The Most Exciting Movies Playing at the 2026 Chicago Critics Film Festival
The Chicago Critics Film Festival returns to the historic Music Box Theater in Chicago for the 13th time to highlight some of the most exciting films making their rounds on the film festival circuit. Once again, the festival showcases an eclectic group of films, from indie sensations to midnight hits to anniversary screenings of beloved favorites. Here are some of the titles I am most excited about at this year’s festival.
Film synopsis from IMDb.
Anniversary Screenings:
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (25th Anniversary)
- The Fly (40th Anniversary)
- Something Wild (40th Anniversary)
Why I’m Excited: The Chicago Critics Film Festival has done a great job curating anniversary screenings, and this year is no different, as they will be showing screenings of David Cronenberg’s The Fly, Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild, and Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence, each presented in 35mm. These are some of the best movies for three of the greatest filmmakers of all time and will be a real treat to see on the big screen.
Showtimes:
- The Fly: Friday, May 1st, at 9:30 pm
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Sunday, May 3rd, at 8:45 pm
- Something Wild: Wednesday, May 6th, at 9:30 pm
I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki)
What It’s About: Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands a job for Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde) as her sexual muse.
Why I’m Excited: Writer/director Gregg Araki returns to the big screen for the first time in over a decade with this stylized dark comedy about sex and power dynamics. Olive Wilde gives one of the best performances of her career, and Cooper Hoffman continues to show his growth as an actor. In typical Araki style, I Want Your Sex is a bonkers, twisted film.
- Showtime: Saturday, May 2nd, at 9:45 pm
If I Go Will They Miss Me (Walter Thompson-Hernández)
What It’s About: A boy sees ghostly figures of other boys in his neighborhood while grappling with his father’s distance. These visions uncover hidden connections between them and their shared heritage.
Why I’m Excited: Adapted from his acclaimed short film of the same name, Walter Thompson-Hernández’s If I Go Will They Miss Me is a beautiful, poetic film about the relationship between a hard-nosed father and his sensitive, artistic son, who don’t understand each other. Set in a working-class neighborhood in South Los Angeles, Thompson-Hernández’s docufiction filmmaking style takes us on a deeply emotional and at times magical journey about connection and parenting.
- Showtime: Tuesday, May 5th, at 4:30 pm
The Invite (Olivia Wilde)
What It’s About: Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
Why I’m Excited: From a smart, hilarious script by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the festival’s opening night film is an uproarious and honest chamber piece about a relationship on the rocks and a mysterious couple who shakes things up. Wilde co-stars in the film with Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz, all of whom are giving top-notch work. This is one of the best movies of the year.
- Showtime: Friday, May 1st, at 6:30 pm (with director/star Olivia Wilde in person!)
Leviticus (Adrian Chiarella)
What It’s About: Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most – each other.
Why I’m Excited: Adrian Chiarella’s feature film debut plays like the queer cousin of It Follows, offering solid scares, a strong emotional core, two strong lead performances, and excellent direction.
- Showtime: Saturday, May 2nd, at 11:59 pm
Power Ballad (John Carney)
What It’s About: Rick (Paul Rudd), a washed-up wedding singer, and Danny (Nick Jonas), a fading boy band star, bond over music and a late-night jam session. When Danny turns Rick’s song into a hit, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves.
Why I’m Excited: Writer/director John Carney has made a career out of making lovely musical dramedies (Once, Flora and Son), and Power Ballad looks like another Carney hit and his most star-studded film yet.
- Showtime: Saturday, May 2nd, at 7:15 pm
The Sun Never Sets (Joe Swanberg)
What It’s About: A woman’s (Dakota Johnson) relationship with her older, divorced boyfriend (Jake Johnson) hits a rough patch just as her ex (Corey Michael Smith) reappears in her life, leading to complicated emotions and messy entanglements in the Alaskan wilderness.
Why I’m Excited: The festival’s closing-night film from writer/director Joe Swanberg finds the Chicago native returning to his mumblecore roots in this Alaskan-set romantic drama.
- Showtime: Thursday, May 7th, at 7:30 pm (with director Joe Swanberg and star Corey Michael Smith in person!)
When a Witness Recants (Dawn Porter)
What It’s About: A 1983 Baltimore school murder led to 3 teens’ wrongful imprisonment for 36 years. Ta-Nehisi Coates investigates how this case affected the accused, witnesses, and their community.
Why I’m Excited: Dawn Portner’s documentary received rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with many praising it as a powerful and important work about a broken system.
- Showtime: Monday, May 4th, at 6:30 pm (with director Dawn Porter in person!)
The Chicago Critics Film Festival takes place from May 1st to May 7th at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.
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