The Cure (2026) Dir. Nancy Leopardi

Samantha Cochran (V/H/S/Halloween) stars as Ally, a young woman whose mysterious illness is only superseded by her mysterious adoptive parents and their disturbing intentions in new thriller flick The Cure.

The always twisted David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil) and the Twilight saga’s Ashley Greene star as parents Jeff and Georgia, a rich corporate couple looking into future scientific advancements to help Ally with her condition.

We are soon introduced to Sydney Taylor as Brooke, a girl initially hired to bond with Ally. The two end up sharing some fun, as well as some personal, moments to build a friendship, before Brooke begins to open up Ally’s viewpoint of her situation.

With only 90 minutes to play with – an underappreciated length for modern films I’d say – it’s a slight shame then that The Cure takes a while to get going, especially with what eventually becomes quite an eerie premise.

A mishmash of Ex Machina moments in a sterile glass-walled home is cross-cut with wig-wearing musical montages, which creates a strange tonal vibe from the outset too. And yet despite the cryptic illness seemingly the driving force, the narrative has far too little drive in itself.

Ally has multiple dream-like recollections of strange experiments, but early on too much time is spent on teenage foibles and chit-chat. This may connect with a younger crowd but this jaded 40-something felt it was time best used elsewhere as it reveals very little about the characters in the end.

Strangely the parents use bodyguards to protect Ally with the film encouraging an audience to ask why she is so “valuable” and after an attack by an older woman, questions begin to plague Ally herself given her strange predicament.

For me, one positive is the cast of actors who do their best with some well-worn material. Dastmalchian brings his perfect eerie aura, whilst Ashley Greene’s protective but shady mother hints upon some immoral grubbiness behind the business façade. And Samantha Cochran, as the poorly protagonist, gives empathy and nuance to an archetype seen many times before.

As the plot develops, we get escape attempts, potential conspiracies, a dab of action, (too much) security footage and ultimately a pretty-much-as-expected revelation to the proceedings.

There’s one very specific M. Night Shyamalan film that echoes throughout – especially reminiscent given its beach setting – and so unfortunately it has a disappointing air of familiarity. And one from a superior film as well.

But there is probably just enough here for low-budget thriller fans to have an enjoyable time. It doesn’t push any boundaries – filmmaking wise or thematically – yet the actors elevate some standard material for the mystery to still hold some intrigue. Its short length means you don’t have to worry about it dragging on too long either as The Cure tackles the shady side-effects of medical malpractice.

★★★

3 / 5

Michael Sales

Instagram / Facebook / X @midlandsmovies

The Cure is available on Digital HD 13 April. Distributed by Signature Entertainment