Programmers' Picks: Colleen O’Holleran on SIFF 2025

Chain Reactions

The saw is family, y’all.

Spermageddon

You don’t want to miss this Norwegian musical comedy, by the director of Violent Night and Dead Snow, about a sperm and their friends’ adventures.

By Design

This movie riveted me—I could not look away from the screen. The throughline is fetish, and the actors understood the assignment.

The Balconettes

Noémie Merlant’s French horror comedy centers on friendship, sex, death, and revenge. It’s also beautifully filmed and fun to watch.

Good Boy

And the Oscar® for best dog actor in a ghost story goes to….

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass

I’ve adored the Brothers Quay since I first saw Street of Crocodiles (1986). This is their first feature in nearly 20 years, so if you are a lover of stop motion animation and the macabre, don’t sleep on it!

New Jack Fury

New Jack Fury is fueled by nostalgia for the buddy cop movies of the ’80s, spliced with faux made-for-TV commercials, and framed as a “movie of the week.” It’s a wild ride with nods to "Street Fighter" and "Streets of Rage."

Time Travel Is Dangerous

Time Travel is Dangerous is a cozy sci-fi movie that takes place in a quaint English neighborhood, centered around time travel and meandering into cosmic horror. It ticks the boxes for me.