Next Life
A parallel-universe love story that actually trusts the mess
Next Life follows Ivy, a woman embedded in London's jazz scene who discovers she can slip between parallel universes—each one a different romantic timeline. In one, she's with Diego, her ambitious ex-fiancé. In another, Noah, a free-spirited musician she meets on a train. The film's real question isn't about physics or wormholes. It's something far more uncomfortable: if you could see every version of your own heart, would you actually like what you found?
That emotional core is what separates Next Life from a dozen other high-concept love stories that mistake cleverness for feeling. Premiered at Tribeca on June 5, 2026. No wide theatrical or streaming release date confirmed yet.
Why Drake Doremus matters here more than usual
The director and writer brings real weight to this premise. Doremus built his reputation on Like Crazy (2011) and Breathe In (2013)—intimate dramas about love curling under pressure. He's not a director who reaches for spectacle when a quiet look between two people can do more work.
That sensibility applied to a parallel-universe structure is either a perfect match or a disaster. Here's what gives me confidence: the jazz setting isn't incidental. Jazz is built on improvisation, on the idea that the same song sounds different every time depending on who's in the room. That's not subtle, but it's purposeful. The metaphor holds.
According to Tribeca Film Festival, the film runs 112 minutes—long enough to let the parallel timelines breathe without rushing them, short enough to stay disciplined. Dan Romer composed the score; his work tends to sit close to the emotional surface without overselling it.
The cast and what they bring
Emilia Clarke carries the film as Ivy. She's also a producer—a level of creative investment that tends to show up on screen. Most people know her from Game of Thrones, where she played a role that required controlled intensity. What her smaller work reveals is something looser and more vulnerable. Next Life seems built to pull on that.
Édgar Ramírez plays Diego, grounded and ambitious. Jack Farthing plays Noah, spontaneous and uncertain. The film doesn't stack the deck in favor of either man, which is the right call. Stacking the deck would make it a fantasy. Leaving it open makes it a question worth sitting with.
Principal photography wrapped in London in December 2024. Production companies include 42, Mutressa Movies, Fetisoff Illusion, and Fortitude International, with Rocket Science handling international sales.
Where to watch—and when
Next Life had its world premiere at Tribeca in June 2026 with additional screenings that week in New York. As of now, no general streaming platform or theatrical distributor has been officially confirmed for a wide release.
Movie OTT tracks distribution announcements across platforms in real time, and the where-to-watch widget at the top of this page will update the moment any platform deal becomes public. Check back here—the page refreshes as soon as deals are confirmed.
Hard to say if a traditional theatrical run precedes streaming or if a platform lands first. That's still unresolved. But when it happens, you'll see it reflected here immediately.
What to expect—and who should care
If you can tolerate a love story that doesn't resolve neatly—one that uses science fiction to ask a genuinely uncomfortable question rather than deliver spectacle—this one's built for you.
Fans of Doremus's earlier work will recognize the register immediately. Quiet. Close. A little painful. The parallel-universe structure and jazz world give his filmmaking an expansion it needed without losing what makes his work distinct.
If you've responded to films like About Time (where love and time-travel collide) or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (where the emotional stakes matter more than the sci-fi mechanics), Next Life will likely land. I keep coming back to how much depends on whether the genre scaffolding stays invisible enough to let the characters breathe—and everything about Doremus's track record suggests it will.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When does Next Life come out?
It premiered at Tribeca on June 5, 2026. No wide release date announced yet. Movie OTT will update this page the moment distribution is confirmed.
Q: Is it based on a book or true story?
No. Next Life is an original screenplay by Drake Doremus.
Q: Who's in it?
Emilia Clarke as Ivy, Édgar Ramírez as Diego, Jack Farthing as Noah. Supporting cast includes Laurent C. Lucas and Molly Gromadzki.
Q: How long is it?
112 minutes.
Q: What's the rating?
No MPAA rating has been issued yet (the film hasn't had a wide release).
Q: Will it get a theatrical release or go straight to streaming?
Unknown. No announcement yet.
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