Summer 2026 | Film Comment

Letter from the Editors

Welcome to the new Film Comment Introducing our quarterly digital magazine by Devika Girish, Clinton Krute and Michael Blair

Cover Story

Full Spectrum: I Love Boosters

Boots Riley’s latest eye-popping caper makes magic out of Marxism by Blair McClendon

Full Spectrum: I Love Boosters

Features

The Kids Aren’t Alright

The debut feature by music-video director Stillz creates an urban phantasmagoria out the lives of disaffected Colombian youths by Juan Camilo Velásquez

The Kids Aren’t Alright

Better Out Than In

John Early’s remarkable directorial debut filters the ravages of an eating disorder through the funny-yet-sincere lens of camp by Madeline Whittle

Better Out Than In

Of Mice and Men: The Films of Don Bluth

The animator’s dark, nuanced body of work functioned as a counterweight to Disney's brightly-lit dominance of the 1980s and ’90s by Dash Shaw

Of Mice and Men: The Films of Don Bluth

I Think We’re Alone Now

Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi opus, offers further evidence that you can’t always go home again by Molly Haskell

I Think We’re Alone Now

Pen Pals: Vulgar Spirits

The longtime mutual admirers discuss “bad” movies, Jude’s novel use of A.I. images in Dracula, and more by J. Hoberman and Radu Jude

Pen Pals: Vulgar Spirits

Revisions: Film Comment Plays Itself

Introducing a new column that revisits and reconsiders the magazine’s archive by Nathan Lee

Revisions: Film Comment Plays Itself

Still Waters Run Deep: Tony Leung

The great actor—and star of the new film Silent Friend—delves into his minimalist approach and remarkable career by Andrew Chan

Still Waters Run Deep: Tony Leung

Total Control: Michaela Coel

The multi-hyphenate star of The Christophers and Mother Mary reflects on what it’s like to do it all by Amy Taubin

Total Control: Michaela Coel

Journals: Old and New Beginnings

The critic revisits his years as a Paris and London correspondent for the magazine by Jonathan Rosenbaum

Journals: Old and New Beginnings

Lucrecia Martel’s Ghosts

Colonialism has always been the subtext of the Argentine filmmaker's work. In her first documentary feature, it is the text by Erika Balsom

Lucrecia Martel’s Ghosts

The Film Comment Podcast

Subscriber Exclusive: John Early on Maddie’s Secret, Part 2

The actor-director returns to discuss his fantastic first feature, exclusively for Film Comment paid subscribers

53 mins. · Jul 17

The Film Comment Podcast: Subscriber Exclusive: John Early on Maddie’s Secret, Part 2

Karlovy Vary 2026 #3: Vacation

Critics Robert Daniels and Guy Lodge join to discuss a pair of buzzed-about Bulgarian films and other highlights from the festival's last few days

36 mins. · Jul 11

The Film Comment Podcast: Karlovy Vary 2026 #3: Vacation

Karlovy Vary 2026 #2: Family Photos

Robert Daniels joins to discuss festival highlights Dao, The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld, 3 Weeks After, and more

39 mins. · Jul 9

The Film Comment Podcast: Karlovy Vary 2026 #2: Family Photos

Karlovy Vary 2026 #1: Night Life

Critic Pavel Sladký and programmer Irena Kovarova kick off our coverage from the Czech festival’s 60th edition

36 mins. · Jul 7

The Film Comment Podcast: Karlovy Vary 2026 #1: Night Life

John Early on Maddie’s Secret

The comedian and actor discusses his directorial debut, a wonderfully original send-up of TV movies, erotic thrillers, and more

45 mins. · Jun 17

The Film Comment Podcast: John Early on Maddie’s Secret

Boots Riley on I Love Boosters

The filmmaker talks fashion, feminism, and revolution

61 mins. · May 1

Boots Riley on I Love Boosters

Reviews

Two’s a Crowd: The Invite Olivia Wilde’s latest explores the perils of heterosexual coupling with wit and sincerity by Alana Pockros

Fire in the Hole: Jackass: Best and Last Johnny Knoxville and the gang’s last hurrah finds pathos in the pain by Chris Cassingham

Animal Planet: Bouchra Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki’s debut feature leverages lush animation to comment on identity, family, sexuality, and creativity by Abirami Logendran

Future Shock: Toy Story 5 In the latest entry in the long-running Pixar franchise, the toys take on the invasion of smart screens by Steven Mears

Hell in a Handbag: The Devil Wears Prada 2 Sequel syndrome comes for the beloved 2006 classic by Haley Mlotek

Critics’ Grid Our favorite critics rate the latest releases

Interviews

Corey Devon Arthur and Sandro Ramani on In Exchange For Flesh The directors discuss their powerful short, which blends personal testimony and experimental techniques to expose abusive prison practices by Jason Livingston

Lucrecia Martel on Our Land “Who determines what the cause and the consequence is?” by Devika Girish

In Memoriam

Public Domains: Frederick Wiseman For over 60 years, the filmmaker reflected the constant negotiations of life in a democracy by Genevieve Yue

Film Comment Recommends

Mare’s Nest The latest feature from filmmaker and artist Ben Rivers offers a treasury of strange delights by Jonathan Romney

Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait The immersive 2006 documentary brings the viewer onto the pitch through close observation of one of the game’s most compelling figures by Samuel Brodsky

Teo Hernández at MoMA A new series presents the Mexican experimental filmmaker’s lyrical portraits of bodies in space by Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer

CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026 CANNES 2026

Dispatches

Cannes 2026: All Together Now

Anxieties over media consolidation permeated this year’s festival, where the best films refused transparent metaphors and neat endings by Devika Girish

No. 6 · June 4, 2026

Cannes 2026: All Together Now

Cannes 2026: Language Barriers

Festival selections Fjord, The Beloved, and I'll Be Gone in June grapple with what’s lost—and gained—in translation by Mark Asch

No. 5 · May 22, 2026

Cannes 2026: Language Barriers

Cannes 2026: Home Again

James Gray’s Paper Tiger, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, and Radu Jude’s The Diary of a Chambermaid are standouts of the festival’s first week by Beatrice Loayza

No. 4 · May 19, 2026

Cannes 2026: Home Again

Cannes 2026: From Time to Time

New films from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Lisandro Alonso speak to our current moment with clarity and empathy by Dennis Lim

No. 3 · May 18, 2026

Cannes 2026: From Time to Time

Cannes 2026: Cannes Opener

Early festival premieres of Fatherland, In Waves, and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma outshine safer selections by Jonathan Romney

No. 2 · May 15, 2026

Cannes 2026: Cannes Opener

Cannes 2026: Fairytale in the Supermarket

This year’s festival presents a cross-section of an industry in flux by Scott Macaulay

No. 1 · May 11, 2026

Cannes 2026: Fairytale in the Supermarket

Interviews

Valeska Grisebach on The Dreamed Adventure The director discusses her Jury Prize–winning latest, a grim and graceful epic set on the Bulgarian border by Beatrice Loayza

Arthur Harari on The Unknown The French filmmaker discusses his mesmerizing and unnerving body-swapping thriller, a major highlight of this year’s Competition by Dennis Lim

Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, and Blair McClendon on Clarissa The directors and editor of the Cannes 2026 standout on their Nigeria-set adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway by Devika Girish

Reviews

Cannes 2026: Critics’ Grid Our favorite critics rate films from this year’s edition

Podcasts

Cannes 2026 #9: Breaking Borders at Cannes Docs

Jason Ryle, Mark Mushiva, and Lisa Smith discuss building cinematic networks that nourish connections across borders

49 mins. · Jun 2

Cannes 2026 #9: Breaking Borders at Cannes Docs

Cannes 2026 #8: Bringing It All Back Home

Critics Justin Chang, Tim Grierson, and Jessica Kiang close out the festival, discussing The Dreamed Adventure, The Birthday Party, Coward, and more

66 mins. · May 26

Cannes 2026 #8: Bringing It All Back Home

Cannes 2026 #7: Standing Ovations

Thomas Flew and Neta Alexander recap late-festival premieres The Black Ball, Minotaur, The Man I Love, and more

56 mins. · May 23

Cannes 2026 #7: Standing Ovations

Cannes 2026 Subscriber Exclusive: Join the Party

Dennis Lim, Kong Rithdee, and Antoine Thirion join to unpack this year’s festival

50 mins. · May 22

Cannes 2026 Subscriber Exclusive: Join the Party

Cannes 2026 #6: Happy Hours

Isabel Stevens and Neta Alexander share their responses to Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, and more

40 mins. · May 20

Cannes 2026 #6: Happy Hours

Cannes 2026 #5: Out-of-Body Experience

Jordan Cronk, Adam Piron, and Ruun Nuur dive into mid-festival highlights 9 Temples to Heaven, Paper Tiger, The Unknown, and more

50 mins. · May 19

Cannes 2026 #5: Out-of-Body Experience

Cannes 2026 #4: At My Window

Critics Öykü Sofuoğlu and Inney Prakash debate their reactions to Clarissa, Sheep in the Box, and Hope

50 mins. · May 18

Cannes 2026 #4: At My Window

Cannes 2026 #3: Picture Perfect

Robert Daniels and Inney Prakash debate new films from Radu Jude, Marie Kreutzer, and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

42 mins. · May 16

Cannes 2026 #3: Picture Perfect

Cannes 2026 #2: Historical Fictions

Critics Katie McCabe and Alison Willmore join to discuss Fatherland, Nagi Notes, Parallel Histories, and more

43 mins. · May 15

Cannes 2026 #2: Historical Fictions

Cannes 2026 #1: First Looks

Jonathan Romney and Beatrice Loayza kick off our Cannes 2026 coverage with reactions to Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Butterfly Jam, and more

45 mins. · May 14

Cannes 2026 #1: First Looks