what are your 3 favorite movies of 2026 so far?

Alpha
By Design
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

also i think we forgot to do last year

mother mary
return to silent hill
obsession

i saw by design last year but yeah that is the best movie ever

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Send Help
The Drama

Movies that strictly have a 2026 release date on Letterboxd, or do movies that were released at a festival or something in 2025, but that we saw on general release in 2026 count?

If it's the former (I've only seen 8):
I Love Boosters
We Are the Shaggs
Send Help

Otherwise:
Obsession
Blue Heron
I Love Boosters

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
$Positions
Hokum

Miroirs No. 3
Magellan
I Love Boosters

Sound of Falling
The Last Viking
The Last One for the Road

It's Dry Leaf by far. One of the best films I've seen this decade.

Coincidentally, I saw Alpha last monday. Don't think it works as a whole, but the central visual idea is extremely powerful, and I like Ducournau is becoming such a visual filmmaker.

Magellan
Sound of Falling
Two Prosecutors

But not a great year so far, I'm still waiting for something to blow me away or even get close. The Secret Agent and No Other Choice were both mildly disappointing despite high acclaim. Looking forward to Eagles of the Republic and The President’s Cake though if I get to see them.

(I'm going by films I've seen on new release this year rather than official release dates which seem to be based on festival showings half the time)

Is there some backstory you need to know before you can appreciate Nirvanna, or can you go in cold?

I went in cold and I loved it

Excellent!

nirvanna
project hail mary
mad bills to pay

her private hell immediately entered my top 3, and now my top 3 movies of the year have a sub-3.0 average rating on letterboxd