Best Movies of 2026 – So Far

Matt Damon in THE ODYSSEY. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Every year, I keep a running list of the best movies I’ve seen this year.  By the end of the year, I usually end up with a Top Ten and another 5-15 mentions. Here are my lists of Best Movies of 2025 and Best Movies of 2024. To get on my year-end list, a movie has to be one that thrills me while I’m watching it and one that I’m still thinking about a couple of days later.

Of course, I still haven’t seen many of the most promising 2026 movies still to be released, including, Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Look Back, Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care, los javis’ La Bola Negra, Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, James Gray’s Paper Tiger, and Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky.

THE BEST OF 2026

Mallori Johnson and Kara Young in IS GOD IS. Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.
  • The Odyssey: epic filmmaking at its best. On VOD, beginning November 17.
  • Is God Is: an extraordinary new storyteller. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango..
  • The Only Living Pickpocket in New York: desperate, not for survival, but for redemption. In theaters, starting October 23.
  • Mirrors No. 3: two enigmas explained. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
  • Romeria: when the dots don’t connect right away. Amazon, Fandango, AppleTV.
  • The Marching Band: an emotionally powerful Feel Good. Amazon, AppleTV.
John Tuturro in THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, Courtesy of Mill Valley Film Festival.

FESTIVAL FILMS

These films, which I’ve screened at US film festivals this year, qualify as among the best films of the year, but, to this point, they haven’t been available to see in a theater or online. I’m reluctant to tease my readers with a list of movies that they can’t see, so I created this new special category. When they get theatrical distribution or a streaming platform, I’ll move them up to the regular list.

  • Heartworm: At her most vulnerable, a grieving mom must navigate and AI alternative reality. World premiere at Cinequest.
  • Therapy: This very funny Finnish dramedy sends up psychobabble while exploring the topics of grief, loyalty, betrayal, jealousy, disappointment and relationship fatigue. US premiere at Cinequest.
  • The Key: Is it a bad thing to be a nobody? North American premiere at Slamdance.
  • How to Date Again: a funny, poignant and truthful romance. World premiere at SLO Film Fest.
  • In a Whisper: secrets revealed in Tunisia. Frameline Film Festival.
  • Nandauri: resourceful and sexy in traditional Georgia. San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
Amber Gray in HEARTWORM. Courtesy of Cinequest.