As we reach the halfway point of the year, it seems fitting to look back and highlight the films that left the biggest impression on me. What’s strange is how many of these films were released just last month. In fact, May 2026 gave us something many audiences have been craving: variety. Last May gave us memorable horror films, heartfelt murder mysteries, and several movies about the fashion industry that were just plain weird.
[imbd.com]I can only describe this one as a female road revenge movie with Biblical overtones. Is God Is follows twin sisters, Racine and Anaia, who are ordered by their mother to find and kill their abusive father to exact vengeance for the fire that scarred them all. Adapting her own play, writer-director Aleshea Harris blends the comedy of a buddy movie and the visuals of a road movie with the darkness of Southern Gothic fiction. What gives the film juice is the combative relationship between these two sisters. Even though the two characters can be funny (they can sometimes read each other’s thoughts), their relationship is built on shared trauma and unmistakable codependency. Plus, I love how they treat the supporting cast. For instance, I dig how the Father’s face is largely kept offscreen. For much of the movie, the audience sees him only from the mouth down or only his menacing footwear, which builds tension and paints him as a mythical figure. You could enjoy the film simply as a revenge story, but what makes a mark is how it lets its two lead characters be freely and unapologetically angry. This film actively rejects the idea that women must endure abuse quietly, suffer with grace, and hide their anger for the sake of societal comfort. That choice not only makes Is God Is memorable, but it also makes it a little dangerous. ★★★★
[imbd.com]This movie is so damn charming, I couldn’t help but love it. Playing like Babe meets Knives Out, we follow a flock of sheep who become amateur detectives after their beloved shepherd (Hugh Jackman) is murdered. Not only must these sheep solve the murder of their shepherd, but they must also learn to leave the comfortable surroundings of the farm and discover that sometimes humans can be dishonest. Despite the murder-mystery premise, the focus is on the flock’s emotional journey, aiming to be touching rather than cynical. A less adventurous film could’ve easily rested on the cuteness of the farm animals and the pastoral setting’s underlying sweetness. Thankfully, Sheep Detectives use the sheep’s perspective to explore human themes like mortality. For instance, by trying to explain the shepherd’s murder, the younger sheep must grapple with what it means to die. That’s what I love about this movie: it skillfully contrasts the innocent, pastoral view of the sheep with the darkness of the human world. ★★★★
[imbd.com]I Love Boosters is such a fun time. It’s one of the standouts of 2026. I dare not spoil the weird places the film goes to, but I will reveal its premise. Here, we follow the “Velvet Gang”, a group of lady thieves that turns shoplifting high-end clothes into a radical act of community service. Their “boosting” eventually draws the attention of a wealthy designer (memorably played by Demi Moore) who promises to destroy the gang. I loved the stylistic freedom the movie gives itself. Boosters never feel fully tethered to just one genre, so it can walk brazenly into another. The movie brings animation, science fiction, and dialects into its critiques of capitalism, critiques which feel humorous and optimistic rather than depressing and dystopian. I guarantee there will be some who will criticize the film for satirizing consumerism at the expense of narrative cohesion. However, I love the way Boosters deliberately rejects conventional storytelling in favor of a type of ‘Afro-Surrealism’ I enjoy. This is a movie that knows it’s a movie and deliberately embraces the medium’s artificiality to craft something special. The film will be released in theaters this May, and when it is, I encourage you to seek it out. ★ ★ ★★
