfect film length in my eyes. A Real Pain is anything but that and I’d urge everyone to give it a go.

This film took me by surprise. The Map That Leads to You is a 2025 American romantic drama film directed by Lasse Hallström. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by J.P. Monninger, and stars Madelyn Cline, KJ Apa, Sofia Wylie, Madison Thompson, Orlando Norman, and Josh Lucas. It was an Amazon Prime release, in which the trailer depicted a whirlwind romance in the depths of European summer. I think if you are into a bit of semi-lighthearted (the ending will make you cry) escapism, then this is the film for you. I had low expectations, but it exceeded those by quite a significant amount. The actors could easily have let this storyline feel cringeworthy, but they finessed their roles with style and charm. Perfect watch for a rainy autumn day.

The Worst Person in the World is a romantic dramedy film directed by Joachim Trier, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eskil Vogt. It is the third film in the director’s Oslo trilogy, following Reprise (2006) and Oslo (2011). This is not a new release but one I finally got around to ticking off my watchlist this year. I thought this film was beautiful. It had me in a trance from start to finish, and I was taken aback by its stark depiction of the realities of relationships in this day and age. It follows a young woman as she navigates what she wants out of life, flitting between careers and relationships, in an attempt to better understand who she is. I felt like I was watching a modern classic, and it has definitely become one of my favourites.