Florida Film Festival 2025 reviews

What to see, and to skip, at the 34th annual fest

Exclusive to MeierMovies, April 2025

Before diving into this article, check out my festival overview. Now, let’s start the debate!

Full-length reviews of the films are slowing coming. (Click the links in the titles below.) But while you’re waiting for more, let me quickly recommend the Swedish mystery-drama Unmoored (3 ¾ stars); the nuanced yet zeitgiesty drama La Gloria (3 ¾ stars), starring David Morse; the socio-political documentary Hacking Hate (3 ¼ stars); the French-English romantic dramedy Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (3 stars); and the opening film, Stolen Kingdom, which I reviewed here.

But I cannot recommend the brainteasing Somnium (2 ¼ stars), though I expect big things from its director and star in the future; the socio-romantic drama On Swift Horses (2 stars); the surreal, Kafkaesque Mr. K (2 stars), starring Crispin Glover, though I applaud its imagination and Buñuel vibe; The Summer Book (1 ¾ stars), a slow-burn family drama starring Glenn Close; David Cronenberg’s new body-horror-drama The Shrouds (1 ¼ stars); the photography documentary Steve Schapiro: Being Everywhere (1 ½ stars); the end-of-days comedy Apostasy Blues (1 ¼ stars); or the slice-of-life period piece Eastern Western (1 star).

Among shorts, let me commend Jennie Butler’s Georgie (4 stars), an oddly mesmerizing documentary profile of a former mobster, and Mike Bradley’s This Land (4 stars), a fascinating and well-crafted doc about the Mohawk Indians of Upstate New York. Both will likely be in contention for top awards at the festival, which is significant considering the fest’s Oscar-qualifying status.

If you’re a fan of Midnight Shorts, this year’s is a must-see, as it’s one of the strongest ever. (The supernatural horror Wake (3 stars) and the BAFTA-nominated (yes, really) body horror/social drama Stomach Bug (3 stars) are the best.) But if the program’s batshit-crazy vibe is not your bag, stay away, baby.

Speaking of Midnights, in honor of that program’s 25th anniversary, the festival elevated one of this year’s batch to a place usually reserved for more mainstream films: opening night. That’s right, Rushmore (1 star), a cartoony, satirical depiction of rednecks killing children for fun, played in front of Stolen Kingdom on opening Friday. Though the short isn’t quite as tasteless as my description implies, it’s still way out there. And Rushmore‘s prominent placement is confirmation that the transgressive trend of not just this festival but film festivals in general has reached its inevitable crescendo. It’s now Midnight everywhere, all the time.

For more serious fare, don’t miss the 5X Real documentary-shorts program. It’s always one of the highlights of the fest, and this year is no exception, with well-crafted films ranging in topics from abortion (The Devil Is Busy, 4 stars), to Florida conservation efforts (The Little Brown Bird, 3 stars), to a weird “petrified” curse (The Conscience Files, 4 stars), to an exploration of “Stockholm Syndrome” (Bad Hostage, 4 stars).

Narrative Shorts #1 is a decidedly mixed bag, but I would be remiss if I didn’t applaud the final short in that block, Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting (4 stars). (It’s far more profound than its title suggests.) The block is nicknamed “Kick Out the Jams” to honor Wayne Kramer, of the band MC5, who died last year. The fest traditionally honors recently deceased musicians this way, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out a linking jam to this block. Still, it’s a cool tradition.

However, another tradition related to the shorts blocks seems to be dead. As recently as a few years ago, the festival usually put the more prestigious “Winter Park crowd” films into Shorts #1. Shorts #2 and #3 got progressively edgier and weirder, while #4 was sort of a “Midnight Junior.” But Shorts #1 this year — with a film about sex strangulation, a one-woman flick culminating in a one-night stand (with nudity) and a panic attack-inducing verbal cinematic tornado (featuring more “fucks” than you can shake a stick at) — is certainly not your father’s Shorts #1. If the films tackled these topics in a particularly stylish or profound way, that would be one thing. But, regrettably, they lean mostly toward silly comedy.

The prestige of Shorts #1 from past years is more abundant in this year’s Shorts #3 program, with almost all eight films creating a lasting, and occasionally unique, impression. So take my advice and see the block. You won’t be sorry. In fact, you might never be sorry about anything else your entire life. (If you see the block, you’ll know what I mean.)

Shorts #3 is nicknamed “Anywhere’s Better Than Here,” to remember Bob “Slim” Dunlap of the Replacements, who died last year. And that title does fit most of the shorts in the block, as their subjects seem to be searching for a better place, both literally and metaphorically. In their own, unique ways, they are all slightly homeless. We Buy Houses (4 stars) is the most impactful, but Last Hope, Portland Is the New Portland, Bloom, Sorry and Out for Delivery deserve accolades too (all 3 stars).

Many films in International Shorts #2 have an aesthetic gravitas that is somewhat lacking in the aforementioned domestic shorts programs. Though not all succeed dramatically, they are all superbly crafted, with some being shot on film. The methodically paced but hard-hitting The Assistant (4 stars) is the best, but the charmingly deranged The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste (3 stars) stuck with me the most.

International Animated Shorts, usually a stellar program, is more up-and-down this year, but kudos to the team behind Trash (4 stars), a CGI masterclass. The stop-motion Dolores and Holy Heaviness, The Night Boots and On Weary Wings Go By (a unique blend of time-lapse and stop-motion photography) — all 3 stars — are also a joy.

The fest concluded with Race with the Devil (1 ¼ stars), an action-horror flick from 1975 starring Peter Fonda and Warren Oates. I remember when the closing-night retro film celebrated cinematic prestige and played to a packed house. But the selection of this borderline-B-movie — though an admittedly fun romp for some moviegoers — represents the continued slide toward a “genre fest,” though I hate that term. The event still features enormous variety, a little something for everyone. But the trend toward trash is accelerating.

Let me leave you with a personal rant. Upon leaving Shorts #3, I was standing behind a fellow moviegoer, waiting to cast my votes on the eight films. Peering over this guy’s shoulder, I saw that he gave five stars (the highest rating) to EVERY film. Kill me now. But before you do, please explain to this cretin that if every film is a five-star, NO film is a five-star. A rating system exists for a reason, and this “everyone deserves a medal” mentality will eventually be the death of excellence. The aforementioned dolt’s voting habits are also no help to festival organizers, who need voting variety to effectively crown the audience-award winners.

Thanks to all the festival organizers, judges, selection-committee members and volunteers for their work. For more information on all the movies, visit FloridaFilmFestival.com/films. And for ratings of all films, visit my Movie Lists. (It’s easy to find the Florida Film Festival shorts if you search for “Florida Film Festival 2025” on the short-film lists.)

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