Mare's Nest Is in Theaters Now With 92% on Rotten Tomatoes

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

A scene from Mare's Nest (2026), the Ben Rivers science fiction drama shot on 16mm about a world without adults

Mare's Nest is in select theaters now and expanding. Director Ben Rivers shot the film on 16mm, processed by hand. His teenage lead, Moon Guo Barker, navigates a landscape where all the adults have simply ceased to exist. The children left behind perform a play from a Don DeLillo text about climate disaster.

Critics have given it 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Screen Anarchy calls it an intriguing allegory for a generation growing up without the guidance of its predecessors. It runs 98 minutes.

For anyone who wants the alternative to every sequel opening this July 4 weekend.

Watch Two Years at Sea for Ben Rivers' visual grammar, or White Noise for the DeLillo mood. Or go in cold.

The movie that knows July is not just for blockbusters.

Quick Facts

Mare's Nest Is in Theaters Now With 92% on Rotten Tomatoes

DirectorBen Rivers

CastMoon Guo Barker, Astrid Ihora, Elahni-ja'nai Nembhard

GenreScience Fiction, Drama

Release2026-06-24

Runtime98 min

Rated5.4/10

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Mare's Nest is in select theaters now. Ben Rivers made a film about a world without adults, shot on 16mm. Critics gave it 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. #MaresNest #Backlot

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Mare's Nest is in select theaters now and expanding. A teenage girl navigates a world without adults. Ben Rivers shot it on 16mm. Critics gave it 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics have given it 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Screen Anarchy calls it an intriguing allegory for a generation growing up without the guidance of its predecessors. It runs 98 minutes.

For anyone who wants the alternative to every sequel opening this July 4 weekend.

Watch Two Years at Sea for Ben Rivers' visual grammar, or White Noise for the DeLillo mood. Or go in cold.

The movie that knows July is not just for blockbusters.