12 Movies to Watch in July

      After showcasing the finest films from the first half of this year, we now turn our attention to the second half of 2026 with July's offerings. Leading the pack is a guaranteed contender for my year-end list, alongside a samurai tale from one of the globe's top directors, the comeback of a cherished cult filmmaker, and, naturally, the summer's biggest spectacle.

      12. The Last Picture Shows (Rustin Thompson; July 5)

      Covering 10,825 miles across America to document 123 movie theaters in small towns, Rustin Thompson has crafted his poignant feature documentary, The Last Picture Shows. This touching tribute to movie theaters, along with the audience and workers sustaining them, also explores the dominance that major studios exert over these small, frequently single-screen venues, which prevents them from showcasing independent films. The film is set to premiere in theaters across the nation this week.

      11. The Kidnapping of Arabella (Carolina Cavalli; July 17)

      Following the praise received for her debut feature Amanda, Italian director Carolina Cavalli returns with The Kidnapping of Arabella, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival last fall to positive feedback and recently kicked off this year's Open Roads edition. Set to reach theaters this month, the film tells the story of a woman whose encounter with a child changes her outlook on life (featuring a brief appearance by Chris Pine).

      10. Do You Love Me (Lana Daher; July 10)

      Lana Daher’s ambitious, all-archival Do You Love Me could easily have been titled Lebanon Plays Itself. The film encompasses roughly 70 years of Lebanese history, sourced from over 20,000 candidates. Condensed into a 76-minute montage, this work is an informative yet playful exploration, showcasing a country in distress where its citizens still manage to find joy in daily life.

      9. Dead Souls (Alex Cox; July 2)

      Director Alex Cox, known for works like Repo Man and Sid and Nancy, returns with a Western adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s classic novel Dead Souls. In his interview with Cox, Jackson Diianni noted, “Having read Dead Souls, it’s no surprise it resonates with Cox. The writing has a self-referential quality, with the narrator often addressing the reader about the novel itself, reminiscent of Cox’s well-known postmodern elements: the generic food labels in Repo Man, the intentional anachronisms of Walker, and the fantasy elements in Sid and Nancy. Reinterpreting a classic Russian novel as a Spaghetti Western is a uniquely quirky choice for Cox, and he’s not the first punk to draw inspiration from this book; it also inspired a Joy Division song of the same name.”

      8. Jimmy (Yashaddai Owens; July 31)

      Among my favorite discoveries at the 2024 New York Film Festival was Yashaddai Owens’ Jimmy, a jazzy, French New Wave-inspired film that envisions James Baldwin’s (Benny O. Arthur) arrival in Paris in November 1948. While many biographical dramas tend to repeat significant moments of a famous figure's life in familiar formats, Owens reimagines the biopic, offering a fresh auditory and visual experience of a new city that greatly influenced the author’s work. Shot in evocative black-and-white 16mm, this adventurous endeavor succeeds beautifully in every aspect.

      7. Barrio Triste (Stillz; July 10)

      Stillz’s directorial debut Barrio Triste, which made a mark on the festival circuit last year with selections at Venice, TIFF, and NYFF, is arriving in theaters this July. Produced by Harmony Korine and accompanied by an original score from Arca, C.J. Prince stated in his review, “Exhilarating, tense, personal, and enigmatic, Barrio Triste is a powerful exploration of a lost generation in search of redemption and ranks among the best first features this year.”

      6. I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki; July 31)

      After a 12-year hiatus, Gregg Araki makes his highly anticipated return to feature filmmaking with I Want Your Sex, which premiered at Sundance this year. This erotic comedy features a talented cast including Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Charli XCX, Daveed Diggs, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Margaret Cho, and Johnny Knoxville. In his Sundance review, Caleb Hammond remarked, “I Want Your Sex showcases Araki, at 66, advising the younger generation that although life can be painful and chaotic—and might make them want to retreat—what's even more painful is reflecting on lost opportunities in old age.”

      5. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (David Wain; July 10)

      In a summer filled with a shortage of major comedies, David Wain and Ken Marino are stepping in to bring some laughter. Kent M. Wilhelm remarked in his review, “As society grapples with