HOLLYWOOD, CA — This weekend’s Watchlist turns on pressure, longing and the quiet fractures that surface when people’s lives are pushed past their limits.
“Obsession” traces how a single wish unravels into something far more frightening. “In the Grey,” meanwhile, lingers in the spaces between certainty and doubt, following characters caught in the limbo where choices blur and consequences tighten.
“Is God Is” channels its fury into motion, sending two sisters on a revenge odyssey where myth, justice and identity collide with operatic force.
“Dutton Ranch” plants itself in South Texas, where land pressures, shifting loyalties and the cost of rebuilding grind against one another.
Finally, “The Wizard of the Kremlin” moves inward, into insulated rooms of power, tracing how influence is shaped, traded and quietly weaponized.
Ready to dive in? Scroll down for the full lineup, with deeper explorations below that unpack performances, themes and craft in greater detail.
Related:
- ‘Obsession’ Review: Curry Barker’s Debut Turns A Simple Wish Into Psychological Horror
- Other Releases To Watch: 'Mortal Kombat II,' 'The Sheep Detectives,' 'Billie Eilish Tour Concert'
What To Watch This Weekend
“Obsession”
Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette; directed by Curry Barker
Curry Barker’s feature debut “Obsession” begins with an innocent wish and spirals into something far more unsettling — a story of affection curdling into possession, where longing slips past its boundaries and tenderness begins to rot.
Barker, whose breakout short “The Chair” revealed his fascination with the uncanny invading the everyday, carries that instinct into a film attuned to the collapse of perception and the corrosion of intimacy.
That unraveling takes shape through Bear (Michael Johnston), a lonely young man who finally gathers the nerve to confess his feelings to his longtime crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Searching for the perfect gift, he stumbles upon a “One Wish Willow,” a novelty said to grant one heart’s desire.
In a moment of aching vulnerability, he wishes for Nikki to love him more than anything in the world — and for a fleeting instant she does. But that sweetness intensifies beyond reason and her devotion grows increasingly suffocating.
Navarrette is remarkable, charting Nikki’s unraveling with a precision that never slips into parody, while Johnston brings a quiet, aching vulnerability to Bear’s dawning horror. Though the premise faintly echoes “The Monkey’s Paw,” Barker treats the wish less as a moral trap than a psychological rupture — a trigger exposing the dread of love bent to another person’s will.
Barker’s debut, rendered with a restraint that makes the horror feel all the more frightening, lingers as a chilling portrait of longing tipping into control and affection warped by insecurity.
(Read our full review of “Obsession.”)
“Is God Is”
Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown; directed by Aleshea Harris
Aleshea Harris’ “Is God Is” follows twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), who carry burn scars from a childhood fire and are summoned by their dying mother Ruby (Vivica A. Fox) to confront the father who tried to kill them.
The film adapts Harris’ Obie‑winning play of the same name, bringing its revenge odyssey from stage to screen as the sisters set out on a cross‑country pursuit shaped by long‑buried family history.
Visually, it unfolds in a world that blends Southern Gothic elements with the heightened charge of a modern Western, moving through rural backroads, desert outskirts and spare interiors that feel both grounded and slightly mythic. Its atmosphere leans into stark contrasts, sun‑bleached exteriors and bold, graphic compositions that echo the narrative’s mix of pulp, tragedy and ritual.
Harris structures the film around rhythm, repetition and sharp tonal pivots, using stylized staging and deliberate pacing to mirror the twins’ emotional terrain. Sterling K. Brown appears as the Monster, whose controlled presence shapes the tension as Racine and Anaia close in.
Action and confrontation land with force in a story whose intensity sometimes outpaces its narrative cohesion.
“In the Grey”
Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González; directed by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie’s “In the Grey” follows a covert team of operatives tasked with recovering a billion‑dollar fortune stolen by a deposed dictator.
Sid (Henry Cavill), a disciplined British agent, works alongside Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal), an American extraction specialist whose instincts often cut through the noise, with strategist Rachel Wild (Eiza González) guiding the operation as shifting loyalties complicate each step.
The film unfolds in a world built around tactical improvisation, hidden agendas and the mechanics of high‑level negotiation. Sharp cuts, graphic overlays and rapid tactical breakdowns map out the team’s evolving strategy.
Set across sleek interiors, shadowed safehouses and sun‑blasted exteriors, the story tracks how personal codes, professional instincts and controlled chaos intersect within a mission designed to leave no trace.
Action sequences thrill in a rather convoluted plot and a rushed third act.
“The Wizard of the Kremlin”
Paul Dano, Alicia Vikander, Jude Law; directed by Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas’ “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” adapted from Giuliano da Empoli’s novel, follows Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) from the cultural upheaval of the 1990s into his emergence as a behind the scenes architect of the Kremlin’s information machinery.
Filmed primarily in Riga, Latvia, the production recreates the political and media environments of early 21st‑century Russia with a cool, observational tone. Assayas favors long, deliberate scenes that emphasize stillness and controlled exchanges, letting the mechanics of power surface in pauses as much as in dialogue.
Assayas frames Baranov’s world through measured encounters with oligarchs, political operatives and cultural figures, each revealing how alliances are formed, tested and quietly renegotiated. Alicia Vikander appears as a filmmaker drawn into his orbit, offering an external perspective on the system he helps construct.
Dano plays Baranov with a quiet, inward focus, suggesting a man who understands the cost of the influence he wields.
Ultimately, the meticulous design occasionally outpaces the film’s emotional immediacy.
“Dutton Ranch”
Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Finn Little; created by Chad Feehan
Paramount+'s "Dutton Ranch" follows Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) as they leave Montana after a fire forces them to abandon the life they built on "Yellowstone."
The series shifts from the high-country volatility of its predecessor to a slower, more heat-struck rhythm shaped by the South Texas plains.
The nine‑episode season follows Beth, Rip and their adopted son Carter (Finn Little) as they navigate new alliances, buried regional tensions and the lingering weight of the Dutton name, which carries both recognition and trouble into unfamiliar territory.
The drama takes place in Rio Paloma, where the couple settles on a 7,000-acre ranch and quickly encounters the influence of 10 Petal Ranch, led by Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening). Its corporate-leaning operation contrasts with the Duttons' stripped-down restart, ultimately framing a ranch-to-ranch cold war where local politics and land pressure replace the frontier clashes of Montana.