River
Written by Nicole Cabrera
Warning: This review is for River, which is a film presented at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. There may be slight spoilers present. Reader discretion is advised.
Image courtesy of the Toronto International film Festival.
The notion of the dangers of bodies of water, especially still bodies of water, has never been truer than in the case of this casual family reunion created by director Joshua Giluano in his first film River. Siblings… can’t live with them but when push comes to shove, you sure want them fighting by your side…especially against deranged psychopaths.
River looks at a family reunion brought together by the worst circumstances - estranged siblings return to give their father a proper send off in a manner he was truly passionate about; they decide to take a float down their childhood river, in his boat have a few drinks and put their father's ashes in their final resting place. At first, the siblings seem to have a good relationship;But, it quickly becomes clear that things aren't what they appear. Lucy ( Jane Levy), Drew (Max Mattern) and their step sister Carla (Jessica Rothe) come together in reunion; it is clear that Carla is not nearly as close as the other siblings. The siblings are also very different personality wise: Lucy being more no- nonsense, Drew more skittish, and Carla wild and fun loving.
Determined to give their father that last rites, the siblings try to speak well of their late father; but it quickly falls apart and unruly things come out including: cheating and an unorthodox way of “teaching” Drew how to swim by tossing him in the river. Things quickly become heated, and in the chaos they release the boat has been leaking fuel due to Carla’s chaotic driving… and they are stranded.
Bickering ensues, but the siblings don’t have long to fight, as Carla attempts to swim to shore and loses the keys in the process- their sibling conflicts become less significant when they are interrupted by a bloody, half naked muscular man killing another person. Silent and deadly, he soon makes his presence known and is stalking the stranded boat, wielding weapons and he’s not alone, the siblings are caged in on both sides of the river, unable to make it to shore-they can’t float back home and can’t swim away- they’re hopelessly trapped. As night falls, River kicks into high gear. Fed up, Carla makes a break for the shore again and that’s when the blood bath begins; complete with harpoons and near drownings the strangers are waiting for them on the shore and that's where all hell breaks loose.
River, contrary to its title, fortunately does not only take place on the water but also land as the siblings begin a fight to the death for survival with the masked assailants. Ina style reminiscent of The Strangers there is no clear reason why- it simply seems to be a circumstance of wrong place and time. What truly makes this slasher film enjoyable is the sibling dynamic; Roth, Levy, Mattern have excellent character chemistry with one another as they fight tooth and nail against these deranged forest killers - but there is still time for some humour and family bonding. Likewise, for a slasher film people wonder how are the kills? and while there may not be many, those that do exist are shocking even for regular horror enjoyers.
While River is a fun romp to the theatres, especially as we get closer to spooky season; the films’ flaw is the unnecessary process of setting up a sequel (or several) of masked assailants that go killing sprees in a sort of cult like manor seems unnecessary and takes away from the fun one- off adventure of the slasher’s nature.
Nicole Cabrera is a Toronto-based film enjoyer with a passion for the eighties, horror, and deep diving their favourite actors’ obscure filmography. When they’re not watching movies, they're writing, crafting, cosplaying, going to concerts, working on their podcast (Hollywood Deepdive) and dreaming of traveling.