Pavements
When: June 6
What It Is: A docu-fiction, directed by Alex Ross Perry, that combines three projects celebrating American indie band Pavement: a museum, a musical, and a fake biopic of frontman Stephen Malkmus. The band leader is played by fellow real-life musician Joe Keery in a role that spoofs the ever-controversial practice of method acting.
Why It’s Worth a Look: If Pavement is an IYKYK band, then Pavements is the ultimate IYKYK film. The project is one long meta-joke on the entertainment industry’s juice-every-drop mindset, peppered with archival footage of the band and genuinely arresting niche reverence.
Sex
When: June 13
What It Is: A romantic drama courtesy of Norwegian triple threat (writer! librarian! filmmaker!) Dag Johan Haugerud that follows two married, middle-aged chimney sweeps as they begin to question their own identities and desires.
Why It’s Worth a Look: Don’t let the title mislead you—Sex isn’t about the act itself, but the expectations around it. One lead contemplates a homosexual encounter while the other ruminates on dreams in which he appears as a woman. It's the first installment in Haugerud's poignant Sex, Love, and Dreams trilogy.
Materialists
When: June 13
What It Is: An A24 romantic comedy (the plucky, old-fashioned kind) starring Dakota Johnson as a New York matchmaker forced to choose her very own match, Mr. Perfect (Pedro Pascal) or Mr. History (Chris Evans).
Why It’s Worth a Look: Following her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives, director, writer, and producer Celine Song is once again tugging on the heart-strings with a convoluted love triangle. And if you're collecting A24 loyalty points this summer (Death of a Unicorn, The Smashing Machine, etc.), Materialists is a must-see.
Happyend
When: June 20
What It Is: A Japanese-American drama, written and directed by Neo Sora, that takes place in a near-future Japan where surveillance reigns supreme. The country's high schoolers find ways to oppose the totalitarian regime of their principal and broader state control, all while facing the looming threat of an earthquake.
Why It’s Worth a Look: It’s natural to believe that the youth will save us. Happyend reminds us that, while teenagers are grappling with our political reality, they're also just trying to figure out how to become adults.
Hot Milk
When: June 27
What It Is: Written and directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, this drama follows Sofia (Emma Mackey) as she takes her mother (Fiona Shaw) to Spain on the hunt for a cure that will heal her mysterious illness, one that has confined her to a wheelchair.
Why It’s Worth a Look: Despite the sun and beauty of her surroundings, Sofia cracks under the pressure of her overbearing mother and begins to find herself alongside Ingrid, a free-spirited traveler (Vicky Krieps). The question is: Who will get hurt as she fractures: her mother, Ingrid, or herself?
Sorry, Baby
When: June 27
What It Is: A24’s latest dark comedy drama follows Agnes—played by Eva Victor, who also makes her directorial debut here—as a college professor navigating the reverberations that persist long after assault.
Why It’s Worth a Look: As it turns out, the world at large doesn’t stop after your world crumbles, and Agnes has to figure out how to reconcile with that fact. Victor deftly blends dark humor, intimate relationships, and drama to illustrate this everyday challenge.
Oh, Hi!
When: July 25
What It Is: A romantic comedy starring Molly Gordon as Iris and Logan Lerman as Isaac—a couple enjoying their first romantic getaway before the latter reveals... he didn't know they were dating.
Why It’s Worth a Look: What follows this revelation is one part Misery and another part compilation of Gordon's best comedy chops. It's also the sophomore film from writer-director Sophie Brooks, following her debut, The Boy Downstairs starring Girls alum Zosia Mamet.
Diciannove
When: July 25
What It Is: An Italian coming-of-age film, produced by Luca Guadagnino, following a 19 year-old from Palermo through the many schools, dreams, and paths he cycles through.
Why It’s Worth a Look: In Giovanni Tortorici’s feature directorial debut, the Guadagnino protégé takes scenes from his own life to shape an image of Italian youth culture that both scares and excites its progenitors.
Souleymane’s Story
When: August 1
What It Is: A French drama following Souleymane, an asylum seeker and food-delivery cyclist in Paris, as he prepares for a life-defining immigration interview—which is only two days away.
Why It’s Worth a Look: In a time when immigrant narratives are becoming increasingly demonized, Souleymane’s Story is relentlessly human.
Honey Don’t!
When: August 22
What It Is: Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O'Donahue, a private investigator, who follows a series of deaths that all lead back to a pastor slash cult leader played by Chris Evans.
Why It’s Worth a Look: Qualley teams up again with director Ethan Coen on this dark comedy, following her role in 2024's Drive-Away Dolls. The project is marked as the second in a "lesbian B-movie trilogy" by the pair, though this installment sees Qualley pulling out a husky twang she hadn't yet adopted in part one. Aubrey Plaza rounds out the quartet of A-listers attached.
Lurker
When: August 22
What It Is: A rotation of recognizable young faces including Havana Rose Liu, Archie Madekwe, Théodore Pellerin, Zack Fox, and Sunny Suljic, in the story of a sales associate who becomes intertwined in the inner circle of an ascending artist.
Why It’s Worth a Look: As celebrity worship continues to permeate popular culture, director Alex Russell taps into the rabid desire for fame in this psychological thriller. Following the likes of similar fare like Saltburn and HBO's The Idol, Lurker is bound to make our skin crawl one way or another.
