25 films to watch before you turn 25: A critic-curated list

In an era when screens are flooded with AI-generated content and mindless scrolling, filmmakers and critics are calling for a more curated approach to cinema. The Guardian invited directors, producers and industry names to pick one essential film for each stage of a young person’s life, from babyhood to around age 21. The result, as the publication notes, is an antidote to ‘AI slop’ and doom-scrolling — a list meant to foster imagination, empathy and critical thinking.

The list opens with Disney’s ‘Fantasia’ for a one-year-old, chosen for its blend of music and animation, and includes ‘The Snowman’ for two-year-olds, praised for its simple crayon textures and gentle magic. At three, Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ offers a meditative story about illness, grief and nature. Five-year-olds are directed to ‘Chicken Run’, a stop-motion triumph that channels classic wartime adventure films while delivering a message about freedom.

For older children, the selections include ‘The Wizard of Oz’, Jim Henson’s ‘Labyrinth’ with David Bowie, ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘Mulan’. Teenagers are steered toward darker and more complex works such as ‘The Witches’, ‘Princess Mononoke’, ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ and ‘Run Lola Run’. Director Edgar Wright, who chose the latter, recalls leaving the cinema in 1999 desperate to make a film that very day.

The list also carries political weight. Ken Loach selected the documentaries ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack’ and ‘Louis Theroux: The Settlers’, saying the images are heartbreaking and unforgettable. For 19-year-olds, producer Andrew Macdonald recommends ‘Trainspotting’, marking 30 years since the film was made and noting it is still screening, including at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The list ends with Agnès Varda’s ‘Cléo from 5 to 7’ for 21-year-olds, described by novelist David Nicholls as a playful and optimistic French New Wave classic.

Overall, the 25 films offer a cinematic education: from pure visual joy to hard-hitting reality, they are chosen to help young viewers become more discerning and thoughtful about what they watch.