Best of Fantastic Fest 2025: Part 3
Another year, another Fantastic Fest in the books. Here are the best films I watched at the fest this year…
Sirāt
The film that most caught me by surprise at this year’s Fantastic Fest was Sirāt. Set in the deserts of Morocco, we follow a man and his son as they search for a lost family member at a rave in the middle of nowhere. They are joined by some ravers as they travel through the desert, and… things go horribly wrong, to say the least. It’s best to go in blind for this one. There are twists and turns that truly had me on the edge of my seat. With the use of its remote locations, standout performances, and stellar sound, Sirāt reminds us of the humanity that remains in an apocalyptic world.
Fantastic Fest 2025 - Fuck My Son! Director and Cast Q&A
Fuck My Son!
There are films that play at Fantastic Fest, and then there are Fantastic Fest movies. Fuck My Son! was made for a particular audience in mind: the type of sickos who attend Fantastic Fest. Based on the comic of the same name, writer-director Todd Rohal’s film is vile, vulgar, and made in bad taste. It’s a triumph in the same way The Human Centipede series is: it was made to disgust its audience, and it succeeds. The plot has an old woman kidnap a mother and daughter, forcing the mother to… you know. There are some amazing practical effects, along with some unforgivable AI sequences. But I have to believe it’s all intentional. It’s a beautiful collage of trash on display. Rohal said during the film’s Q&A that the release of the film would be limited, unlikely to follow a traditional route to streaming. If it’s playing anywhere near you in the future, be warned, it’s not for everyone, but if you’re craving some despicably depraved shit, seek it out.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
After a nine-year break, Gore Verbinski returns with a biting action time-travel comedy that takes aim at AI. It’s nothing new. Think The Terminator, but zanier, with Sam Rockwell in the Kyle Reese role and Haley Lu Richardson as Sarah Connor. Rockwell’s character travels from the future to warn people in present-day L.A. that an evil AI machine will enslave humanity. It may not have anything new to say (robots are bad, humans are good), but it’s all in the execution. Verbinski still has it; I don’t think there’s a dull moment in the movie. The supporting cast helps make the whole thing worthwhile, too. If anything, it’s good to see the anti-AI trend continue in Hollywood.
Appofeniacs
Speaking of anti-AI… Appofeniacs takes an indie film approach to the rise of AI and the fall of society that comes with it. A seemingly disparate group of Californians are forced to cross paths after a series of deep fake videos are posted online. The Pulp Fiction influence is apparent, but that doesn’t hold it back from being a slick take on how technology can sharpen the edges of social niceties. It all ends, appropriately, in an over-the-top way. Writer-director Chris Marrs Piliero doesn’t hold back. In a time when some people are taking the easy way out to make what they call “art”, it’s good to see some old-fashioned, down and dirty filmmaking.
More coverage:
Best of Fantastic Fest 2025: Part 1
Best of Fantastic Fest 2025: Part 2
