Only What We Carry
The Basics: What You Need to Know Before Tribeca
Only What We Carry premieres at the Tribeca Festival on June 6, 2026. It's a 93-minute drama written and directed by Jamie Adams, shot over six days in Deauville, France — a windswept Norman coastal town that functions less as scenery and more as a character.
The cast alone makes this worth tracking: Simon Pegg (not doing comedy here), Sofia Boutella, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Quentin Tarantino in a rare acting role as John Percy. The film's makers describe it as "a meditation on love, loss, and the quiet courage it takes to move forward."
That's the hook. Whether it lands depends entirely on your tolerance for slow, character-driven drama that trusts silence more than dialogue.
What Actually Happens: The Plot Without Spoilers
Charlotte returns to Deauville after a long, complicated absence. Julian Johns — her former instructor, played by Pegg — is still there. Still carrying whatever passed between them.
Then John Percy arrives unannounced, and the past stops being something these people can politely sidestep. The film doesn't rush toward confrontation. It sits with discomfort instead.
What's striking is how much this film appears to trust stillness. Most dramas about grief reach for catharsis — the confrontation scene, the breakdown, the moment where everything spills out. From early materials, Only What We Carry seems more interested in the moments just before all that happens. The thing nobody mentions is how rare it is to see a film that understands grief not as an event but as a weather system — something you live inside without quite knowing when it started.
The Cast: Why This Ensemble Actually Works
Simon Pegg as Julian Johns — This is the left-turn casting choice. Not the comic Pegg, not the action-franchise version, but something slower and more bruised. There's a moment (visible in first-look footage) where Julian simply stands at a window while Charlotte speaks, and Pegg does almost nothing. Which is harder than it sounds.
Sofia Boutella as Charlotte — She's shown flickers of this kind of intelligence in bigger productions but rarely gets to sustain it for a full film. Here, she carries Charlotte's return with a held-breath energy — the performance of someone who's rehearsed what she was going to say, then abandoned the script the moment she arrived.
Charlotte Gainsbourg as Josephine Chabrol — She's practically made a career out of playing women who know something the audience doesn't yet. Gainsbourg occupies a slightly different register here — more knowing, more still.
Quentin Tarantino as John Percy — The wild card. The arrival that destabilizes everything. Hard to say if Adams has pulled off making his presence read as a performance rather than just a personality until the film actually screens.
Supporting cast: Lizzy McAlpine (the singer-songwriter making her film debut) and Liam Hellmann round out an ensemble that, on paper, shouldn't cohere. Apparently it does.
How This Film Got Made: Six Days, One Small Town
Principal photography wrapped in October 2025 — shot over just six days in Deauville. That's either an act of extraordinary confidence or controlled madness, depending on how you look at it.
Writer-director Jamie Adams reportedly shaped the film around its location and cast rather than locking down a rigid script beforehand. Which tracks with the organic, almost documentary texture visible in early materials. Adams is known for working fast with small crews — the kind of filmmaker who catches actors in unguarded moments, which, for a film about people trying to guard themselves, seems exactly right.
The production is backed by Atlas Pictures and Easy on the Eye, with Charles Benoin, Liam Hellmann, and Jouri Smit producing. Movie OTT will be tracking the film's festival run and eventual streaming availability as reviews emerge from Tribeca.
Where to Watch: The Streaming Timeline
Right now? Nowhere. The film hasn't premiered publicly yet.
On June 6, 2026, it'll screen at Tribeca. After that, a distribution deal is likely — prestige dramas with this kind of cast and festival pedigree typically land on major platforms (Netflix, Apple TV+, Prime Video) within months of their festival run.
Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker will update the moment streaming rights are confirmed for your region. Those deals vary by country and can shift quickly, so checking back here is your fastest route to finding it once it's available. The widget at the top of this page will have links to every platform carrying the film — whether that's a subscription service, rental, or free tier with ads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I actually watch this?
If you liked Manchester by the Sea, A Ghost Story, or Moonlight — films that move quietly and trust the viewer — yes. If you need plot momentum and clear emotional arcs, maybe wait for the reviews.
Q: Who directed it?
Jamie Adams, the British filmmaker known for Eternal Beauty and What a Mess. Fast shooter, small crews, organic storytelling.
Q: Is it based on a true story?
No. It's original fiction, though it was developed in close connection to its real Deauville locations.
Q: How long is it?
Ninety-three minutes.
Q: What's the rating?
Not yet assigned. Tribeca will have that answer first.
Q: When can I actually stream it?
Check back here after Tribeca (June 6+). The moment distribution is announced, Movie OTT will have the full list of where to watch it.
Why This Matters Right Now
Only What We Carry doesn't announce itself loudly. Small cast, minimal dialogue heavy-lifting, a French coastal town in the off-season. It's the kind of film that asks you to meet it halfway.
But the ensemble — Pegg, Boutella, Gainsbourg, Tarantino — makes this one of the more intriguing drama premieres of 2026. And Adams' track record of extracting genuine performances from actors suggests he's done something real here.
Keep this bookmarked. As Tribeca reviews land and streaming platforms confirm their deals, we'll update everything you need to watch it.