The year’s best stories

In 2025, as Foreign Policy expanded its film and television coverage, it seemed that the geopolitical turbulence of recent years finally made its way to the big screen. This year’s popular titles felt more internationally minded than previous ones, perhaps reflecting a public desire to better understand our volatile world. Thankfully, FP contributors were up to the task of critiquing these films and unpacking their lessons for today’s global thinker.

So grab your popcorn—and maybe a notepad, because the reviews below are sure to teach you something new about the world, whether they are unraveling the tensions at the heart of German security debates or exploring what Superman might have to say about the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

In 2025, as Foreign Policy expanded its film and television coverage, it seemed that the geopolitical turbulence of recent years finally made its way to the big screen. This year’s popular titles felt more internationally minded than previous ones, perhaps reflecting a public desire to better understand our volatile world. Thankfully, FP contributors were up to the task of critiquing these films and unpacking their lessons for today’s global thinker.

So grab your popcorn—and maybe a notepad, because the reviews below are sure to teach you something new about the world, whether they are unraveling the tensions at the heart of German security debates or exploring what Superman might have to say about the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

By Julian E. Zelizer, Oct. 24

Long before his death in 2023, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s legacy was already a controversial subject of debate: Was he a brilliant........

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