Film Releases for August 5, 2026 - Movie Review

As August 2026 unfolds, the summer movie landscape remains largely unchanged. Major American blockbusters from previous weeks continue to rake in impressive box office numbers, while the fresh releases are left to contend with meager audience interest. The few films debuting today are unlikely to inspire a new wave of cinephiles. Among the new offerings, we can tentatively recommend about half, primarily due to the praise from our in-house critic Jean-Jacques for Les Silences de Riyad by Haifaa Al Mansour. For the most part, however, it’s a quiet week, allowing viewers the opportunity to catch up on noteworthy films from June and July or revisit classic cinema.

This week’s three standout films take us far and wide. While this is not a new phenomenon, it’s worth noting that with French releases limited to a seemingly silly comedy and a vaguely promising fantasy film, audiences may find more cinematic joy abroad. For instance, Des fleurs pour Tokyo by Danzuka Yuiga, a family drama from Japan, is one of the last films from the 2025 Directors’ Fortnight yet to hit French screens. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, actress Shu Qi makes her directorial debut with the poignant teenage drama Girl—though a more unique title would have been welcome. Alternatively, viewers can journey to the arid landscapes of Sudan with Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani, which follows a young woman resisting her family's plans for an arranged marriage.

In terms of re-releases, the options are almost more enticing. Sergio Leone’s iconic spaghetti western, Le Bon la brute et le truand, is available for viewing, either before or after watching the recent Korean pseudo-remake by Kim Jee-won. Additionally, the Oscar-winning film Antonia et ses filles by Marleen Gorris, which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1996, is back on screens following a retrospective of the Dutch director’s work last year. The distributor Les Films du Camélia continues its exploration of 1940s Mexican cinema with Enamorada by Emilio Fernandez. Lastly, there are still Italian comedies featuring Alberto Sordi that have not been re-released in recent years; it remains to be seen if his performance as an unfaithful gondolier in Venise la lune et toi by Dino Risi will be worth the trip.

New Releases

• Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani (Sudan, Drama, 1h33, released on 38 copies) with Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, and Talaat Farid
• Des fleurs pour Tokyo by Danzuka Yuiga (Japan, Drama, 1h55, released on 67 copies) with Kodai Kurosaki, Ken’ichi Endo, and Haruka Igawa
• Les Gendarmes by François Prévôt-Leygonie and Stéphan Archinard (France, Comedy, 1h27) with Arnaud Ducret, Fred Testot, and Alice David
• Girl by Shu Qi (Taiwan, Drama, 2h04, released on 63 copies) with Roy Chiu, Esther Liu, and Yu-Fei Lai
• Kyma L’Onde mystérieuse by Romain Daudet-Jahan (France, Adventure, 1h29) with Jules Lefebvre, Lucy Loste Berset, and Mamadou Haïdara
• La Pat’ Patrouille Le film Mission Dino by Cal Brunker (Canada, Animation, 1h28)
• Les Silences de Riyad by Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia, Thriller, 1h39, released on 22 copies) with Mila Al Zahrani, Aziz Gharbawi, and Shafi Al Harthi (review)

Re-releases

• Antonia et ses filles (1995) by Marleen Gorris (Netherlands, Comedy-Drama, 1h42) with Willeke Van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, and Veerle Van Overloop
• Le Bon la brute et le truand (1966) by Sergio Leone (Italy, Western, 2h41) with Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef
• Enamorada (1946) by Emilio Fernandez (Mexico, Comedy-Drama, 1h38) with Maria Félix, Pedro Armendariz, and Fernando Fernandez
• Venise la lune et toi (1958) by Dino Risi (Italy, Romantic Comedy, 1h47) with Alberto Sordi, Marisa Allasio, and Nino Manfredi