Entertainment
9 Best Movies of 2026 So Far You Haven’t Heard Of
Even with the year still getting prominent releases week after week, 2026 has already been an exceptional year when it comes to filmmaking of all genres and styles. From massive high-budget blockbusters like Project Hail Mary to exceptional low-budget hits like Obsession, the year has continuously found ways to deliver outstanding cinematic experiences one after another. However, the year isn’t only defined by its most popular of successes, as there are also a number of amazing hidden gems released during the year.
Working outside of the traditional blockbuster or streaming avenues of marketing and release, many of these great films largely rely on word of mouth from critics and audiences in order to gain notoriety and success. While these films may be in a state of complete obscurity for general audiences nowadays, one can hope that after months of success and praise, more people can place these films on their own personal best-of-2026 lists where they truly belong.
9
‘Saccharine’
Abstract psychological horror has been a prominent trend in recent years, not just in the biggest horror blockbusters but also in the array of horror hidden gems of the 2020s. Taking it a step further with themes of body dysmorphia and the mental toxicity inherent to diet culture and eating disorders is Saccharine, which acts as the psychological horror response to rising interest in quick weight loss drugs. The dynamic body horror story brings together its elements with enough fun camerawork and paranormal concepts to make for an exceptionally impactful time.
The film follows a medical student who, on her quest to lose weight, ends up succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving eating literal human ashes. While it seems to have great success at first, she begins to be in over her head when the ghost of the person she’s eating begins haunting her, forcing her to eat more and more food and eating away at her body.
8
‘Jinsei’
Jinsei is a passionate and deeply personal feat of animation from its opening scene to the very end, telling a man’s 100-year life story as his life evolves and changes between struggles, friendships, betrayals, and worldwide fame. Almost entirely brought to life by director, writer, and sole animator Ryuya Suzuki, Jinsei is a glorious example of perseverance and dedication within the craft of animation. With so many different eras and styles that it tackles, the lofty film experience is at the very least worthy of respect for its craft.
While the hand-drawn style of animation may seem strange at first, its overwhelming sense of character and charm quickly wins over the audience. As the story changes and evolves throughout different styles and genres, it reaches a point of enlightened reflection upon the intricacies of life in its many changes. The film is everything one would want out of a wild, unrestrained passion project, being a massively ambitious artistic vision that consistently delivers.
7
‘Power Ballad’
Few filmmakers understand the emotionally charged power that music can hold in the cinematic medium quite like John Carney, whose career, including the likes of Sing Street and Begin Again, has made amazing emotional strides thanks to the deeply personal power of music. Power Ballad is simply his latest exceptional music-based comedy that makes use of his magical understanding of music. With charming comedy and compelling characters, Power Ballad is the year’s best cinematic music experience so far.
The outstanding musical sees the unlikely meeting of Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, and Danny (Nick Jonas), a fading boy-band star looking to kickstart his solo career. The duo ends up having a great night of playing music and writing songs together, yet things go awry weeks later when Danny ends up stealing one of Rick’s songs and turning it into the biggest song in the world.
6
‘Mile End Kicks’
A quirky, feel-good rom-com full of personality and charm as it brings to life a distinct era and culture not too long ago, Mile End Kicks is one of many great Canadian films released in 2026. The film sees Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira as a young music critic moving to Montreal as inspiration so that she can write a book on Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill. However, her plans quickly get complicated when she ends up being romantically involved with two members of an indie band that she begins covering, becoming their publicist in the process.
There’s a genuine earnestness to the characters and their chemistry that makes Mile End Kicks an exceptionally fluid and uncompromising rom-com experience. It cuts to the heart of the dumb decisions of young 20-somethings looking to throw caution to the wind, follow their dreams, and make as many friends as they make mistakes. Ferreria absolutely brings it for a killer lead performance, but the two male leads, Devon Bostick and Stanley Simons, also do a great job.
5
‘Rose of Nevada’
It’s easy for a time travel movie to largely focus on the hard science and intricacies of its concept, although Rose of Nevada is much more interested in how this concept can be utilized for themes of collective trauma and the living beating heart of a community. The film sees a mysterious boat returning to a fishing village 30 years after initially vanishing. When two young men (George MacKay and Callum Turner) join the crew looking for money, they end up being transported back in time and mistaken for the original crew.
With an intricate premise at its center, it would certainly be easy for Rose of Nevada to take a more traditional approach in terms of logic akin to other sci-fi films. However, the brilliance of Rose of Nevada instead comes from its psychological examination of these characters now thrust into this situation, how they adapt to taking over the roles and lives of people of the past, and losing touch with their original time. It’s a soft sci-fi masterpiece that will assuredly grow into a classic once more people witness its greatness.
4
‘Faces of Death’
Releasing 36 years after the previous entry of the cult classic horror franchise, as well as being the only film that isn’t a documentary, 2026’s Faces of Death instead builds off of the exploitative nature of the original films to comment on desensitization in the social media era. Especially considering that the original film was little more than a shocking display of real-life death and gore that was banned in many countries, this takes a much more insightful and layered approach to the concept with both a fun execution and an important message at its core.
The film follows a website content moderator tasked with removing overly violent and sexual videos from a social media platform, as she soon comes across a series of videos recreating the death scenes from the classic Faces of Death films. While initially debating with herself whether these recreations are real or not, she soon goes down a rabbit hole once they go viral, looking to take down the serial killer responsible. It’s a perfect mix of intelligent storytelling and gnarly and gory kills that makes it one of the year’s best slashers as well as feeling tailor-made for the social media era.
3
‘Buffet Infinity’
Analog horror has been bigger than ever in recent years, from prominent original feature films like Skinamarink to one of the biggest analog horror series, Backrooms, becoming a massive blockbuster success. However, Buffet Infinity is arguably one of the most unique approaches to analog horror to date, adding in a heaping dose of comedy and working exceptionally well in the feature-length format. The film acts as a collection of cheap, locally produced TV commercials, telling a story of a mysterious new buffet business growing more successful, taking over competition, and with a sinister conspiracy unfolding all the while.
Buffet Infinity’s greatest strength is from its fundamental understanding of the inherent absurdity and silliness of analog horror, utilizing the abstract nature of the horror subgenre for comedy and lighthearted fun. However, its lighter moments don’t take away from when the film decides to go all in on horror and thrills, as it starts off subtly before growing to all-encompassing dread and destruction. It’s a wild swing for the fences in all the best ways and is easily one of 2026’s most creatively distinct experiences yet.
2
‘The Furious’
A high-energy Hong Kong action film that doesn’t hold back in terms of the ruthlessness and catharsis of its action sequences, The Furious is easily the year’s best action movie and one of the most stylishly entertaining action experiences in years. The film sees Xie Miao as a mute man fighting to save his daughter after she has been kidnapped by a local trafficking ring, taking down anyone and everyone who stands in his way. He soon ends up teaming with a journalist (Joe Taslim) who is on his own quest of revenge, as his wife went missing while investigating this trafficking ring.
It harkens back to films like The Raid in terms of its over-the-top brutality and satisfaction in its action, with the film oftentimes going to absolute extremes and constantly leaving the audience in awe of its craft. When so many of the year’s other prominent action films are quick to rely on large CGI setpieces and pre-existing properties, The Furious is a great reminder that satisfying, top-of-the-line action is all it takes to create a masterpiece action thriller.
1
‘Blue Heron’
Sophy Romvari‘s powerful story of perseverance and grief’s continuous conversations with memory is one whose mastery speaks for itself while watching the film. Blue Heron is the type of masterpiece that easily could have become a major award-winning icon if released during the fall months, but seems doomed to be little more than a cult classic loved to death by die-hard film fans, never scratching past the surface of popularity. However, the sense of deep personal connection in every frame of the film simply wouldn’t be possible without this smaller scale and underground energy that the film exudes.
The film follows the memories of Sasha, the young daughter of a Hungarian immigrant family who relocate to Vancouver Island and deal with the increasingly dangerous behavioural issues of their oldest son, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes). It’s one thing to simply tell a story of a painful family experience, but the brilliance of Blue Heron is how it plays with the rose-tinted nature of memory, and how we often blind ourselves to the truth of painful situations to make for more uplifting memories. Similarly to one of 2020s other dramatic masterpieces about memory, Aftersun, Blue Heron only gets better and better upon rewatch and is an emotional tour de force from beginning to end.
Blue Heron
- Release Date
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March 21, 2026
- Runtime
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91 minutes
- Director
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Sophy Romvari
- Writers
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Sophy Romvari
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