Sinners, One Battle After Another Make Top Obama's Favourite Movies In 2025 — Check His 11 Picks

Former US President Barack Obama has unveiled his eagerly awaited 2025 list of favourite movies, continuing what he has called an annual tradition. This year’s film picks span indie, arthouse and politically reflective cinema, led by titles such as One Battle After Another, Sinners and It Was Just an Accident.

The movie list also features literary adaptations including Hamnet and Train Dreams, alongside Sentimental Value, No Other Choice, The Secret Agent, Jay Kelly, Good Fortune and Orwell: 2+2=5. Together, the selections reflect a year of cinema that blends personal drama, experimental storytelling and political thought. Films like Sinners, centred on identity struggles, and Orwell: 2+2=5, which explores authoritarianism, underline recurring themes of resilience and social critique amid global tensions.

Alongside films, Obama also shared his 2025 book list, which includes nine paperbacks ranging from historical non-fiction such as Jill Lepore’s We the People to fiction like Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. He also described the inclusion of Michelle Obama’s The Look as a “biased” pick, continuing a practice he has followed since 2015 of highlighting diverse and underrepresented voices.

His music recommendations for the year cut across genres, featuring Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s R&B collaboration, Chappell Roan’s pop track The Giver, and Drake’s Nokia. The playlist drew more than 10 million views online, along with humorous reactions imagining Obama dancing to the tracks.

“As 2025 comes to a close, I’m continuing a tradition that I started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of favourite books, movies, and music,” Obama, 64, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “I hope you find something new to enjoy—and please send any recommendations for me to check out!”

Obama's favourite movies of 2025 are:

1. One Battle After Another

2. Sinners

3. It Was Just an Accident

4. Hamnet

5. Sentimental Value

6. No Other Choice

7. The Secret Agent

8. Train Dreams

9. Jay Kelly

10. Good Fortune

11. Orwell: 2+2=5