And Her Body Was Never Found
Real-life couple Polaris Banks and Mor Cohen create one of the most cringeworthy hybrid movies ever. When I use that term to describe their SXSW 2026 film And Her Body Was Never Found, it is a genuine compliment.
The audience follows Mor and Polaris, also the only two crew members, on an isolated camping trip, recreating their actual volatile discussions. Not since watching The Human Centipede have I felt this uncomfortable witnessing something so intensely personal on film. It’s the only film that similarly made my insides churn in a way I did not ask for.
The string-heavy score is reminiscent of Hitchcock. Although that’s not the only thing that leaves you with a spine-tingling sensation. Our leads pull the rug out from under the audience by suddenly breaking the fourth wall, plunging us into this meta horror aspect of their filmmaking. Blurring the lines is creepy as hell.
The film’s premiere comes at a particularly auspicious time as cases of “Alpine Divorce” are suddenly in the news. If you are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, I will explain. Men lead their significant others deep into the wilderness, then abandon them. The term comes from the 1893 short story “An Alpine Divorce” by Robert Barr, which follows a man plotting to murder his wife by leaving her on a Swiss Alp. More women are expressing on social media that this is happening to them. It is somehow insane, and yet entirely believable.
From a technical standpoint, it is incredibly impressive that each point of coverage maintains energy from cut to cut. As we pivot from movie-making mode to relationship mode, cell phone footage, framing, and jarring blackouts play mind games.
This is a shockingly visceral watch. Every beat is a glaring example of the vast differences in communication styles between genders. Semantics, blaming, gaslighting, lies, unresolved trauma, it all plays a part in the toxic cycles of arguing. It is impossible not to feel heated as you witness inevitably familiar turns of phrase and emotional escalation. And Her Body Was Never Found does its job, acting as a terrifyingly aggressive form of immersion therapy. By the end, I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
The dialogue is outrageously offensive and damn funny. My guess is that they’re closer to reality than comedy since people are assholes, but I digress. The music is delicious. Fantasy sequences are action-packed shenanigans, akin to Everything Everywhere All At Once. Leading man, screenwriter, and showrunner Ash T absolutely kills it playing Raag. Not a single millisecond of hesitation in this absurdist performance; this is star-making stuff of the gods. The plot twist is out of left field, but that’s a complete compliment. I have to know what happens to Raag once the credits roll. I’m going to need HBO to pay attention because Son of a Bikram deserves all the money and every minute of an audience’s attention.
In Lauren Noll’s SXSW 2026 dramedy, Same Same But Different, we follow three Persian childhood friends: a personal trainer, a lawyer, and an aspiring writer, grappling with identity and their ever-evolving relationships.
SXSW 2026 Watchlist
In Cold Light
Hellbent on backsliding into her old ways, Ava’s tough exterior hides a chasm of wounds. As her brother softens to her requests for drug connections, all hell breaks loose when she becomes a target and scapegoat for murder. Now, with the innocent lives of her family members in harm’s way, Ava must decide who she can trust and how far she will go to bargain for their safety.
Oscar winner
While the “why” takes longer to get to than I would have liked, and feels somewhat disjointed, In Cold Light is a definitive, gritty crime thriller. Helen Hunt briefly appears, and introducing her sooner would change everything. Both the editing and handheld camerawork are hypnotic. But it’s the visceral father-daughter dynamic that gets under your skin and stays there. Screenwriter Patrick Whistler delivers unresolved trauma on an astonishing level. Monroe and Kotsur make an undeniably compelling duo. I would love to see them back together, doing anything literally.
Mimics
Calling Mimics a light horror is anything but an insult. It is a genre-bender: a sweet love story, a character study in ambition, passion, and an eerie warning about the trappings of fame, all wrapped in culty folklore that wouldn’t surprise me if it were ripped straight from the bowels of Scientology. It’s a breezy genre film that twists in unexpected ways and one that puts Kristoffer Polaha’s underrated talents in the spotlight.
By Design
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
PIKE RIVER
Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse seek accountability on every level, from Pike River to the Prime Minister. When the corporation meant to protect the workers fails to keep its promises to recover the men’s bodies, the families involved seek an apology and justice. Legal and moral blow after blow, Anna and Sonya hold the line. Through grief and illness, this grassroots activism changes policy forever.
Lucy Lawless is unrecognizable as Helen Kelly, the duo’s lawyer. Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm deliver heartfelt performances. Malcolm’s Sonya is mired in rage, sadness, and emotional fear. Lynskey is strong, proud, and powerful. Together, they tell a story of a seemingly unlikely pair of women who share a common goal of decency and legacy.
The film culminates with legal updates. Archival footage brings everything home. Ever since 2010, Osborne and Rockhouse have continued to advocate for corporate manslaughter laws and health and safety accountability in New Zealand. Pike River solidly stands alongside social justice films like Erin Brockovich, exposing governmental cover-ups and corporate lies. The road to justice is long and hard, but doing the right thing is worth every small step forward.
Untitled Home Invasion Romance
Jamie Napoli and Joshua Paul Johnson cleverly wrap comedy around Suzie’s unknown childhood trauma, introducing friends from her past. They place Kevin entirely out of his depth socially. Suzie grew up in incredibly affluent circles, and clues about her life before Kevin reel the audience into the twisty narrative. You’re laughing and questioning everything you see. Each scene reveals something new. When the tension builds to a peak, here comes Biggs to make you laugh out loud.
Anna Konkle, who I miss with my whole heart on PEN15, plays Heather, Suzue’s childhood best friend and current chief of police. Konkle is down to Earth, incredibly charming, and inarguably the most competent member of her force. Her micro-expressions speak volumes. 
The location is stunning. The lake house is the stuff of dreams, with tennis courts, a multilevel dock, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Mollie Goldstein‘s editing is top-notch. Camerawork from Zach Kuperstein is a phenomenal mix of styles, keeping the audience thoroughly engaged. After years in the industry, Biggs easily slides into the director’s chair. I am excited to see what he chooses next. 
Combined, the location and camerawork are extraordinarily immersive. Fans of the Silent Hill gaming franchise will be in heaven. Viewers will find their eyes darting to every point on the screen. The wide angles from the security cameras keep you on high alert. INFIRMARY delivers the goods. 
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