SXSW 2026 capsule reviews

Brian

Navigating tricky emotional territory with hilarity and heart, this coming-of-age saga provides a showcase for rising talent Ben Wang (The Long Walk). He plays the title character, a smart but socially awkward teenager with an unhealthy crush on his teacher (Natalie Morales) and prone to embarrassing angry outbursts. While he’s an easy target for bullies, he mounts an underdog campaign for class president with the help of a supportive and accepting classmate (Joshua Colley). The film finds humor in Brian’s quirks and neuroses without exploiting any underlying mental illness, resulting in a modest yet incisive look a contemporary teenage social pressures through a culturally specific lens. (94 minutes).

Dreamquil

The thematic ambitions are muddled by chilly storytelling in this stylish science-fiction cautionary thriller about technology infringing upon human connection. With her suburban marriage teetering, Carol (Elizabeth Banks) signs up for a virtual wellness retreat to mentally reset. However, when the program sends an unexpected visitor to her house in her absence, the dynamics involving her husband (John C. Reilly) and young son (Toby Larsen) are much different when she returns, forcing Carol to reclaim her identity. Leaning into body horror, rookie director Alex Prager incorporates some distinctive visual flourishes that enliven the heightened near-future setting, although the narrative foundation isn’t as provocatively fleshed out. (83 minutes).

Kill Me

Adeptly juggling tones while finding humor within its profound sadness, this offbeat comic mystery is a sharply observed take on manic depression that doesn’t feel exploitative or somber. After Jimmy (Charlie Day) wakes up in a bloody bathtub with his wrist slashed, he wants to convince everyone that he wasn’t trying to kill himself — despite evidence to the contrary. A lonely 911 dispatcher (Allison Williams) might be his only hope to prove his claim, although he’s not even entirely sure he believes himself. The final act turns more conventional, but some clever twists help maintain a rooting interest and keep the central whodunit churning with suspense. (104 minutes).

Love Language

Following the relationship travails of affluent millennials with 90s romantic-comedy sensibilities, this predictable comedy seems more eager to indulge genre staples than to break from them. It follows a struggling author (Chloe Grace Moretz) who discovers a talent for ghost-writing wedding vows. With her self-imposed biological clock ticking, she also meets a cool guy (Anthony Ramos) at a wedding only to be drawn instead to an ex-classmate (Manny Jacinto) who happens to be engaged. Despite some intermittent laughs, the screenplay by rookie director Joey Power is driven by cutesy contrivances rather than endearing us to care about who winds up together or apart in the end. (104 minutes).

The Saviors

Slight but witty, this hybrid of relationship comedy and small-scale conspiracy thriller is amusing enough to overcome a muddled payoff that can’t match its provocative concept. With their marriage already rocky, Sean (Adam Scott) and Kim (Danielle Deadwyler) become suspicious of the Muslim couple (Theo Rossi and Nazanin Boniadi) renting out their suburban guest house amid a tense sociopolitical climate. As they clumsily search for answers, Sean’s sister (Kim Berlant) and a wacky investigator (Greg Kinnear) ramp up the paranoia. Intriguing character dynamics drive this uneven satire that offers a compelling probe of communication barriers and subconscious biases, even if the tension remains muted. (90 minutes).

The Seekers of Infinite Love

There’s an admirable attempt to promote healthy sibling bonds in this broad comedy of family dysfunction, but it’s too cartoonish and contrived to resonate beneath its silly surface. It follows three estranged siblings (Hannah Einbender, John Reynolds, Griffin Gluck) who impulsively take a cross-country road trip to rescue their sister (Justine Lupe) from a doomsday cult. With an unstable “deprogrammer” (Justin Theroux) in tow, the desperate plan quickly spirals. The screenplay by rookie director Victoria Strouse too easily veers into arbitrary chaos without pausing to consider the logic of it all. Despite some scattered laughs, the excessively quirky characters make for rather unpleasant company. (91 minutes).

Sender

You might think twice about your next online shopping spree after watching this unnerving satirical thriller about paranoid conspiracies that remains grounded in strained family dynamics and the need for human connection. After receiving a series of packages with random items she didn’t order, loner Julia (Britt Lower) spirals during a surreal odyssey to find the sender and uncover the motive, with everyone around her becoming a suspect. Despite some mild contrivances, the screenplay by rookie director Russell Goldman supplements his exaggerated what-if scenario with clever twists. Lower (“Severance”) guides us through Julia’s troubled headspace. The cast includes Rhea Seehorn, Anna Baryshnikov, and David Dastmalchian. (94 minutes).

Sparks

Although it sometimes feels as meandering and aimless as its wayward protagonists, this evocative low-budget coming-of-age saga captures the big dreams and naïve innocence of youth with offbeat charm. It’s set in rural Nevada, where precocious teenage newcomer Cleo (Elsie Fisher) befriends some rebellious locals who hang out near a reservoir rumored to contain a time portal. For Cleo, that means a chance to be transported to 1960s Paris and become a French New Wave star. Even as the narrative momentum wavers in the script by first-time filmmaker Fergus Campbell, Fisher (Eighth Grade) provides an emotional anchor as a tough-minded outsider seeking her own path. (79 minutes).

The Sun Never Sets

The character-driven intimacy forms a lovely contrast with the scenic vistas in this talky relationship comedy-drama from director Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies), with solid performances and sharp dialogue elevating a familiar premise. Set in Alaska, it chronicles Wendy (Dakota Fanning), whose two-year relationship to Jack (Jake Johnson) becomes complicated by commitment and honesty issues just as her ex (Cory Michael Smith) re-enters the picture. An amusing yet awkward love triangle emerges in which nobody can articulate exactly what they want, leaving Wendy forced to compromise either way. As the power dynamics shift, the narrative momentum wavers, but the film is quietly perceptive beneath the millennial angst. (104 minutes).