Don’t Sleep on These Independent Films This Summer

Analysts are predicting a $4B summer for the box officein major part due to tentpole releases like Disclosure Day, Toy Story 5, Supergirl, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. We are excited about those films, but we wanted to highlight some smaller, independent films to add to your watchlists.

Leviticus | Dir. Adrian Chiarella

Leviticus is the debut feature film from Australian writer & director Adrian Chiarella. This queer, coming-of-age, psychological horror follows two young men who are in love with one another, but threatened to be torn apart by a malevolent entity that that takes the form of who they most desire: each other.

Leviticus premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival to strong critical praise. As of writing this, the film boasts a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83 on MetaCritic. Newcomer Joe Burns (who made a splash in 2022’s Talk To Me) is receiving universal praise for his work in the film, with Alan French of FandomWire noting the film is worth watching for Bird’s performance alone. Critics are calling this film emotional, poignant, and complex without sacrificing the scares you want from a horror film like this.

Leviticus opens in limited release on June 19, 2026

Maddie’s Secret | Dir. John Early

Comedian John Early makes his directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, described as, “a food influencer secretly struggles with bulimia.” Early not only wrote and directed the film, but will star as the titular Maddie alongside his longtime creative partner Kate Berlant, Eric Rahill, Kirsten Johnston, and Connor O’Malley.

The Ringer’s Adam Nayman said this was his favorite watch coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival last Fall, saying, “[the film] wears its thriftiness and spontaneity on its sleeve alongside its influences; it’s a loving pastiche of after-school specials featuring Early in a remarkably assured and tender distaff performance.” At the premiere, Nayman notes that Early cited filmmakers such as Paul Verhoeven, Todd Haynes, and David Wain and influences on his style. If you’re a fan of queer, alt-comedy then you absolutely should prioritize getting to the theaters for this one.

Maddie’s Secret opens in limited release on June 19, 2026

The Invite | Dir. Olivia Wilde

This remake of the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs is helmed by Olivia Wilde both on screen and behind the camera. She is having a great year as an actor (see the next film on this list), and The Invite is shaping up to be a return to form after her last film was panned by critics. Wilde is joined by Seth Rogen as they play a couple with a deteriorating marriage who invites their upstairs neighbors, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton, to a dinner party and the night spirals to unexpected places.

Early reviews for The Invite are solid, as it currently holds a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 on MetaCritic, with Benjamin Lee of The Guardian calling it a, "genuinely funny and uncommonly intelligent comedy for adults." Some critics admit that it stumbles a bit in its third act, but overall deem it entertaining with something fresh to say about sex and commitment.

The Invite opens in limited release on June 26, 2026

I Want Your Sex | Dir. Gregg Araki

Gregg Araki returns to the big screen with his first film in over 10 years, and it is an absolute roller coaster. Cooper Hoffman stars as a naive young man who gets a job working for a provocative visual artist, and soon becomes her submissive lover in this sexy, boundary-pushing comedy-thriller. As of writing this, the film holds an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes across 37 reviews.

Breaking format to say that I (McKenzie) saw this early at the Chicago Critics Film Festival and was beyond surprised at how much fun I had with this film. It’s hilarious, shocking, sexy, playful, at times uncomfortable, and consistently entertaining. Araki has created a deliriously funny, sex-fueled movie that I am lovingly dubbing, “queer, art world Sunset Boulevard.” I’d implore audiences to lean in to the outrageous style, the fantastic performances, and the tongue-in-cheek tone to really enjoy themselves. Wilde’s performance is undeniably phenomenal, some of the best acting of her career, and that alone makes this film worth seeing.

I Want Your Sex opens in limited release on July 31, 2026

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Dir. Jane Schoenbrun

The most anticipated film of 2026 for Above The Line is the third film from director Jane Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder. Jane Schoenbrun has crafted what they’re calling, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire set in a Friday the 13th sequel.” The film premiered at Cannes a few weeks ago to universal acclaim, debuting with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% across 52 reviews and a 91 on MetaCritic. Robbie Collin of The Telegraphcalled it, “an extravagantly funny, recklessly bizarre and unsettling satire of/paean to 'problematic cinema’.”

We here at Above The Line are huge fans of Schoenbrun’s previous films, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and I Saw The TV Glow. Schoenbrun’s use of genre conventions to explore queer identity in deeply personal ways is resonant for so many film lovers (ourselves included), and it’s exciting to see that a film such as Camp Miasma may break even further into the mainstream. Schoenbrun is one of the most exciting new directors working today, and if you’re not watchlisting every movie coming out from them you’re missing out.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma opens in limited release on August 7, 2026