By Mark Pukalo
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier made a movie that became a cult classic in 2020 and followed that up with a fun, semi-autobiographical film by the pool in 2024.
The awkwardly funny and ultimately heartwarming "Dinner in America" was released during covid and took awhile before word of mouth found it an audience while "Snack Shack" drew positive reviews from most critics and did reasonably well at the box office.
Two years later, Rehmeier has taken his directing to a new level with a modern day Bonnie & Clyde-like film "Carolina Caroline," shown at the Sarasota Film Festival on Thursday night before its wide release date on June 5.
Rehmeier's film was one of four viewed on Thursday and Friday - two with star-studded casts and a pair with unique independent feels.
Carolina Caroline could have been just another crime drama on the road, but co-stars Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner had such good chemistry that it made the film seem authentic. Gallner creates a smarter, more confident, version of the con man he played in Dinner in America while Weaving's Caroline is both sexy and vulnerable.
This wasn't a film with many twists and turns, but Rehmeier kept your attention with a simple script that pulled you into the fated love story. This movie might not be in awards discussion at year's end, but it is an entertaining 90 minutes for move fans.
It was a rough 2025 for Weaving with awful scripts in "Eenie Meanie" and especially "Borderline." But 2026 may turn her career in the right direction with "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," "Over My Dead Body" and this performance.
Cooper Hoffman could have a big year as well. The son of the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman is slowly moving toward the top of list of young leading men. He made his debut in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza," played Dick Ebersol in "Saturday Night," and killed it last year in "The Long Walk."
However, this could be a major breakout year for Hoffman with the upcoming "Poetic License," "Artificial" and perhaps "The Chaperones." His best performance in 2026 may end up being in the erotic comedy "I Want Your Sex," which showed Friday in Sarasota. It is scheduled for a wide release July 31. Go see it. It's a wild good time.
Hoffman blends obsession for his sexually dominant boss Olivia Wilde along with a sense of humor. Charli xcx, Mason Gooding and especially the appealing Chase Sui Wonders (right, with Hoffman) add a bundle of laughs supporting the two leads.
Director Greg Araki mixes the comedy with eroticism just right and examines relationships in modern days. A movie like this can go over the line, but Araki finds the comfort zone and gets laughs throughout.
Carolina Caroline and I Want Your Sex were the most entertaining films on Thursday and Friday in Sarasota, but the two other films viewed had plenty to offer as well.
"The Last One for the Road" is a quirky Italian comedy/drama about two middle-aged men who go on a bar-hopping road trip with a random young student. It has plenty of laughs and allows all three main characters to learn a little about the essence of life. It won't make my top five of the festival, but I'm glad I saw it on Thursday when "Bunnylovr" was canceled.
"Charliebird" was an entirely different experience on Friday. Director Libby Ewing's feature film debut won the US Narrative July Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and you can see why.
It is a simple film about a music therapist at a Children's Hospital who forges a close relationship with a teenage patient. Samantha Smart (left) wrote and starred in the film that is playful, but very emotional. Gabriela Ochoa Perez is outstanding as the young Charlie.
It's disappointing that a moving, independent film like this does not get more run in theaters. The one thing my Tampa area needs is a good independent movie house.
Yes, there are a few venues in the area (Tampa Theater for one, sometimes Sun-Ray near USF) that play some of these types of films, but they also seem to feel the need to show the blockbusters. I'm not naive. They need to make money and there are not enough people with open minds that will spend money to see these films consistently. I just wish it could be different. At least streaming can fill the gap at times.
If you can find Charliebird at some point this year, give it a watch and see what you think.
One more trip to Sarasota on Sunday for a tripleheader. I will start the day with back-to-back documentaries - "Cookie Queens" and "Westhampton" before ending the festival with Willem Dafoe's "Late Fame."
For more information, check out https://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/festival/2026/schedule.
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