Reviews for June 26th, 2026
Bouchra (voice of Meriem Bennani), a queer Moroccan coyote, lives in NYC and works a filmmaker who's struggling with writer's block Bouchra. She also begins a romance with Lamia (Salima Dhaibi), a Moroccan bear. Co-writers/directors Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani and co-writer Ayla Mrabet have made an audacious and visually stylish, but emotionally cold animated documentary and fiction hybrid. Bouchra explores how Bouchra's queerness has affected her relationship with her mother, Aicha (Yto Barrada), whom she converses with over the phone. Films that blur the line between fiction and documentary rarely work unless they're mockumentary. Bennani should be commended for the well-designed 3D animation which gives Bouchra almost a noirish look and makes it a visually stunning feast. However, that's a double-edged sword because computer animation, unless it's on the level of Pixar, tends to diminish any warmth on screen, especially from the characters. Unfortunately, that pitfall occurs through this film leaving the audience at an emotionally detached distance from Bouchra and the supporting characters as well. Better Man is a better example of how fiction and non-fiction can combine with just the right amount of animation to effectively create an experience that's both wildly entertaining, honest and heartfelt. That film wouldn't have been as powerful or engrossing if all it were animated. Then there's also Sita Sings the Blues which combines many forms of animation with wit and candidness without sacrificing warmth or poignancy. So, in a double feature with Better Man or Sita Sings the Blues, Bouchra would be the inferior B-movie. At a running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes, Bouchra opens at The Metrograph via Film Movement.
Number of times I checked my watch: 2
16-year-old Emily (Zola Grimmer) gets more than she bargained for when starts a new job as a counselor at a summer camp for "damaged kids" in Camp. She's also a "damaged kid" because she's been struggling to cope with two tragedies including the recent death of her friend. Soon enough, she learns that the other counselors, namely, Clara (Alice Wordsworth), Rosie (Cherry Moore), Nev (Lea Rose Sebastianis) and Hope (Ella Reece), happen to be a witch's coven. Writer/director Avalon Fast has made an atmospheric and initially intriguing, but ultimately undercooked and unimaginative psychological drama. The blandly titled Camp juggles too heavy themes without bothing to explore them in any insightful way. Fast has interesting ideas, but doesn't know what to do with them or how to take them to interesting places. It's hard to emotionally connect to any of the characters including Emily which means that the screenplay neglects to open enough of a window into her heart, mind and soul. A lot must be going on inside of her because of her traumatic experiences, so it's unfortunate that the film doesn't delve into her complex emotions enough and that Zola Grimmer doesn't manage to rise above the shallow screenplay. Moreover, the second act drags and tests the audience's patience with very little narrative momentum, so Fast doesn't quite do an effective job of showing restraint or grasping the concept that "less is more." That said, the cinematography which briefly veers into surrealism provides the film with some visual style and a modicum of substance albeit not enough to elevate Camp above mediocrity. It's ultimately less than the sum of its parts and overstays its welcome. At a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, Camp opens at IFC Center via Dark Sky Films.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
In Cielo, Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda), an 8-year-old girl, swallows a fish that gives her magical powers, kills her abusive father, and takes the preserved corpse of her mother on a journey through the desert to bring her to heaven. Writer/director Alberto Sciamma has made a mesmerizing, bold and refreshingly unpredictable film with shades of Jodorowsky and Terry Gilliam. The less you know about the plot beforehand the better because it's filled with many small surprises that reflect the strengths of Sciamma's imagination as filmmaker---something that's often lacking in American filmmakers who play everything too safely. Cielo takes risks without going over-the-top or trying to shock and disgust the audience. Moreover, Sciamma has a great handle on tone while blending drama, surrealism, suspense and magical realism. He knows not just where to take ideas from, but where to take those ideas to----and he takes them to very thought-provoking places. With a less sensitive screenplay, this could've turned into either meandering, unfocused mess, or a dull and tedious film that runs out of steam and ideas, so it fortunately avoids those pitfalls. It also boasts visually stunning cinematography that makes the most out of the use of color, set design, lighting and the natural landscape which becomes like a character in itself. At a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, Cielo opens at Quad Cinema via Juno Films. it would be an interesting double feature with El Topo and Bagdad Cafe, Dust Bunny and perhaps Time Bandits.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
In Couture, Maxine (Angelina Jolie), a filmmaker from the US, learns that she has breast cancer while visiting Fashion Week in Paris to shoot a short film. Meanwhile, Angèle (Ella Rumpf), a make-up artist, aspires to become a writer, and Ada (Anyier Anei), South Sudanese young woman, struggles to adjust to her new job as a runway model while away from her family in Kenya. Writer/director Alice Winocour has made an overstuffed, undercooked and maudlin drama with decent performances. The unfocused screenplay intertwines the lives of many people during Fashion Week including the three women mentioned above as well as Anton (Louis Garrel), a cinematographer who works with Maxine. Vincent London plays a French doctor who tells her the bad news about her breast cancer diagnosis and plans to perform surgery on her breast which isn't guaranteed to be successful. As though there weren't enough going on plot-wise already, Maxine has a teen daughter who lives in NYC with her ex-husband and also has to deal with her divorce. Don't ask how Maxine suddenly hits on Anton later on.
There are too many characters and underdeveloped subplots, so you might feel like you're watching 4 or 5 movies crammed into one. Ultimately, despite a fine ensemble cast which also includes a cameo by French actress Aurore Clément from Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien, Couture is ultimately less than the sum of its parts. At a running time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, Couture opens nationwide via Vertical.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Adnan (Laith Khalifeh), a young graduate student, has casual sex throughout the course of two summers in Drunken Noodles. The men he hooks up with include Yariel (Joel Isaac) and Sal (Ezriel Kornel). Matthew Risch plays his ex-boyfriend, Iggie. Writer/director Lucio Castro has made an unflinching and unconventional romantic drama that also serves as a mildly engrossing character study of someone who struggles to find a fulfilling relationship. The screenplay unfolds in reverse chronological order which makes it more interesting; if it were structured linearly, it would probably run the risk of becoming dull and by-the-numbers. Not a lot happens plotwise, and even the character development remains somewhat restrained with minimal exposition. Castro doesn't shy away from showing the sex scenes, but there's nothing too explicit that would make it X-rated If you could imagine an Eric Rohmer film without the cerebral dialogue crossed with the sexual frankness of a Catherine Breillat film, you'd get something along the lines of Drunken Noodles. At a running time of 1 hour and 21 minutes, Drunken Noodles opens at IFC Center via Strand Releasing. It would be an interesting double feature with the recent Strand Releasing movie Departures which also happens to be structured in reverse chronological order.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
After the death of her estranged mother, Esther (Mili Avital), receives a letter from her that instructs her to travel to Israel to inquire about Yehudit (Ana Ularu), a young woman from 1930s Palestine who holds their family's long-kept secret in For the Love of a Woman. Zayde (Ori Pfeffer), a professor, helps her with her research. Based on the novel The Loves of Judith by author Meir Shalev, the screenplay writer/director Guido Chiesa jumps between the present during the 1970s and the flashbacks to the 1930s when Yehudit lived. What follows is a mildly engaging drama that's often clunky, lethargic and meandering while biting off more than it could chew. It doesn't help that Mili Avital gives a mediocre performance that doesn't manage to breathe any life into her role nor to rise above the shallow screenplay. That said, at least she's not as bland and cringe-inducing as Gal Gadot is in Julian Schnabel's miscast, unintentionally funny and painfully clunky In the Hand of Dante.
For the Love of a Woman is the kind of film that sounds intriguing based on its premise, but it ultimately leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to its execution. It often feels like a Lifetime Movie-of-the-Week with a by-the-numbers plot that just goes through the motions and only has a few ephemeral emotionally resonating scenes. Therefore, none of the emotional beats land in the third act which fails to be as powerful as it could've been with a more sensitive screenplay. At a running time of 1 hour and 57 minutes, For the Love of a Woman opens at Quad Cinema via Panorama Films.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Marco (Russell Crowe), a nightclub owner, gets his dreams of retirement derailed when Jeff (Aaron Paul) and Carrie (Nina Dobrev), a bank teller, rob him in The Get Out. Teresa Palmer plays Sunny, Marco's girlfriend, and Luke Evans plays Joe, an undercover federal agent. Writer/director Derrick Borte and co-Daniel Forte have made a slick and mildly engaging, but uninspired and forgettable crime thriller. There's nothing about the plot nor the characters that makes it stand out from any run-of-the-mill B-movies that you can find on streaming. The action sequences are lackluster, the plot twists are easily foreseeable, and the dialogue is witless and on-the-nose. That would've been fine if the film were thrilling on a visceral level or a slice of mindless entertaining, but it doesn't manage to even accomplish those feats. That said, at least it's less dull and convoluted than the recent Guy Ritchie misfire In the Grey. There have been better Russell Crowe films, and there's been worse--with worse attempts at accents. The Get Out falls somewhere in the mediocre middle. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, The Get Out opens in select theaters via Vertical.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey is a captivating, illuminating and breathtaking documentary about how wolves and other animals, like bison, sheep, cattle, elk and horses, have shaped US history and about the importance of recognizing the symbiotic relationship between man, animals and nature. Director Susan Kucera doesn't bombard the audience with talking heads, although she does include interviews with some scholars including authors: she shows beautifully shot footage of a wide variety of animals in their natural habitat. Images often speak louder than words. Did you know that Yellowstone National Park wasn't established to preserve wildlife? It was and still is meant as a commercial enterprise to attract tourists to view the landscape---a landscape that wouldn't be the same without its wild animals. Did you know that wolves provide food not only for their pack, but also for birds and other animals who eat the flesh of the animals that they kill?
Fortunately, this isn't the kind of doc that feels dry or academic despite being filled with fascinating observations and insights like how wolves have been unfairly stigmatized in folklore and how, in reality, wolves are as intelligent as dogs and behave similarly. You'll enjoy watching In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey especially if you love animals, nature and US history. Bravo to director Susan Kucera for finding just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually. You'll never look at wolves the same way again. At a brief running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes, In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey, narrated by Jeff Bridges, opens at Cinema Village via Vision Films.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Joe (Seth Rogen) and his wife, Angela (Olivia Wilde), get more than they bargained for when they invite their upstairs neighbors, Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), over their apartment for a dinner party in The Invite. Director Olivia Wilde and her screenwriters, Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, have made a sparkling, acerbically funny, provocative and heartfelt sex comedy. Essentially, it's about a couple whose crumbling marriage gets put to the test during a dinner party with their neighbors who give them an open invitation to have orgy together. The first ten minutes as Joe and Angela hurry to prepare for the dinner party establishes just how toxic their marriage has become. Joe forgetting to buy wine and having to bring out champagne that they were planning to use for a special occasion turns out to be the least of their problems. They bicker like George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? even up until the point when Pina and Hawk ring their doorbell. How will Joe and Angela react to their proposal to have an orgy? That won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that the sensitive screenplay gradually reveals more and more of each character's personality and also their flaws. They're not completely likable, but that's precisely what makes them human and to some degree relatable.
Penélope Cruz sizzles as Pina, but, to be fair, Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen and Edward Norton also get a chance to shine here while sinking their teeth into their roles convincingly. No one gives a hammy performance, either, so this entire ensemble cast is well-chosen. Despite taking place in one location like the movie Carnage and Mass, The Invite never feels stuffy or too stagey thanks to the terrific performances. Everything from the production design to the pacing and the cinematography help to make the film feel equally organic and engrossing while the music score enriches it further without being intrusive or heavy-handed. It's refreshing to watch a movie for adults that's quite frank when it comes to discussions about sex, intimacy, relationships and insecurities, so The Invite manages to be a comedy rooted in tragedy as well as an honest and unflinching portrait of a dysfunctional marriage.
At a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, The Invite opens at AMC Lincoln Square and Angelika Film Center before expanding nationwide on July 10th, 2026 via A24. It's one of the best films of the year and would make for an interesting double feature with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and Eyes Wide Shut.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Castle (Scott Eastwood), an American soldier, gets trapped behind enemy lines while fighting German soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge of World War II in Lucky Strike. Colin Hanks plays Colonel Neale, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Mrs. Caldwell, the grieving mother of a fallen U.S. soldier. Writer/director Rod Davis Lurie and co-writer Mark Frydman have made a dull and clunky war movie with more physical grit than emotional grit. It's the second movie based on a true story opening this weekend that suffers vapid screenplay and mostly bland performances---if you're curious, the other misfire that I'm referring to is For the Love of a Woman. The soldiers remain underwritten while the plot feels like it's just going through the motions during the war scenes. It opens with Castle visiting Mrs. Caldwell to deliver an envelope from the U.S. army before the film flashes back to his experiences in the Battle of the Bulge where he met her son. The battle sequences are well-shot and unflinchingly show some of the horrors of war through the blood and guts. If only the screenplay or actors were able to breathe life into any of the characters, Lucky Strike would've been a much more emotionally potent war film rather than one that often falls flat. None of the actors manage to elevate above the shallow screenplay. Moreover, there are two shots of a white horse in the snow which feels like a distracting and awkward attempt at symbolism.
On a positive note, though, Lurie and Frydman should be commended for being among the few filmmakers who know how to accurately incorporate the military radio commands "over" and "out' instead of the contradictory "over and out" command found in too many inaccurate war movies that even trace back to war movies during the Golden Age of Hollywood. So, it's a small detail that makes a big difference. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, Lucky Strike opens nationwide via Roadside Attractions and Saban Films. In a double feature with 1917 and Saving Private Ryan, it would be the inferior B-movie.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Second Nature: Gender & Sexuality in the Animal World, narrated by Elliot Page, is a thoroughly captivating, eye-opening, illuminating and surprisingly funny documentary about same-sex relationships and gender fluidity in the animal kingdom. Director Drew Denny interviews a wide variety of scientists, namely, Dr. Joan Roughgarden, author of Evolution's Rainbow, Dr. Amy Parish, Dr. Frans de Waal, Dr. Marcela Benitez, Dr. Joseph Graves and Dr. Patricia Brennan, as well as a high school science teacher, River Suh. What follows is undeniable evidence of homosexual activity and gender fluidity in bird, fish and mammals which should be widely accepted and known. Each of the film's subjects articulately and candidly discusses their research-based discoveries and talks about animal's sexual activity unflinchingly. Second Nature bravely doesn't shy away from showing footage of the animals' homosexual behavior in nature and also some animated sequences to explain how female ducks have sex with aggressive male ducks that vs with their soul mate. Part of what makes this documentary so provocative is that there's an anthropomorphic element to it that the audience will be able to relate to at least to some degree. Animal and human nature are much more similar than you'd think when it comes to the diversity of sexuality and gender. What makes it more complicated is that you can't ask an animal what their sexuality is, but you can observe it and do research like the scientists interviewed on-screen did.
Bravo to director Drew Denny for finding just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually and as well as emotionally. She also makes it less dry by including some humor in it--what better way to hook an audience than through humor? In a way, Second Nature: Gender & Sexuality in the Animal World< can be seen as a protest against hatred, intolerance, lies, bigotry and denial, and protest for truth, tolerance, compassion and, above all, democracy. Please stay through the end credits for bloopers which is something exceptionally rare and refreshing in a documentary. At a running time of 1 hour and 27 minutes, Second Nature: Gender & Sexuality in the Animal World opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Supergirl (Milly Alcock) helps Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl, seek revenge against Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the nefarious leader of the Brigands who murdered Ruthye's father, Elias (Ferdinand Kingsley), in Supergirl. David Krumholtz plays Supergirl's father, and Emily Beecham plays her mother. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira have made yet another dull, over-produced superhero that's intermittently thrilling, exhilarating and funny, and essentially nothing more than a long video game with some music videos masquerading as a movie. Lik e in the recent Superman, much of the humor comes from Krypto, Supergirl's dog. The villain, Krem, is boring and underwritten. The dialogue has a few witty lines, but they're far and few between. The action scenes are initially exciting, but come with diminishing returns.
The film's major strengths, though, are Eve Ridley's charismatic performance in the lead role and the running time which thankfully doesn't clock past the 2 hour mark like too many bloated blockbusters tend to do, so it stops short of becoming exhausting. There more than a handful of action scenes set to some music with editing that will make you feel like you're watching a music video. Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of superhero movie that will make you hungry for a sequel. Don't worry about leaving before the end credits roll because there's no stinger. At a running time of 1 hour and 48 minutes, Supergirl opens nationwide via Warner Bros. Pictures.
Number of times I checked my watch: 3
