(by Ellen & Richard Miller with assistance from Donna Pollet and CHATGPT)
We have always liked movies, chiefly in theaters as opposed to streaming. So we once again returned to the Philadelphia Film Festival with our friend Donna and viewed 14 films over four days.
We generally see three films a day (although we have also seen four and five in one day in the past, fortified largely by popcorn).
One of the delights of this festival is you can buy a pass for the entire 10 days and get into all of the films without standing in long lines. Additionally, we enjoyed old and new friends and were able to fit in some of Philly’s good restaurants, including dim sum at Nom Wah, as we discussed what we had seen and what we were to see next.
This post lists (in alphabetical order) 10 films we enjoyed and recommend. Some are now out in the theaters. Others may come to theaters soon. Also, you may be able to watch some of them at home on one of the various streaming platforms.
Rather than play “movie critic”, we’ve used the Philadelphia Film Society’s descriptions of the various films, our own descriptions, and ChatGPT to simply tell you what the films are about.
In the films we recommend below, we thought the stories, the direction, and/or the acting were excellent.
Blue Moon (2025) — Set in New York City on March 31, 1943, the night Oklahoma! premiered, the film follows lyricist Lorenz Hart as he faces the unraveling of both his career and his sense of self. Struggling with fading fame, the loss of his partnership with Richard Rodgers, and his alcoholism, Hart wonders what legacy his music will have.
Case 137 – (2025) – A French crime-drama that follows a female internal-affairs inspector assigned to investigate a violent incident in which a young protestor is seriously hurt. In her investigation to pursue the truth, she confronts institutional loyalty, police culture, and personal bias.
Cover-Up (2025) – A documentary chronicling the career of Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. The film traces how he exposed the Vietnam War massacres, prisoner abuse, and the hidden operations of U.S. intelligence agencies. It also explores the personal and professional cost of spending five decades speaking truth to power.
Dreams (2025) – A wealthy American art-patron enters a passionate affair with a Mexican ballet dancer, setting off an exploration of desire, power imbalance, race and privilege in a relationship that crosses borders and cultures.
La Grazia (2025) – As his presidency nears its end, an aging Italian leader confronts moral compromise, isolation, and regret. A reflective drama about leadership, faith, and the personal cost of power.
My Father’s Shadow (2025) – A Cannes award–winning, semi-autobiographical Nigerian-British drama about two young brothers who spend a single day with their estranged father in Lagos in 1993. During this short reunion, they face memory and grief while searching for connection with a father they barely know.
Rental Family (2025) – An American actor living in Tokyo takes a job at a “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles in strangers’ lives — father, friend, partner. As he slips into these borrowed identities, real connections emerge, forcing him to question his sense of identity, purpose, and belonging.
The President’s Cake (2025) – In 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein, nine-year-old Lamia is designated by her classroom teacher to bake the President’s birthday cake. Accompanied by her grandmother, her friend Saeed, and her pet rooster Hindi, she sets out in search for the necessary, but scarcely available, ingredients – eggs, flour, and sugar — and faces dire consequences if unsuccessful.
Wake up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) – Opening Night Film — 34th Philadelphia Film Festival. The third installment in Rian Johnson’s detective series blends mystery, dark humor, and suspense in an intricately woven crime story.
Women and Child (2025) – In modern Tehran, a 40-year-old widowed nurse struggles to raise her children, manage her job, and pursue a new partner – until a tragic event triggers her personal quest for justice and meaning. A Palme d’Or-nominated drama at Cannes and Honorable Mention for the Best Narrative Feature at this 34th Philadelphia Film Festival
With more time, we would also have seen these four films which we think are worth adding to your ‘to see’ list:
Bugonia (2025) – Closing Night Film – 34th Philadelphia Film Festival.
H Is for Hawk (2025) – A true story adapted from Helen MacDonald’s wonderful book.
Hamnet (2025) – Adaptation of the award winning 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell.
The Mastermind (2025) – An art-museum heist from a well-know film director.