Fantasia Fest 2026: Sour Minnows Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Writer-director Harrison Atkins’ sophomore feature, Sour Minnows, made its world premiere as one of thirteen features in Fantasia’s coveted Cheval Noir competition category. The pinnacle of the festival’s award categories, the Cheval Noir is often where Fantasia’s extensive and diverse selection gets the opportunity to shine through storytelling and filmmaking that seeks the attention of fellow genre enthusiasts. Atkins’ addition to the competition highlights the ambiguity of surreal hallucinations amongst the laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle, exploring topics like existentialism and human connection.

Atkins effectively establishes this grounded, conversational atmosphere between Ricky (Brown) and his roommate Tepper (Williamson), before diving straight into the unfamiliarity of individuals just casually licking the pavement – kicking off the paranoid and uncanny overanalyzed fever dreams in Ricky’s mellow L.A. life, elevated by Lynchian existential surrealism. Brown particularly demonstrates this convincing portrayal of nuanced confusion behind his enigmatic depiction of a hangout film, especially in contrast to Brown’s participation as an improvisational, eccentric juror in Jury Duty – with Ryan Perez from the series’ second season also making a brief appearance. Atkins notably tests the bounds of Brown’s ability through brilliantly crafted creepy imagery to further frighten Ricky’s psyche, which is also equally humorous towards the casualness of the serene, unsettling surprises that are around the corner.

When he starts looking for answers, even confiding in his situationship with friend Aura (Suzanna Son), Ricky finally realizes the otherworldly darkness that he’s grappling with while Atkins reinforces such meditative ambiance to emphasize his bewildered thoughts and sentiments. He uses the contemporary topic of Los Angeles homelessness to disorient Ricky in his struggle for guidance, as his roommate is unfazed by the peculiarity of Ricky’s spiraling behavior. His ambition isn’t always attained in our deeper understanding of his characters’ tackling of life and the unknown, but his visual representations of such dreamlike happenings behind this hangout film remedy this as his editing experience in his collaborations with John Patton Ford’s films is capitalized in full potential with his Lynchian inspiration on this Los Angeles setting.

Harrison Atkins’ mixture of surreal ambiguity and his take on a hangout film is a visionary effort for his sophomore feature Sour Minnows. Harnessing his editing experience, unsettling imagery, and a versatile performance by David Brown elevates this genre combination enough to ignite interest in this Lynchian-inspired film.

still courtesy of Fantasia Festival

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Costa Christoulas

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