Bored of Barbenheimer? Here Are 5 Summer Movies You Shouldn’t Miss

For the first time in years, it feels like movies are really, truly back, with two major-studio films in particular breaking box-office records and bringing a welcome flush of excitement back to cinemas worldwide. But the summer’s biggest movies have also dominated the discourse, crowding out smaller films released this summer that also deserve to be seen—and that may need more of a push than before given the WGA and SAG strikes’ impact on the promotional campaigns of many projects.

So here are a few excellent films you may not have heard of that were released earlier this summer or will be landing in theaters in the upcoming weeks. All first features from thrilling new voices, these movies bring a startling freshness to what may seem like familiar storylines or tropes—with a few upending typically bleak or tragic identity narratives with humor, originality, and, above all, humanity.