EIFF 2026: Capsized

Films about good old all-American pluck in facing, and often overcoming, economic precarity can feel off-kilter when packaged whimsically during times when all the pluck in the world won’t redistribute the wealth of billionaires. To feature debut director Lindsey Ryan’s credit, Capsized stays afloat through the terrific performances and a script that emphasises community not as a magical solution but a wry, loving, often difficult forum in which to negotiate life’s ups and downs. 

Ray (Rhys Ifans) and Diane (Lily Rabe) are preparing their chaotic family for what should be a picture-perfect family holiday on a houseboat. But Ray has not been fully open about their financial situation, and he can hide his phone calls but not the eviction notice discovered by teenage daughter Nicole (Sarah Catherine Hook). With their future – not to mention Nicole’s college dreams – suddenly in flux, their holiday finds them literally and figuratively at sea together, pinning their hopes on victory in a fishing competition.

The cast – indie veterans and young performers alike – is excellent. Perhaps the children are a little bit too chill with their sudden changes of circumstance (despite parental best efforts, all cannot be hidden), but their interactions are written with such genuine warmth that disbelief feels churlish. Ifans’ soulfulness makes him a surprisingly sympathetic figure; it is believable that Rabe’s Diane would continue to fight for this family, which she does doggedly and wryly.

With shades of Little Miss Sunshine, Capsized may be an indie crowdpleaser for the 2020s.