Films That I Saw: February 2026

 

Are we in the darkest timeline? Honestly, we are two months into 2026 and it fucking sucks. Chaos is still looming in Minnesota while people all over the country are dealing with the dumb-fucks that is ICE who will take anyone without warrants or any legal documents. Tariffs have been raised and it is us that is getting fucked. Things have not been well around the world as it has gotten harder to ignore all of that as it has been overwhelming. Even with the celebrity deaths happening and some things at the Winter Olympics that has our national hockey team winning the gold medal for the first time in 46 years and how do they celebrate their win? Partying with the director of the FBI, talking to our dictator while insulting our national women’s hockey team, and then eating cold, shitty fast-food at the White House apart from the five players who chose not to go to the White House since four of them are from Minnesota. Oh, and today we and Israel decided to launch missiles in Iran in which we killed their leader. Yeah, we are fucked.

A lot of what has been happening has been numbing as I have taken a break from watching and reviewing films which is why I have been behind on my Blind Spot Series. Burnout is a real thing as it was not fun as I have become disenchanted with a lot of what is happening in the world of film in terms of the film-going experience. It has been 4 months since I last went to the movie theaters as nothing went wrong during the film, but something did change. I have been noticing this in last few films I had been to in the movie theaters where I would show up a minute or two early or late before the showtime is to start. It was not just a bunch of movie trailers showing up but commercials for things that had nothing to do with the film. Hearing that there will be more commercials before the movie begins is something I would rather not be a part of. I admit to not being active in going to the movie theaters more than I wanted to but now I do not have the enthusiasm to see anything except for films by a select few filmmakers that I care about.

In the month of February 2026, I saw a total of 8 films in 5 first-timers and 3 re-watches with 3 first-timers being films directed or co-directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. The highlight month is my Blind Spot film in Cairo Station.

Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Am Watching

Jane Austen’s Period Drama



Goddamn… I did not know what to expect as it did suggest a period film based on the many adaptations of books by Jane Austen. The title alone is an absolute misdirection in terms of what it suggests. What Julia Aks and Steve Pinder create is a period short film about love, but it is really about a man trying to understand the struggles that women go through in their bodies. Thus, a lot of hilarity would ensue including gags and the deconstruction of Austen’s language. It must be seen as this truly deserves to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short film.

Two People Exchanging Saliva



The second of the five nominees for Best Live-Action Short film is by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata as it is this black-and-white dystopian short film set in a Parisian mall. It all plays into the way people interact with one another and the idea of longing as it stars Luana Bajrami as a store clerk, Zar Amir Ebrahimi as a rich client, and Aurelie Boquien as an older store clerk who becomes consumed with envy over her younger co-worker in attracting this rich client. All of it is told through narration by Vicky Krieps as currency is paid through slaps in the face. It is a sexy yet strange short film that plays into the idea of desire and identity in an absurd dystopian film.

Retirement Plan



The first of two animated short films nominated for the Best Animated Short film at the Oscars is a 7-minute short by John Kelly with narration by Domhnall Gleeson as it is about a man pondering what to do with the remaining years of his life as he begins retirement. It is a heartfelt animated short film made in a hand-drawn animated style that has a lot of beauty. Even as it plays into the things this man wants to do as well as experience before he dies as it is just a gem of a film.

Butterfly



The second animated short film that is nominated for the Best Animated Short film at the Oscars is 15-minute animated short based on the life of French-Algerian swimmer Alfred Nakache. The usage of water-color paintings and movements in the animation is truly exquisite as it helps tells the story of this man who found all the things he wanted in life through swimming and being in the water despite horrors he had to endure as a Jew. Notably as he would lose his family in the Holocaust as well as endure prejudice during the time of Nazi while being one of the few Holocaust survivors to compete at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Well, that is all for February 2026. I have no idea what I will do next month other than watch whatever short films that are nominated for the Oscars that are available and hopefully films that are nominated. I had hoped to do The Watermelon Woman this month, but I think I will do that later in June as I might do 2 Blind Spots in March. The only film theatrically that I want to see is Marc by Sofia from Sofia Coppola if it is available at movie theater near me. Other than that, I would rather just scale back on things and watch whatever interests me. Before I leave, this month did see several greats pass away with the biggest death this month is in Robert Duvall. An actor with no equal and one of the rarest of actors who never gave a bad performance. He has been in some awful films, but he never phones it in as he always giving it his all. The man is one of the last of his kind to ever grace the screen whether it is film or television. Thank you, Mr. Duvall, we will miss you.



Also, who passed away this month include Neil Sedaka, James Van Der Beek, Tom Noonan, Robert Carradine, Willie Colon, Eric Dane, Bud Cort, actor Bobby J. Brown of The Wire, Sondra Lee, Monti Rock III of Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes, writer Dan Simmons, songwriter Billy Steinberg, Tim Very of Manchester Orchestra, Andrew Ranken of the Pogues, Lamont McLemore of the Fifth Dimension, and activist Katherine Short. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2026