“Forbidden Fruits” (2026)
Not every film can make a shopping mall feel both magical and menacing, but Forbidden Fruits challenges that.

Sakura, who just graduated from a university, begins to work at a library in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture. She is flustered with her new job and unfamiliar environment. One day, an elderly woman named Reiko visits the library and shows Sakura an old photo of a man and a woman. Sakura takes her to the place where the photo was taken. Reiko sometimes brings other photos and Sakura takes her to the place where the photos were taken. While doing this, Sakura learns about the history and culture of Katsuragi. She also talks with the residents and grows as a person.
Not every film can make a shopping mall feel both magical and menacing, but Forbidden Fruits challenges that.
Many call 'Tragedy Girls' a modern-day 'Heathers', and I do see the resemblance. The film asks the same question that all teenagers suffer with: who am I? Well, the movie answers this — you are your online presence.
Diana’s spirit has taken off, ‘No right, no wrong, no rules for me.’ And in that moment, as she runs on the screen, she gets it, her ‘Let It Go’ moment.
Tara Thorne’s film is equal parts emotional and comedic, illustrating the beauty and the pain of long term relationships.
Films staring black transgender actresses/actors are few and far between, it’s refreshing to see a demographic represented in film that hardly gets any attention. This is especially important as the Black trans community has been shown in studies to face the highest level of discrimination amongst general trans and non-binary groups. That is why it’s so crucial that we amplify their voices through any way we can, storytelling being a great medium to do so.
I am shocked and upset to report that the movie about a female car mechanic who meets the love of her life online featuring Katy O’Brien does not, in fact, have a lesbian storyline.