Friday Flicks: ‘Annihilation’, ‘Mute’, ‘Golden Slumber’
Welcome back to the Film Daily weekend roundup. The Friday slate once again leans into science fiction and genre experiments, and one title in particular still lingers in conversations years later. Annihilation sits at the center of this week’s picks, with the rest of the lineup offering a mix of indie oddities, international thrillers, and streaming originals that have found new life on home screens.
Box office chatter has moved on since the original post, yet the films themselves keep circulating through different formats. Viewers who missed them in theaters now encounter the same stories on laptops, tablets, and living-room televisions. That shift changes how these titles land and which moments stand out on a second or third pass.
Annihilation (Paramount Pictures)
on wide theatrical release now
The sci-fi innovator Alex Garland is back with a mind-bending journey into alien terrain. Natalie Portman (Black Swan) plays Lena – a biologist and former soldier who joins a mission to uncover what happened to her husband inside Area X a.k.a. “The Shimmer”. Once inside, her sanity is threatened as she discovers a world where the laws of nature don’t apply. Stars Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), Gina Rodriguez (Deepwater Horizon), and Tuva Novotny (Eat Pray Love).
Are We Not Cats (Cleopatra Entertainment)
on limited theatrical release now
Xander Robin’s genre-bending indie flick incorporates romance, horror, comedy, and oodles of quirk, telling the story of two strangers who spark romance over their shared habit of compulsive hair eating. Are We Not Cats is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, lovingly balanced by two vulnerable characters, a pulsating soundtrack, and colorful cinematography. Stars Michael Patrick Nicholson (We Are Still Here), Chelsea Lopez (Novitiate), Michael Godere (Loitering with Intent), and Alice Frank (The Source).
The Cured (IFC Films)
on limited theatrical release now
Zombie movie fans rejoice! From director David Freyne comes the unique new horror detailing the lives of the undead in recovery. Set six years after a devastating virus that transformed humans into zombie-like monsters, the cured are haunted with the memories of their actions while infected. As some try to move past their affiliations, the growing unrest threatens to plunge the world back into chaos. Stars Ellen Page (Inception), Sam Keeley (Anthropoid), Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (The Infiltrator), and Stuart Graham (The Foreigner).
Golden Slumber (CJ Entertainment)
on limited theatrical release now
From director Noh Dong-seok (Boys of Tomorrow) comes this crime-action thriller about an assassination, a conspiracy, and a framed delivery guy named Kim Gun-woo (Gang Dong-won) who is forced to flee for his life. With evidence mounting against him, Gun-woo teams up with a former agent in an attempt to clear his name. Stars Han Hyo-joo (The Beauty Inside) and Kim Eui-sung (Train to Busan).
Mute (Netflix)
on limited theatrical release now
Duncan Jones is back with a noir sci-fi thriller he’s been trying to make ever since he put out Moon. Set in the seedy underbelly of Berlin, Mute follows Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) as he searches for his missing girlfriend through the Blade Runner-esque streets, frenzied plazas, and the full spectrum of the city’s shadow dwellers. Along the way he finds himself mixed up with Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux) – a pair of irreverent U.S. army surgeons on a mission of their own. Stars Levi Eisenblätter, Rosie Shaw, and Eugen Bauder.
November (Oscilloscope Pictures)
on limited theatrical release now
Based on the best-selling novel Rehepapp by Andrus Kivirähk, November offers a mixture of magic, black humor, and romantic love. The audience is taken back to 19th century Estonia, where peasant girl Liina’s (Rea Lest) love for local village boy Hans (Jörgen Liik) is so strong, it turns her into a werewolf. Random! If you’re into furry moon lurkers, pagan mythology, and black & white cinematography, then be sure to check out Rainer Sarnet’s genre-bending flick this weekend.
Streaming Availability and Legacy
Annihilation and Mute moved quickly from theaters and premieres onto major platforms, where they remain easy to find. The other titles cycle through rotating VOD catalogs and occasional festival revivals. Viewers who first watched them on opening weekend now revisit them on smaller screens, sometimes catching details that felt secondary in a crowded theater.
Critical Reappraisal Since Release
Annihilation placed on the 2025 New York Times readers’ list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. The film’s visual language and thematic density have drawn fresh commentary long after its initial run. The remaining titles drew mixed notices at launch and have received less sustained reevaluation, though they still surface in genre roundups and streaming recommendations.
Cast Career Milestones Post-Release
Natalie Portman and Alexander Skarsgård moved between prestige dramas and large-scale productions after these projects. Directors Alex Garland and Duncan Jones continued exploring genre boundaries with later features and series work. The supporting casts have also kept busy across independent features and international productions.
Similar Films Released Around the Same Time
2018 brought a cluster of science-fiction and horror titles that played with form and tone. The films gathered here sit at different points on that spectrum: studio-backed cosmic horror, low-budget relationship studies, Korean conspiracy thrillers, and folk-inflected fantasies. Together they sketch one slice of the year’s experimental output.
These six films continue to circulate because each one offers a distinct flavor of genre storytelling. Annihilation still draws the loudest echoes, yet the supporting slate keeps its own quiet appeal for viewers hunting for something off the usual path.
