Corpse Pose
A spy drama set in a yoga studio—and it actually works
Corpse Pose is a 2026 drama from writer-director Sean Hucknall that does something genuinely unexpected: it interrupts a vinyasa flow class to reveal the substitute teacher is a spy, then commits entirely to that premise instead of winking at the camera. It premiered in the "Made in LA" section of the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival. The result is a small-scale, high-ambition film that's also an experimental musical — which tells you something about Hucknall's willingness to swing big.
What strikes me is how easily this concept could collapse into parody. Instead, early viewers on Letterboxd describe it as "sweet" — an adjective you don't typically apply to spy dramas or experimental work. That contradiction is the whole movie.
The premise that shouldn't work (but apparently does)
Here's the thing: a single-location drama lives or dies by whether the space itself becomes a character. Corpse Pose manages this by keeping the yoga studio intimate and claustrophobic rather than trying to open the world up. The spy reveal isn't played for action-movie thrills or broad comedy. It's a drama. The ground shifts beneath everyone mid-downward-dog, and what matters is how the room full of people responds to that shift — not whether there's a car chase.
The experimental musical framing is where Hucknall takes his biggest swings. One early Letterboxd reviewer joked about a "We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together" cover in a yoga-class context, and you immediately want to see that scene. The fact that it exists at all tells you something about the film's tonal confidence. It doesn't apologize for its weirdness. It leans in.
Who's actually in this thing
The ensemble cast includes Jaed Footitt, Brendan O'Brien, Auden Day, Roy Gentes, Kadence Johnson, Ivka Boguszewski, Nick Gordinier, and Ethan Richmond — none of them household names yet, but low-budget character work demands the kind of committed, unguarded energy these actors appear to bring. In an ensemble piece like this, you need everyone pulling in the same direction, or the whole thing falls apart. The fact that early viewers found the film "sweet" rather than awkward suggests the cast held the line.
Hucknall produced the film under his banner Film in a Bag Productions, which is the kind of tight creative control that defines scrappy, self-determined independents.
Where to actually watch it
Corpse Pose is available on major streaming platforms, though availability shifts by region and changes over time. The fastest way to find out exactly where it's streaming right now is Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker, which updates as distribution deals move around. Festival titles especially tend to bounce between platforms in the months after a premiere — what's on one service today might expand to others as rights get finalized. Don't waste time checking each app yourself. Let the aggregator do the work.
If you're outside the US, regional licensing differs, so the widget is your most reliable source for your specific location.
Why this film keeps showing up in indie circles
The Slamdance premiere matters. Slamdance was founded as an alternative to Sundance — a space for the kind of formally adventurous, low-budget work that doesn't fit festival orthodoxy. Corpse Pose landed in the "Made in LA" strand, which signals both a geographic tie to Los Angeles independent filmmaking and thematic alignment with Slamdance's mission.
What's interesting is there's no Rotten Tomatoes aggregate yet, no Metacritic score, no MPAA rating — the film is genuinely early in its life. No major trade coverage on box office figures, if a theatrical run exists at all beyond the festival circuit. What you get instead is growing Letterboxd commentary from people who actually saw it at Slamdance, which is often more honest than critic consensus anyway. These viewers weren't looking for a film that checked boxes. They found one that surprised them.
Movie OTT tracks festival titles as they move through the distribution pipeline, which is useful if you want to follow where Corpse Pose shows up next — whether that's a limited theatrical run, a platform exclusive, or a festival circuit expansion.
If you're the type who watches experimental musicals
You'll probably get something out of this. If you've ever watched a film and thought, "I wish someone had the audacity to do something this weird," Corpse Pose is evidence that people still do. The spy-in-the-yoga-studio frame is just the skeleton. The actual film is about what happens to a room full of people when normalcy fractures mid-class — and how that fracture gets expressed through music, not exposition.
Hard to know without a wider critical record whether every performance lands. But the engaged niche reception at Slamdance — people who showed up for an experimental musical set in a yoga studio and walked out talking about it — points to something that works on its own terms.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Corpse Pose?
Sean Hucknall wrote and directed the film under Film in a Bag Productions, handling producing duties as well. That level of creative control is typical of festival-circuit independents.
Q: Where can I watch Corpse Pose?
It's available on major OTT services. For the most current streaming info in your region, check Movie OTT's where-to-watch widget — it reflects live platform availability and updates as licensing shifts.
Q: Is this really an experimental musical?
Yes. Early descriptions and viewer reviews characterize it that way. The musical elements appear to be unconventional and have drawn both puzzled and enthusiastic responses from people who saw it at Slamdance.
Q: Who's in the cast?
The ensemble includes Jaed Footitt, Brendan O'Brien, Auden Day, Roy Gentes, Kadence Johnson, Ivka Boguszewski, Nick Gordinier, and Ethan Richmond.
Q: What's the rating?
No MPAA rating on record yet. The film is still making its way through the festival and distribution pipeline.
The bottom line
Corpse Pose isn't for everyone — and that's exactly the point. If you're the kind of person who gravitates toward experimental cinema, character-driven work with a weird heart, or spy stories told in the least obvious settings possible, you should track this down. Start with Movie OTT's aggregator to find where it's currently streaming in your area, and check back as its festival run develops and wider distribution solidifies. The fact that it premiered at Slamdance in 2026 with a full ensemble cast and genuine audience buzz suggests this is a film people are going to keep talking about.