The 2026 Sundance Film Festival is nearly over, and the final go-around in Park City went out with a bang. Programmers packed the lineup with raucous comedies, thrilling adventures and, yes, tearjerking dramas, and plenty of films premiered at the festival that we’ll be talking about all year.
Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the best movies we caught at the fest. Keep an eye out for these when they come to a theater (or streamer) near you.
“The Invite”
Hilarious, compelling and at times uncomfortably relatable, “The Invite” – Olivia Wilde’s third directorial feature – is a chamber dramedy about two couples who meet for dinner. Wilde and Seth Rogen’s characters have been married for years and their relationship is on the rocks, while their upstairs neighbors, played by Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz, are a bit spicier. Impeccably directed, the film is dynamic despite the fact that it largely takes place in one apartment. And the performances are layered and surprisingly emotional — Rogen in particular is terrific. See this one in a theater with a big crowd when A24 releases it later this year. – AC
“The Weight”
Ethan Hawke is having a moment, so it’s high time he gets his own “The Revenant.” The Depression-era “The Weight” finds Hawke delivering a performance of few words as he plays a single father doing everything he can to decrease his prison sentence so he can get back to his little girl. Opportunity arises in the form of a warden played by Russell Crowe, who tasks Hawke and a crew of prisoners with secretly transporting some extremely valuable goods through the Pacific Northwest wilderness. The six-day journey is fraught with tension, violence and plenty of tests of physical endurance, and through it all you can’t take your eyes off Hawke. – AC
“Wicker”
A delightful fairy tale that also has a lot to say about the patriarchy, “Wicker” stars Olivia Colman as a village outcast who, out of spite for the other villagers, asks a basketweaver (Peter Dinklage) to make her a husband. When that husband turns out to be a hunky and extremely doting Alexander Skarsgard, the villagers lose their minds. Fits of jealousy and outrage ensue, as directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson weave a poignant fantasy about the infectiously restrictive nature of a patriarchal society. Also, Skarsgard’s wicker man is extremely hot. – AC
“Buddy”
At first glance, “Buddy” sounds like something rather rote, a horror riff on children’s television that imagines a Barney-like mascot as (gasp!) a killer. Thankfully, “Buddy” has plenty of tricks up its sleeve (do mascots have sleeves?) to turn a fairly groan-inducing premise into a genuine good time. From the director’s chair, Casper Kelly brings the ability to mix emulation with horror that he displayed so proficiently in his viral Adult Swim short “Too Many Cooks.” Cristin Milioti, meanwhile, anchors the film with a strong and wildly emotive performance. But the true standout of this film is the immense, intricate and joyous craft of the fantasy world that the characters of “It’s Buddy” inhabit. Between the practical effects and some strong editing from Josh Ethier, “Buddy” becomes an enjoyable “Barney” riff with a fun horror bent. – CL
“Josephine”
One of the buzziest titles out of Sundance 2026, Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine” centers on a child tragically forced to grow up too fast. When eight-year-old Josephine (played by the wonderful Mason Reeves in her first acting role) witnesses a rape in Golden Gate Park, her parents struggle to best help her through the emotional turmoil. Claire (Gemma Chan) and Damien (Channing Tatum) frequently come down on opposite sides of difficult discussions. Should Josephine talk to a specialist or learn self-defense? Should she testify as a sole witness or simply try to leave the event behind her?
In every moment of “Josephine,” Araújo lives in the impossibility of certainty amid such conversations. She isn’t interested in easy answers, and her characters certainly don’t have them. The result is a tense, gut-wrenching, layered and deeply empathetic film — an unforgettable entry from this year’s festival. – CL
“Extra Geography”
Flic (Marni Duggan) and Minna (Galaxie Clear) have it all figured out. The early teenagers already feel like they’re the best of the best at their England boarding school — star athletes, exceptional learners and all-around model students. Hoping to get into a good university (even though that’s several years away yet), the two want to use their summer project to prove they’re even more worldly than is already evident. So they challenge themselves to fall in love with the first person they see. That person happens to be the 30-something woman who teaches them geography.
Molly Manners’ extraordinary debut explores the growing pains of young love through two exceptional lead performers and a wonderful screenplay by Miriam Battye (adapting Rose Tremain’s short story of the same name). This film oozes with charm and beauty in a “Rushmore” riff that still stands wholly alone. – CL
“Zi”
After making undoubtedly his largest film yet, Kogonada returns mere months later for his fourth feature, a true return to his microbudget roots (as seen in 2017’s Sundance debut “Columbus”). “Zi” shares some DNA with the filmmaker’s other Sundance feature, with much of the movie following Zi (Michelle Mao) and her new friend Elle (Haley Lu Richardson) as they walk and talk around Hong Kong over the course of a life-changing evening. But Zi faces a problem — she’s becoming unstuck in time, receiving visions of scenes and people from her future (including Elle moments before they meet). “Zi” is a moving and ethereal film reminiscent of Kogonada’s best. Not everyone will land on this movie’s wavelength, but those who do will find one of the most beautiful films in this Sundance lineup.
“Bedford Park”
Stephanie Ahn’s tender Korean love story “Bedford Park” follows two strangers, both living in their own pain, who start to develop a romance. As Zachary Lee put it in his review for TheWrap, “This is a film about two people looking to be held, jagged edges and all, without cutting the people who are doing the embracing.”
“Carousel”
A winning love story full of whimsical feeling in how it’s constructed that also doesn’t skimp on its dramatic elements, Rachel Lambert’s “Carousel” is the romantic gem of this year’s festival. Boasting outstanding performances by both Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, it’s something that admirers of Lambert’s previous film, the underrated “Sometimes I Think About Dying” from a couple years back at the festival, will fall head over heels for. At the same time, it slowly but steadily builds a sense of wonder that’ll win Lambert many more admirers to come. – CH
“Leviticus”
Adrian Chiarella’s “Leviticus,” the undisputed best horror film of the festival that recently got scooped up by Neon, was this year’s most exciting genre discovery. Full of an often suffocating sense of dread and an emotional, evocative power, it’s the type of debut feature you go to the festival hoping to find. Not only does it deliver on its horror premise and oh so much more, but it also crafts a love story amidst the pain. This ensures it’s able to emerge from the shadows of its influences as a bittersweet yet beautiful work of horror cinema all its own. – CH