Fantastic Fest 2026
Greetings again from the darkness. My decision to review this movie was based on one thing: it’s the feature film directorial and screenwriting debut of Agata Trzebuchowska, who starred in Pawel Pawlikowski’s excellent IDA (2013). That was the extent of my research for this film from Poland, and now after watching it, I am at a loss on how to review without spoiling anything about it. Simply stating that the twists will surely surprise you is not enough – and it helps if you are unaware, as I was, of the film’s genre prior to watching.
It starts out as a ‘normal’ family situation. Sixteen-year-old Maks (Konrad Kakol) travels to a rural home to care for his ailing grandmother (Monica Niemczyk). Maks is a typically awkward teenage boy who spends his time reading comic books and looking at girls online. He is soon joined by his nineteen-year-old sister, Emma (Katarzyna Lubik). She’s perturbed she has to be there and spends entirely too much time drinking and sunbathing, leaving much of the work to Maks.
Emma’s tough façade hides the depression she’s fighting, while Grandma appears to be battling multiple ailments – both physically and mentally. All I can add here is that things get creepy. And then things get creepier. The film takes us in a couple of different directions initially and then stuns us with a twist that shifts everything. The climax is something else totally (with only a few subtle hints along the way). It’s a summer Maks will never forget. Any deeper description would take away from your own bewilderment at the progressions. The twists are such that most will not ‘figure out’ where it’s headed, and viewers are better off just letting it unfold. It will be interesting to see where Ms. Trzebuchowska takes her next feature film.
The film has its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 18, 2026
Posted by David Ferguson 
