Our Hero, Balthazar (2026), She Dances (2026), Down By Law (1986)

Indie Film Weekly
Episode 67: Our Hero, Balthazar (2026), She Dances (2026), Down By Law (1986)

Glen Reynolds spotlights several new and engaging independent films playing in theaters, available for purchase or rental, or on a streaming platform. He also shares a classic movie from his favorites which you'll want to revisit or see for the first time.

Additional movies mentioned in this episode include:
Forbidden Fruits (2026)
Godland (2022)

Recorded: 03-20-26
Studio: Just Curious Media
Companies: Circus Road Films & Indie Igniter

Listen:
Apple Podcasts
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Watch:
YouTube

Host:
Glen Reynolds

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Transcript

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Welcome back to Indie Film Weekly for the week of March 27, 2026. I'm your host, Glenn Reynolds. This week in theaters, we've got a sharp modern story about a privileged kid chasing validation online, then taking a very real trip he's not prepared for. We've got a father and daughter road movie set inside the high-pressure world of a regional dance final. And we've got a witchy mall set comedy horror about a workplace sisterhood that turns into something a lot darker after closing. On T Vod, I'm spotlighting an epic 19th-century journey across Iceland where faith and control get tested by the landscape. And for our classic, we're celebrating a black and white Nolan's gem that throws three mismatched guys into a cell and lets the chemistry do the work. If you want indie films to keep getting booked in theaters, you must show up when they open. Not later, not when it's convenient. Opening weekends are the ballot. This episode of Indie Film Weekly is brought to you by Circus Road Films, helping independent filmmakers find their audience since 2006. Learn more at circusroadfilms.com. Let's dive in. Our first indie film in theaters this week is Our Hero Balthazar. Directed by Oscar Boyson, it follows Balthazar, a wealthy New York teen who wants to be seen as righteous, especially by a classmate he has a crush on. After a mass shooting dominates the news, he starts posting earnest videos calling for stricter gun laws. The posts get attention, then they get mocked. An anonymous troll begins needling him with comments that feel personal, calculated, and scary. Balthazar convinces himself the troll is not just a jerk online, but someone planning real violence. Instead of going to adults or backing off, he turns it into a mission. He tracks the account to Texas and hits the road, imagining himself as the one person who can stop the next tragedy. Jane Martell plays him with the right mix of confidence and panic, because this is a kid who thinks he is brave, but is also chasing validation. Once he arrives, the movie keeps tightening the screws as Balthazar tries to figure out who's behind the screen name and what he has actually walked into. The tone is part satire, part thriller, and it has a sharp eye for how quickly doing good can become performance. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and it plays like a modern cautionary tale with teeth. Our second indie film in theaters this week is She Dances, directed by Rick Gomez. It's a father-daughtered road story set around the young Miss Southeast regional dance finals. The dad, Jason, is a struggling single parent who has not been connecting with his teenage daughter, Claire, even when they are in the same room. A trip to her final big competition forces them into close quarters, long drives, hotel lobbies, and the strange ecosystem of dance moms, backstage nerves, and glitter that never really comes off. The film is built on the idea that you can love someone and still not know how to talk to them. Jason keeps trying to fix things with jokes, rules, and pep talks. Claire keeps pushing back because she is carrying her own grief and her own anger. Steve Zahn plays the dad, and he also co-wrote the script with Gomez. The key detail here is that Zahn's real life daughter Audrey plays Claire, which gives the arguments and the affection a lived-in feel. The dance world is not treated as a punchline, it's a pressure cooker, and the competition becomes the clock on their relationship. The film also premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and it's the kind of warm, specific drama that can make you call your kid on the drive home. Our last indie film in theaters this week is Forbidden Fruits. Directed by Meredith Alloway, this comedy horror drops you into a suburban mall where a store called Free Eden sells soft empowerment and curated vibes by the day. After closing, the staff becomes something else. Apple, the boss, runs a secret witchy cult in the basement with her chosen inner circle cherry and fig, and they treat the store like a temple and a clubhouse. Their rituals are not cosplay. They're a way of policing who belongs, who gets protected, and who gets sacrificed to keep their sisterhood intact. The story kicks into gear when a new hire Pumpkin joins the team and starts asking basic questions that no one wants to answer. Lola Tongue plays Pumpkin, and she gives the role a grounded curiosity that makes the situation feel even stranger. Lily Reinhardt plays Apple with charisma that can flip into menace on a dime. As Pumpkin pushes back on the group's performative feminism, the power dynamics turn ugly fast, and the film leans into blood, dark laughs, and the idea that community can be weaponized. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and it already has that midnight movie energy, the kind where the crowd gasps and then laughs because they cannot believe what they just saw. So in theaters this week, that's our hero Balthazar, She Dances, and Forbidden Fruits. Our spotlight indie film on T Vod this week is Godland. Directed by Hilner Palmuson, it's set in the late 19th century and follows Lucas, a young Danish priest sent to Iceland to build a church and photograph the people and landscape. He travels across harsh terrain with local guides carrying heavy equipment, rigid beliefs, and a growing sense that he's not in control of anything. The film is as much about the journey as the destination. Lucas wants to document the country, but the weather, the rivers, and the sheer physical grind keep reshaping the mission. As the group reaches the remote settlement where the church will rise, Lucas's relationship with his guide, Ragnar, becomes its own quiet conflict, shaped by language, authority, and resentment. The story keeps asking what faith looks like when you are exhausted, scared, and far from home, and what power looks like when you are the outsider with the title. Palmuson shoots Iceland with jaw-dropping detail, but he never treats it like a postcard. It feels indifferent, beautiful, and dangerous in the same frame. If you want a slow burn that rewards attention, this is a strong pick. You can stream it on the Criterion Channel or rent it on Apple TV or Amazon Video. Our indie film classic this week is Down by Law celebrating its 40th anniversary. Directed by Jim Jarmouche, it's a black and white New Orleans oddball noir about three men who do not belong together until the system shoves them into the same cell. Zack is a disc jockey with bad judgment. Jack is a small time pimp with a short fuse. Roberto, played by future Oscar winner Roberto Benini, is an Italian tourist who speaks in charming mangled English and seems baffled that everyone is so angry. Tom Waits and John Lurie play Zack and Jack, and they sell the deadpan irritation that makes their scenes pop. All three get framed, locked up, and forced to figure out whether they can cooperate long enough to get out. Once the story breaks into its prison escape section, it turns into a crooked little adventure through swamps, night roads, and half-abandoned spaces, with friendship forming almost by accident. The movie's humor comes from behavior and from how Roberto's optimism keeps puncturing the other two guys' tough poses. The cinematography by Robbie Mueller gives the film its signature look, all shadows, smoke, and streetlight glow. If you want a classic that feels cool without trying, this one still plays. You can stream it on HBO Max or the Criterion Channel or rent it on Apple TV or Amazon Video. And that wraps it for the March 27, 2026 edition of Indie Film Weekly. If you want to support the show, here's the quick checklist. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Share it with one friend who always says, tell me what to watch, rate it, and leave a short review because that is how the platforms decide this is worth recommending. Until next week, keep it weird, keep it kind, and keep it indie.