Author: Amy Diaz

Amy Diaz is the executive editor and writes about movies and compiles the Kiddie Pool column. Reach her at adiaz@hippopress.com.

Space!

The summer movie frontier?

Who doesn’t love summer movie space aliens?

(Spoilers ahead — I don’t really know how to proceed without a little bit of secret-spilling.)

It is perhaps a mild spoiler to say that Disclosure Day (PG-13, in theaters now), directed by Steven Spielberg, is about extraterrestrial beings. It is maybe a bigger spoiler to say the movie is specifically about what happens as the existence of those aliens goes from being a secret held by the government for some 80 years to being something that a wider group of people, perhaps even the whole world, knows.

As we see in trailers, TV weatherperson Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is suddenly capable of speaking an unEarthly clicky language, which she breaks into during one of her live broadcasts. Margaret’s moment of on-air strangeness leads her to fear she’s had a medical issue. But we see the reaction that footage of the episode gets from a secretive quasi-government agency run by Noah (Colin Firth), who is already scrambling the troops after one of his tech guys, Daniel (Josh O’Connor), made off with some highly classified video footage. And we see the reaction of a group led by Hugo (Colman Domingo), who seems to be directing Daniel in his heist. As Noah’s people chase Margaret, who doesn’t understand why she’s suddenly a wanted woman any more than she understands why she can suddenly read everyone’s thoughts, and Daniel, the two seem drawn to each other. Fairly early, we learn about the big secret Daniel is so desperate to get out to the public when he shows his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) some of the stolen footage starting with, bestill Fox Mulder’s heart, the Roswell crash in 1947.

I think we’re supposed to be watching basically regular people being pulled into this big secret — how would they handle this information, how would they react to learning the part they are playing, do they think the world can handle knowledge of aliens? There are moments that exemplify this: Jane talks to a nun played by Elizabeth Marvel and they weigh the meaning of aliens, the reaction they’d expect the world to have.

My problem is that these conversations frequently can’t break off the page to feel like a real conversation, these people never quite feel like real people to me. Emily Blunt feels off-key here. It’s as though she was given too many notes about exactly what tone to strike and ends up feeling like two or three character ideas smooshed into one person. Josh O’Connor, meanwhile, feels like he’s just hitting the one character note, just a lump of doe-eyed Big Emotion. Colman Domingo is maybe doing something interesting — isn’t he always? — but it feels like it’s from a different movie. And Colin Firth is just serving up angry British authority, take it or leave it, no side of fries.

For every “that’s an interesting idea” the movie has many story elements that are unnecessary, don’t fully make sense or don’t feel like they were developed beyond the idea stage. A running subplot throughout this movie is that international tensions have the whole world on the brink of war. We see people hoarding gas and buying out supermarkets. This element is maybe meant to heighten tension or underline the destructive tendencies of humans or some other thing I just didn’t get. For me, though, it was one of the extra accessories that Coco Chanel wants you to take off before leaving the house.

There are elements of the chase that are fun and well-constructed, though the movie is never as energetic as its most John Williams-y of John Williams scores seems to want us to think it is. I feel like there are ideas here, things that could have gone in either a more popcorn fun direction or something that felt more like a stripped down gritty sci-fi adventure reminiscent of 1970s Spielberg. For me, though, the movie never pulled together into something that was either a thrilling ride or a compelling thought experiment.

A few days later I rewatched that 1977 grittier Spielberg sci-fi: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (available for rent or purchase and streaming on Peacock). In many ways, this is the spikier, low fi version of Disclosure Day. We get many of the same elements — strange occurrences, the “what’s happening to me,” a chase with officialdom — though there is more chase and a shorter timeline in Disclosure Day. Characters played by Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon see clearly not-from-here crafts flying in the sky and come away from the experience with thoughts of Devil’s Tower National Monument stuck in their heads. Desperate to figure out what they’ve seen and what they’re experiencing, the two unwind — first Dreyfuss’s character as he scares his family (including his wife played by Teri Garr) and then Dillon’s character when her young son, seeing brightly lit “toys,” runs after a UFO and is abducted. I highly recommend this double feature — I think I had more fun thinking about Disclosure Day after watching Close Encounters. The movies are, as your serious film academics might say, in conversation with each other and are both interesting reflections of their times.

I also used the outer space theme of Disclosure Day as an excuse to catch up with March release Project Hail Mary (PG-13, available for purchase). Based on the Andy Weir book, Project Hail Mary is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the team who wrote and directed The Lego Movie and wrote the animated Spider-Verse films, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard, who also wrote Weir’s other book-to-film, The Martian. This movie is exactly as good as all those names promise.

Ryan Gosling here is, similar to Matt Damon in The Martian, the one person working alone for a good chunk of the movie. He plays Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher who is also a molecular biologist and has been kicked out of standard scientific work for some kooky ideas about the conditions required for life to develop. Luckily, Eva Stratt (an excellent performance from Sandra Hüller) is in the kooky ideas business. The head of an international scientific project, Eva is trying to figure out astrophage, a substance that is traveling from Venus to the sun and appears to be dimming the sun’s light. Scientists all over the world are working on the project and she calls Grace in to study a sample of the astrophage gathered on a recent space mission. We watch as Grace joins the project to try to figure out what astrophage is and how they could possibly reverse the potentially world-ending effects it’s having on the sun.

All of this is viewed in flashback as Grace, in the movie’s present, wakes up to find himself alone on a space craft with no memory of much of anything — who he is, where he is, why he’s there, why a robot is trying to shave off his extremely long beard.

Similar to The Martian, Project Hail Mary is a movie of questions and whiteboards and smart people tackling small problems with duct tape and plywood in order to get the information needed to tackle bigger problems. It is optimistic in its view of science and people doing science — this isn’t callous tech-dinguses trying to figure out how to monetize some crappy thing that nobody really needs anyway. It’s people, all curious and fallible, working together, across borders and language barriers, to figure things out with the ultimate aim of saving the world. This might be my favorite brand of save-the-world adventure movie? No magical stuff or superpowers, just middle-aged nerds who can mock things up with Home Depot supplies. This movie does everything right — Gosling’s performance, space visuals, showing people thinking through things and showing Gosling working out a puzzle by himself that includes a really solid vocal performance (by James Ortiz).

Featured photo: Disclosure Day.

Com! Rom! and more

A look at Office Romance and other streaming fare

I like a rom-com that doesn’t skimp on the com.

Office Romance (R) is a movie written by Brett Goldstein (best-known perhaps as the gruff “he’s every-[bleeping]-where” Roy Kent on Ted Lasso) and Joe Kelly, whose writer/co-creator credits on IMDb include Ted Lasso and Detroiters. Despite being a Netflix release (on June 5) this movie is of theatrical release quality with a sensibility that hits a nice middle space between expected rom-com beats and the kookier sense of humor of those involved. And, in case years of superstardom and the Affleck of it all have caused you to forget, Jennifer Lopez is actually pretty good at kooky.

Here she plays Jackie Cruz, the CEO of Cruz Air, who has successfully guided the company but is still called “Gordita” by her father, Jack Cruz (Edward James Olmos), the airline’s founder, during meetings with a board of directors that is tepid on her leadership. When expansion plans lead to a frivolous lawsuit by a competing airline, Jackie meets in-house lawyer Daniel (Goldstein), asked to handle the case when the company’s head attorney (Bradley Whitford, clearly having fun doing the most) is sidelined due to a breakfast burrito mishap. Daniel and Jackie very quickly realize their mutual attraction but, in the face of the company’s “zero tolerance for intraoffice dating” policy, they know they can’t act on it. So, of course, they get drunk on a work trip and wind up in bed. The no-dating policy is really only part of the obstacle to their romance, most of which is silly, but Goldstein and Lopez have nice romantic chemistry and even better comedy chemistry as a duo involved in romance-tinged goofiness.

For me the movie’s MVP is Betty Gilpin, who plays Jackie’s extremely pregnant assistant Sydney. The role has that “early aughts Judy Greer role” vibe but Gilpin brings her specific brand of delightful lunatic intensity. Betty Gilpin is always the MVP — whether she’s intimidating Goldstein whilst in labor, as she does here, or playing a colonial era woman whose desire to escape spinsterhood leads her to marry a man who is possibly in league with the devil on a plague-ridden island (watch Apple’s Widow’s Bay, a weird-fun horror series in which Gilpin has an excellent one-episode appearance).

Office Romance is a goes-down-easy movie that seems to have put fun first — offering solid comedy along with its reality standard romance.

Elsewhere in the streamingplex is Miss You, Love You (TV-MA, streaming on HBOMax as of May 29). Allison Janney is Diane, a woman grieving her husband who just died after a battle with Parkinson’s. She is putting together his funeral and, while she’d like her son to help her, what she gets is his assistant Jamie (Andrew Rannells). With the exception of a little Bonnie Hunt here and Oscar Nunez there, this movie is mostly Janney and Rannells talking to, talking past and dealing with each other in the days leading up to the funeral — so much so that I assumed this was the adaptation of a play. It doesn’t appear to be — it was written as a screenplay and directed by Jim Nash, probably still best recognized from his role as the dean on Community, according to Wikipedia.

Though Diane and Jamie’s relationship seems straightforward — she’s a new widow, angry that her son has sent an assistant instead of coming to care for her himself, and he’s the assistant sent, like it or not — both of their backstories are more complicated than that.

“I like seeing Allison Janney like this” was a thought I had early in the movie, by which I think I meant I like seeing Allison Janney just acting, just doing the work as a smart, articulate woman without some other bit of daffy business stacked on the role. Her performance here is precise — you understand immediately who Diane is and then get to know her in a way that deepens that understanding. Janney and Rannells play off each other well, both when the characters are getting along and when they’re fighting. It’s really enjoyable to watch even if it’s watching people move through varying stages of grief.

The Home is also sort of about grief — is a not completely untrue thing a person could say about this oddball horror movie that allegedly was in theaters last summer and is currently streaming on Hulu. The Home stars Pete Davidson, of all unlikely people, whose character, Max, comes to work at a retirement home as part of a community service sentence for doing socially conscious graffiti. Max immediately begins seeing and hearing strange things as he gets to know the residents including those played by John Glover and Mary Beth Peil (Grams from Dawson’s Creek, among her many credits). For the movie’s first half, Max sort of ambles through increasing creepiness and gore, both real and (possibly) in dreams, responding somewhat like his Chad character from the Saturday Night Live sketches (fun fact: there actually was a Chad horror movie sketch and it features John Mulaney — it’s fun!). Then Max begins a campaign of obsessive observation of the residents with a series of hidden video cameras and breaking into spaces he shouldn’t go, quickly followed by a left turn into Bonkersville.

There is a world in which all of that, especially the turn into Bonkersville, could have been a wild Malignant-like ride of horror tropes and operatic goofiness. But it doesn’t quite get there; it has some “huh, that’s a fun idea” beats but can’t pull it all together into something that transcends its weaker moments.

For a look at a story in a retirement living situation that does transcend its bumpier elements — and, frankly, the reason I’m talking about The Home at all — check out The Boroughs. This eight-episode Netflix series also has something strange happening at a retirement community — the New Mexico-set The Boroughs, which feels similar to The Villages in Florida, and its full-time care facility The Manor. (This show was the reason I thought “maybe?” when coming across The Home.) In The Boroughs, Boomers drive golf carts around a resort-like setting and engage in day drinking and promiscuity. In the nearby Manor, those with memory and cognitive difficulties wait at prop bus stops and peacefully serve each other yarn-filled mugs of “coffee.” But in both places, the settings feel a little too gentle and the staff is a little too aggressively positive. The why of it all is imperfect but the stacked cast makes the show worth sticking with: Alfred Molina as the newest resident; Jena Malone as his daughter; Alfre Woodard, Clark Peters, Denis O’Hare and Geena Davis as his neighbors, and Bill Pullman, Ed Begley Jr., Anna Deavere Smith, Jane Kaczmarek and Mary McDonnell making appearances. It is, as many reviewers have observed, a murderers’ row of performers who absolutely make everything they’re given at least 30 percent better. Skip The Home and watch The Boroughs.

Also streaming on Hulu is In Cold Light (R), which Wikipedia indicates had some sort of release earlier this year. This movie is, as the title indicates, chilly and didn’t feel fully developed but I enjoyed it for the downbeat crime & family drama it is. Maika Monroe plays Ava, vibrating with barely contained rage, sadness and fear at all times. Just released from prison, Ava tries the law-abiding citizen route for like a minute before she tries to return to the drug business she ran with her twin brother Tom (Jesse Irving). She quickly learns that there are new players and finds herself plunged into a war featuring a dirty cop and unreliable allies. (And Helen Hunt, perhaps auditioning for something in the neighborhood of the Annette Bening role on Paramount+’s Dutton Ranch. If so, she should get it. She is solid. Also, meanwhile, Dutton Ranch is a hoot.) The heart of the movie is the difficult relationship between Ava and her father Will (Troy Kotsur, Oscar-winner for CODA). Their scenes offer a reminder that, whatever Covid-era baggage we attach to CODA aside, Kotsur deserved his Oscar and that, while I mostly know Monroe from the The Hand that Rocks the Cradle remake and the weird 2024 horror movie Longlegs, there is definitely something there with her.

Featured photo: The Other Bennet Sister

Kid’s Guide to Summer 2026

A season of festivals, theater, concerts, movies and more family fun

School’s Out! For! Summer! School’s! Out! For— wait, for how long?

In this year’s kid’s guide to summer we offer a rundown of events and attractions for kids and families in the forthcoming school-free weeks. Got a kid-friendly event not mentioned here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

Events

• The Make It Fest!, a “gathering of makers, doers, DIYers, crafters, tinkerers, self-proclaimed engineers and aspiring mad-scientists!” according to makeitfest.com, will take place Saturday, June 13, from noon to 4 p.m. at Make It Labs, 25 Crown St. in Nashua. The event will feature demonstrations, exhibits, workshops, a sumo robot competition, vendor sales and more, according to the website, where you can register to attend.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards, 133 Exeter Road in Hampton Falls, has a series of festivals throughout the summer and into the fall on select weekends, starting with a Strawberry Festival on Saturdays, June 13 and June 20, and Sundays, June 14 and June 21, according to applecrest.com. Other festivals include a Blueberry Celebration July 12, a Blueberry Festival July 25-26, Blueberry & Peach Celebration Aug. 2, Peach Festival Aug. 15-16, Fall Harvest Kick-Off Aug. 29-30 and Labor Day weekend Sept. 5-7.

• The Seacoast LitFest will take place Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 14, at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, according to a press release. Young readers may enjoy the Book Fair and Free Kids Book Giveaway slated for Sunday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 28 Chestnut St. in Portsmouth. It will be “a lively book fair with local vendors and authors, featuring live music and poetry readings, free book swap and free children’s books for young readers,” according to themusichall.org, where you can find the LitFest’s complete schedule.

• Nashua kicks off its SummerFun program with Superheroes in the Park at Greeley Park on Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring trucks to explore, vendors, games, Jedi training, a superhero show and giveaways, including free superhero capes, masks and light sabers to the first 250 kids, according to Nashuanh.gov/546/SummerFun.

• Golden: A K-Pop Kids’ Party, an all-ages family dance party (kids must be accompanied by an adult), will be held by The Kawaii Rave and VNK Entertainment on Sunday, June 14, at 1 p.m. at the BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, according to ccanh.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• Joppa Hill Educational Farm, 174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford, is holding weekly animal storytimes on Tuesdays (June 16 is the third in the series) through Aug. 11 at 10:15 a.m. “Listen to a short story about farms and animals and then visit with one of the farm residents,” according to jhef.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• The 26th Annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic runs Thursday, June 18, through Saturday, June 20, with the illuminated sculptures on display through June 28, according to hamptonbeach.org/events/sand-sculpture-event. A group carve takes place Wednesday, June 17, according to the website, where you can find a schedule of events and a look at this year’s contributors.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester) will hold its Kick Off to Summer Saturday, June 20, through Friday, June 26, “featuring activities using LEGO® Bricks and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the completion of our LEGO® Millyard Project,” according to see-sciencecenter.org, where you can find admission prices and pre-purchase admission. Through Labor Day, the Center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the website said.

• The New London Parks and Recreation Department will hold its ninth annual Strawberry Fest on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the town green, featuring strawberries and strawberry shortcake for sale (cash or check only) as well as other food and vendors and entertainment, according to newlondon.nh.gov/recreation and a post on the department’s Facebook page.

• St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1160 Bridge St. in Manchester, will hold its Lamb BBQ and Food Festival on Saturday, June 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a church email. Check back on the church’s socials or at stnicholasgreekchurch.com for updates.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire will hold its annual Father’s Day Weekend Fly-In BBQ at Boire Field in Nashua on Saturday, June 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to aviationmuseumofnh.org, where you can check back for details.

• The Wilton NH Main Street Association’s SummerFest will be held Saturday, June 20, according to facebook.com/wiltonmainstreetnh. “Main Street will be closed to traffic and full of vendors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. We have live music on two stages during that entire time. The Lions will also have their annual Duck Drop fundraiser in the afternoon,” according to an email from organizers. “Activities move up to Carnival Hill in the evening from 6 to 10 p.m. That will include music provided by a DJ, kids’ games, a pie-eating contest and an amazing fireworks display by JPI Pyrotechnics, enhanced this year for the 250th birthday of America,” the email said.

• The Seacoast Science Center in Rye will celebrate World Ocean Celebration Day on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring games, educational activities, tide pool sessions, food trucks and more, according to seacoastsciencecenter.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• The 44th Somersworth International Children’s Festival will take place Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Noble Pines Park and on Main Street and feature activities for kids, food vendors, craft vendors, a World Cultures Passport Center, a kids’ play area, Wildlife Encounters, roaming entertainers, a petting zoo and more, according to nhfestivals.org.

• The Second Annual Audubon Nature Challenge will run Sunday, June 21, through Saturday, June 27, according to nhaudubon.org. “Join people all over New Hampshire documenting birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, flowers, trees, mosses, mushrooms, and everything else during this weeklong conservation event. There is at least one location in every county and three that meet ADA accessibility guidelines,” according to the website. Participants can explore on their own or join a guided tour in locations listed on the website, where you can register to participate in the challenge.

• Concord’s Market Days Festival will run Thursday, June 25, through Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to marketdaysfestival.com. Each day features music and performances on three stages, food trucks and food vendors, vendors selling other goods and more, the website said.

• Dartmouth Health Children’s NH East-West All Star Football Game featuring “the state’s best graduating high school football players together” will take place Friday, June 26, at 6 p.m. at the Grappone Stadium at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, according to childrens.dartmouth-health.org/events, where you can purchase tickets.

• The next New England Reptile Expo is Sunday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, 700 Elm St. in Manchester, featuring more than 200 vendor tables, according to reptileexpo.com/all-shows/newhampshire.

• The Strawberry Festival held by the Hollis Town Band and Congregational Church of Hollis will be held Sunday, June 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Monument Square in Hollis featuring strawberry shortcake for purchase with locally sourced strawberries as well as a concert by the Hollis Town Band, according to hollistownband.info.

• Merrimack’s Independence Day celebrations begin with a concert on Friday, July 3, at 6:30 p.m. featuring the Merrimack Concert Association (which will be performing and selling root beer floats) at Abbie Griffin Park behind the Merrimack Town Hall, according to merrimackparksandrec.org. A parade will take place Saturday, July 4, at 1 p.m. and fireworks at Kollsman Athletic Fields around 9:15 p.m., with music and food trucks from 5 to 9 p.m., the website said.

• Go to nashua.gov now to reserve tickets for the Fourth of July Fireworks and Baseball Game on Saturday, July 4 — tickets to the Silver Knights Game are free for the first 500 adults and children under 13, according to the city’s website. Tickets must be reserved in advance. The game, which starts at 10:30 a.m., will feature an expanded kids’ zone and on-field activities, the website said. That evening the program starts with a performance by the band The Slakas at 6 p.m., Nashua Hall of Fame inductions at 8 p.m., the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps at 8:30 p.m. and a fireworks show at dusk, the website said.

• Concord’s July Fourth Celebration will take place Saturday, July 4, starting at 6 p.m. in Memorial Field with food vendors and music, with fireworks at 9:20 p.m., according to the Concord Parks & Rec Summer and Fall guide at concordnh.gov.

• The Hillsboro Summerfest will run Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12, at 29 Preston St. in Hillsborough, featuring carnival rides and midway games, live entertainment, a 5K on July 10, a town parade, a women’s skillet toss, fireworks on Saturday evening and more, according to hillsborosummerfest.com.

• The Raymond Town Fair will be held Friday, July 10, through Sunday, July 12, featuring “live music, fireworks, children’s activities, educational exhibitions, games & vendors,” according to facebook.com/RaymondTownFair, where you can check for schedule updates.

• The American Independence Center will hold the American Independence Festival in downtown Exeter on Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, demonstrations of historic 18th-century trades, reenactment groups, colonial games and music and more, according to aicnh.org/american-independence-festival.

• The 10th annual Fairy and Hobbit House Festival will take place at Bedrock Gardens, 19 High Road in Lee, on Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to bedrockgardens.org. Come in costume to compete in the Designer Fairy and Hobbit House Competition (see the website for details), vote in the competition, take part in fairy and gnome-related activities and more, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets and reserve parking.

• Stratham Summerfest 2026 will take place Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Stratham Hill Park and feature 4-H animal barns, exhibits and more; magic shows, live music, kids’ activities, helicopter exhibits weather permitting, a pie-eating contest and more, according to strathamnh.gov.

• The Second Congregational Church, 25 Gregg St. in Wilton, will hold their annual Summer Fair on Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring crafts, food, music, kids’ activities, plant sales, book sales, a food auction at 1 p.m. and more, according to an email from the church. See 2ccwilton.org.

• The Nashua Fairytale Festival will take place Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Greeley Park in Nashua featuring stage acts, fairytale characters, character meet and greets and “over 30 community vendors with activities, caricaturists, games, books, and more for the whole family,” according tonashuanh.gov/546/SummerFun.

• The Canterbury Fair is, as always, the last Saturday in July — Saturday, July 25, starting at 9 a.m. with a 5K at Canterbury Center, according to canterburyfair.com. The fair, which runs until 4 p.m., in Center Canterbury will also include children’s games, a used book sale, live music including from Mr. Aaron and The Ragged Mountain Band, demonstrations of handicrafts, a “whatnot” tag sale, a barbecue and more, the website said.

• The Downtown Nashua Association will present the Summer Stroll on Saturday, July 25, on Main Street in Nashua, according to downtownnashua.org, where you can check for updates on the event. “This event turns Main Street into a pedestrian-only festival of food, art, music and kids’ activities, featuring dozens of vendor tents and local makers,” the website said.

• The Coppal House Farm in Lee will hold its annual Sunflower Festival Saturday, July 25, through Aug. 2, open daily with food vendors and special events on the weekend including children’s storytimes, music and a craft fair, according to nhsunflower.com, where you can find daily times and admission prices, purchase admission and find tickets to special events.

• The Suncook Valley Rotary 44th Hot Air Ballroom Rotary will run Friday, July 31, through Sunday, Aug. 2, at Drake Field on Barnstead Road in Pittsfield, featuring daily night glow displays of the balloons and flights (weather permitting) as well as touch-a-truck, a 5K, a regatta and more, according to nhballoonrally.org.

• The Belknap County Fair will run Saturday, Aug. 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 174 Mile Hill Road in Belmont, according to bcfairnh.org.

• Pizzastock 10, a fundraiser put on by the Jason R Flood Memorial featuring 12 bands on two stages, will take place Saturday, Aug. 1, from noon to 6 p.m., according to a post on the Jason R Flood Memorial Facebook page. The event is geared toward all ages with games including wiffleball and cornhole, activities for little kids, community organizations with information available, pizza slices from Kendall Pond Pizza as well as other food vendors, raffles and merch, the post said. See pizzastock.org for more on the event and organization.

• Friends of Aine will hold its annual Kids Try-athlon on Sunday, Aug. 2, starting at 8 a.m. at Bedford High School and the Bedford Town Pool. The event is a swim, bike, run race for kids grouped by age — 4- to 10-year-olds and 11- to 15-year-olds, according to friendsofaine.com. The event is open to kids regardless of athletic ability and features a post-race festival, according to the website, where you can register to participate.

• Tuesday, Aug. 4, is the National Night Out, when many first responder departments hold outreach events, such as fairs and touch-a-truck events. Brentwood’s Police Department, for example, will hold an event from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Brentwood Recreation Department featuring food, a K-9 demonstration, touch a truck, face painting and more, according to a post on its Facebook page.

• Hudson Old Home Days are Thursday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 9, according to hudsonoldhomedays.com, where you can check for updates for this year’s events. Last year’s events and activities included carnival rides, food trucks and other vendors, live music, midway games, a craft fair and more, the website said.

• Sunfox Farm in Concord presents its annual Sunflower Bloom Festival Saturday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring live music, food trucks and other vendors, according to sunfoxfarm.org/sunflowerfestival, where you can find details on pricing, parking and more.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, will hold its annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Friday, Aug. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m. Kids can bring stuffed animals in for a checkup and learn more about what happens at the doctor’s office, according to a press release. See childrens-museum.org.

• Londonderry Old Home Day includes a day-long event Saturday, Aug. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a parade as well as, at the Town of Londonderry Historical Society, colonial crafts, music, cannon and musket firing and more, according to londonderryhistory.org. See facebook.com/TownofLondonderryOldHomeDay for more events and updates.

• History Alive 2026 in Hillsborough on Jones Road will feature historical reenactments of famous battles as well as daily village life (from Viking and medieval demonstrations to World War II) on Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16. See historyalivenh.org for a schedule.

• The Concord Model Railroad Show, sponsored by the Concord Model Railroad Club, will take place Sunday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Everett Arena in Concord, according to a flyer from the club. Admission costs $2 for adults, free for kids under 15 with an adult, the flyer said. The day will feature more than 20 dealers, a food stand, raffles and more, the flyer said. See trainweb.org/cmrc.

• The Annual Hampton Beach Children’s Festival will run Monday, Aug. 17, through Friday, Aug. 21, with a lineup of performances and events each day leading up to a giant costume parade on Aug. 21, according to hamptonbeach.org/events/childrens-events.

• CelebratEd welcomes Manchester students back to school with an event on Thursday, Aug. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. in Victory Park in Manchester offering backpacks and school supplies, haircuts and clothing support, a family resource fair and school registration assistance, according to manchesterproud.org/celebrated.

• Candia Old Home Day starts on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. with a parade, followed by a celebration featuring a dunk tank, food vendors, music and more, according to candiaoldhomeday.com.

• The 8th Annual Family Fun Day at Field of Dreams in Salem will take place Saturday, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to fieldofdreamsnh.org.

• Dog Friendly NH will host Bark in the Park: Wag Around the World Festival on Saturday, Aug 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Rollins Park in Concord, according to a post on the Dog Friendly NH Facebook page. “Come wander through country and region themed areas, [and] enjoy international food trucks, live music, vendors, and a park full of fun and discovery” according to the post, which said the event would also feature a Kids Zone, shopping and more. The event is open to dogs who are “vaccinated, healthy, well-behaved with people and dogs, and comfortable on a leash,” the post said.

• Pembroke and Allenstown’s Old Home Day returns on Saturday, Aug. 22, with homemade crafts, merchants, information booths and more, according to pembrokeallenstownoldhomeday.org, where you can check for updates on this year’s events.

• Greekfest, a celebration of Greek food and culture, will take place at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 111 Island Pond Road in Manchester, on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to an email from the church. The event, held underneath a tent rain or shine, will feature Greek food and pastries, raffles, kids activities and vendors, the email said. See assumptionnh.org.

• The Hopkinton State Fair bills itself as a Labor Day weekend tradition happening this year from Thursday, Sept. 3, to Monday, Sept. 7, at the fairgrounds (392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook). There will be livestock shows, a demolition derby, carnival rides, monster trucks, live entertainment, food and more. The fair hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, according to hsfair.org.

• The 2026 Exeter UFO Festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6, with a lineup of speakers as well as family-friendly festival activities (costume contests for people and pets, a parade, a dance party and more), according toexeterufofestival.org.

Live performances

• Nashua’s Summer Fun program has a series of Tuesday summer concerts running through Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Greeley Park Bandshell, 100 Concord St., according to nashuanh.gov/546/SummerFun. Next week, Tuesday, June 16, catch North River Music Band, playing music “from the Eagles and Dylan to the Indigo Girls and Grateful Dead,” the website said. Tuesdays, July 7 through Aug. 25, Nashua Community Music School will hold a musical playgroup from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Greeley Park, the website said.

• The Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St. in Concord, will feature several dance schools’ recitals and showcases in the coming weeks, according to theaudi.org, which explains where to find tickets for each event. On Saturday, June 13, at 2 p.m., Turning Pointe Center of Dance presents Mary Poppins, as its annual recital, the website said. On Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m. Dance Inspirations presents 27th annual dance recital for dancers ages 2 to adult, the website said.

• The Martin School of Dance will present its Enchanted Forest school show on Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m. as well as a Minis show featuring twirl and tap, tumbling and petite ballet students, at 10:30 a.m. at the Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, according to ccanh.com, where you can purchase tickets to either show.

• Nice Work If You Can Get It Teen Edition, a musical featuring the music of George and Ira Gershwin, will be presented by the Palace Teen Company (featuring actors ages 12 to 18) at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, on Tuesday, June 16, and Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m., according to the palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• Children’s musical performer Mr. Aaron has several performances slated for the summer, according to mraaronmusic.com. Upcoming dates include Friday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Riverfront Park in Northfield; Saturday, June 20, at noon at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye for World Ocean Day; Friday, June 26, at 11 a.m. for Market Days in downtown Concord; Wednesday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. at the band stand at the Dunbarton Public Library; Wednesday, July 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the Nesmith Library in Windham; Saturday, July 25, at 11 a.m. at the Canterbury Fair; and Mr. Aaron Band on Thursday, July 30, at 4 p.m.in Prescott Park in Portsmouth, according to mraaronmusic.com/calendar.

• The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s outdoor production in Portsmouth this summer is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which will run June 19 through Aug. 9, with performances most Thursdays through Sundays at 7 p.m., with some matinee performances, according to prescottpark.org, where you can reserve blanket or table space.

• The Palace Academy’s Spring 2026 Dance Showcase featuring dancers ages 3 to adult will take place Sunday, June 21, at 10 a.m., according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• The Somersworth Festival Association will hold Celebration Night Friday, June 26, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Somersworth High School, 11 Memorial Drive in Somersworth, featuring entertainment such as “Lightheaded Collective (featuring members of the Somersworth Student Jazz Ensemble), Tricky Dick’s Magic Show and ​Bad Breath Microphone,” according to nhfestivals.org. The evening will also offer food, kids’ activities and fireworks, the website said.

• Andy’s Summer Playhouse, 582 Isaac Frye Highway in Wilton, features productions and workshops for kid and teen performers, according to andyssummerplayhouse.org, where you can find the schedule of productions to which audiences can purchase tickets. First up is Welcome to the Hilltop, a night of plays by young artists on Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m., followed by A Staged Reading Through the Greenhouse Initiative: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on Friday, July 3, at 7 p.m., the website said.

• NH School of Ballet presents Snow White and The Wizard of Oz, the themes of its year-end dance celebration, Saturday, June 20, at 11 a.m. at the Dance Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, according to tickets.anselm.edu, where you can purchase tickets.

• School of Rock, a teen Actorsingers production of the stage musical, will take place Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 28, at 2 p.m. at the Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St. in Nashua, according to actorsingers.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp, featuring performers in grades 2 through 12, will present productions throughout the summer at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets. Performances include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (July 2-3, 7 p.m.); The Music Man Kids (July 10, 7 p.m.); The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition (July 24, 7 p.m., and July 25, 11 a.m.); Miss Nelson Is Missing The Musical (July 31, 7 p.m.); Madagascar Jr. (Aug. 14, 7 p.m., and Aug. 15, 11 a.m.) and Shrek The Musical Kids (Aug. 21, 7 p.m.).

• The Palace Theatre’s 2026 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series runs July 7 through Aug. 27, with a new show each week and showtimes Tuesday through Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m., all at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets. This season’s shows include Peter Pan Jr. (July 7-10); Willy Wonka Jr. (July 14-17); The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition (July 21-24); How To Train Your Dragon Jr. (July 28-31); Madagascar Jr. (Aug. 4-7); Shrek Jr. (Aug. 11-14); Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. (Aug. 18-21), and magician BJ Hickman (Aug. 25-27).

• The Somersworth Festival Association will offer Kid Concerts at the Pavilion at Somersworth High School on Wednesdays, July 8 through Aug. 12, at 6 p.m., according to nhfestivals.org. The show schedule includes Wildlife Encounters (July 8), Miss Julian (July 15), Mr. Aaron (July 22), Philip Alexander (July 29), Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate (Aug. 5) and Tricky Dick’s Magic Show (Aug. 12), the website said.

• The Secret Garden, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel, will be presented by Majestic Productions at the Derry Opera House, 29 W Broadway in Derry, on Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m., according to majestictheatre.net, where you can purchase tickets.

• RB Productions, which is a “non-profit community theatre organization founded in 2003 by Ryan Brown to provide experiential and educationl theatre opportunities for youth and young theatre professionals throughout greater Concord and the state of New Hampshire,” will present several shows via the Capitol Center of the Arts throughout the summer, according to ccanh.com. At the Chubb Theatre, shows include Footloose Youth Edition (Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, at 7 p.m.); Disney’s Frozen Jr. (Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, at 7 p.m.); Disney’s The Lion King Jr. (Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m.), and 13 Jr.(Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.) . At the BNH Stage, shows include Seussical Kids (Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and Shrek The Musical Kids (Saturday, Aug. 1, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.).

• Disney’s Frozen will be presented Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19, by the Windham Actors Guild at Windham High School, according to windhamactorsguild.com, where you can purchase tickets.

• Children’s musician Judy Pancoast celebrates 30 years of performing with a show at the Goffstown Public Library on Monday, July 27, at 11:30 a.m., according to a press release. Find more summer dates at judypancoast.com.

• The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s Camp Encore student performers will present Mean Girls Jr. Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, at 1 p.m. and Willy Wonka Kids on Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to prescottpark.org, where you can reserve blanket or table space.

• Seussical will be presented by the child and young adult performers of Peacock Players on Friday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 8, at 2 & 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m., according to peacockplayers.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• Shrek the Musical, presented by the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, will be on stage at the Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St. in Laconia, on Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to powerhousenh.org, where you can purchase tickets.

• Willy Wonka Kids will be presented by The Prescott Park Arts Festival’s Camp Encore student performers on Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to prescottpark.org, where you can reserve blanket or table space.

Movie time

• The Summer Movie Clubhouse, a lineup of kid-friendly films running Wednesday and Thursday mornings (with a start time usually around 10:30 to 11 a.m.) at Cinemark Rockingham Park (15 Mall Road in Salem; cinemark. com/theatres/nh-salem/cinemark-rockingham-park-and-xd), began the first week of June. Upcoming screenings include Sonic the Hedgehog (June 10-11); K-Pop Demon Hunters Sing Along (June 17-18); Shrek Forever After (June 24-25); The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants (July 1-2); A Minecraft Movie (July 8-9); Dog Man (July 15-16); How to Train Your Dragon (July 22-23); The Bad Guys 2 (July 29-30) and Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie (Aug. 5-6), according to the website.

• The Milford Drive-In Theater (531 Elm St., Milford; milforddrivein.com) has two screens for movie screenings, each mostly offering double features, Fridays through Sundays. The box office opens at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 7:15 p.m. on Sunday.

• Fathom Entertainment (fathomentertainment.com) features specialty screenings of live events as well as anniversary screenings at area theaters including the Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett, Cinemark Rockingham Park and Regal Fox Run in Newington. Upcoming kid-friendly screenings include the 55th anniversary screening of Willy Wonka starring Gene Wilder on Sunday, Aug. 2, and Wednesday Aug. 5; see the website for times and locations.

• Studio Ghibli Fest 2026 screenings via Fathom include Ponyo (June 13-17); My Neighbor Totoro (July 11-15); Tales from EarthSea (Aug. 8 and Aug. 10); Only Yesterday (Aug. 9 and Aug. 11) and Castle in the Sky (Aug. 22-26). See the website for times, locations and which screenings are subtitled versus dubbed.

• Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord, redrivetheatres.org) screens kid- and family-friendly first run movies among its offerings — Toy Story 5 is slated to start screening on Thursday, June 18. The theater also has an outdoor movie scheduled in partnership with Intown Concord at the August Friday Friday event on Aug. 7, according to an email from Red River.

• Movies in the Park takes place in Riverfront Park in Tilton, hosted by the Hall Memorial Library (hallmemoriallibrary. org), on Fridays throughout the summer, with the park opening at 6 p.m. and the movie starting at dusk. According to the website, the upcoming schedule is Soul (June 19); 2025’s Lilo & Stitch (July 31); Road to El Dorado (Aug. 28) and Hercules (Sept. 25).

• Chunky’s, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, has Sensory Friendly Screenings, when theater lights are up and the sound is down, and Little Lunch Date screenings, also with lights slightly dimmed, according to chunkys.com. Coming up: Toy Story 5 will be screened in a Sensory Friendly Screening on Tuesday, June 23, at 11:30 a.m., 2:45 and 6 p.m. and then at a Little Lunch Date on Tuesday, June 30, at 11:30 a.m., according to the website, where you can pick seats and purchase tickets.

• O’Neil Cinemas, 16 Orchard View Drive in Londonderry, will hold a Summer Kid’s Series of screenings of kid-friendly movies on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m., according to oneilcinemas.com. Screenings on the schedule include The Bad Guys 2 (July 6 & 8); Dog Man (July 13 & 15); How To Train Your Dragon (July 20 & 22); The Wild Robot (July 27 & 29); Kung Fu Panda (Aug. 3 & 5) and Despicable Me 4 (Aug. 10 & 12).

Attractions

Find more local museums in our May 14 issue in the story “Granite State Curiosities.” The issue is in our digital library at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 8.

• Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org) has a network of trails featuring sculptures including pieces created during the annual International Bridges and Connections, according to the website. Find printable trail maps as well as a gallery of the sculptures online.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) offers exhibits related to the aviation history of the state — as well as a cockpit kids can get inside of, featuring real audio from traffic control at neighboring Manchester Boston Regional Airport. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. See the website for admission prices.

• Beaver Brook (117 Ridge Road in Hollis, beaverbrook.org) offers camps, regular walks and hikes and other programs as well as trails and gardens that are open daily. Maps for the trails are available on the website.

• Canobie Lake Park (85 N. Policy St., Salem, canobie.com), an amusement park with rides and water attractions, is, in summer, open daily with tickets sold in advance only via the website. Prices vary by day. After-5 p.m. tickets are available Friday through Sunday nights.

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) is a working farm with wildlife exhibits featuring animals such as black bears, coyotes and more. Charmingfare is currently open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reptile Day is slated for Saturday, July 18, with a reptile show scheduled for 1 p.m.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover, 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) is a family museum featuring interactive exhibits with a focus on art, science and culture. It is open for morning (9 a.m. to noon) and afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) play sessions Wednesdays through Saturdays and for morning sessions only on Tuesdays and Sundays. See the website for special programming, such as Toddler Tinker Time on Tuesdays, Wacky Art Wednesdays, Cultural Crafts on Thursdays and Science Fridays. New at the museum: the Kids Cafe is being transformed into a pretend pizzeria, and later in the summer the museum will reveal a “Calling All Superheroes!” exhibit “featuring capes, accessories, and green-screen superpowers,” according to a press release.

• Chuckster’s Family Fun Park (Route 4, Chichester, chuckstersnh.com) is open daily, hours vary by day (and weather). This year a new zipline is slated to open; the park also features minigolf, batting cages, bumper boats, a climbing wall, go karts and more. Admission varies based on attraction packages. Chuckster’s also has a minigolf-only location at 53 Hackett Hill Road in Hooksett.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, currier.org) is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission costs $20 for regular admission, $15 for 65+ and students (with ID) and $5 for ages 13 to 17, according to the website. The museum also offers free admission for New Hampshire residents on the second Saturday of each month.

• Funspot (579 Endicott Lane, Laconia, funspotnh.com) bills itself as the largest arcade in the world, including classic arcade games, and also offers bowling, indoor minigolf, on-site eateries and more. Open daily, Funspot’s hours starting June 22 will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Saturdays).

• Joppa Hill Educational Farm (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford, jhef.org) is open daily, dawn to dusk, with a suggested donation of $5 per family. Visit the animals or check out the hiking trails, maps for which are on the farm’s website.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord, starhop.com), a celebration of space, science, engineering and aviation, is open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. The outdoor Jeanne Gerulskis Science Playground is open when the center is open, weather permitting. Purchase admission to the center and extra tickets to see planetarium shows. See the website for the current line-up of planetarium films.

• Mel’s Funway Park (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, melsfunwaypark.com) offers minigolf, go karts, laser tag, arcade, batting cages, bumper boats, bounce houses and more. The park is open daily, with hours varying by day and attraction.

• New Hampshire Audubon (nhaudubon.org) has two nearby centers — Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn) and McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord). Both centers are open to visitors Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trails near the centers and in the Audubon’s 40 wildlife sanctuaries throughout the state are open daily, free of charge (though donations are welcome), the website said. Find maps and other information about the trails on the website, as well as a calendar of events.

• The New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester play their next home games Tuesday, June 23, through Sunday, June 28, with games at 6:03 p.m. (except Sunday, when game time is 1:05 p.m.) against the Somerset Patriots. Regular season games continue through Sunday, Sept. 13. See milb.com/new-hampshire for tickets.

• The Nashua Silver Knights, members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, will next play at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) on Monday, June 15, at 6:03 p.m. against the Worcester Bravehearts. Their last home game of the regular season will be on Friday, Aug. 7, at 6:03 p.m. against the Norwich Sea Unicorns. See nashuasilverknights.com.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org) is open daily at 10 a.m. — until 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends. This hands-on science center offers exhibits on a variety of subjects. Admission is recommended to be purchased in advance via the website.

Your town

Libraries have reading programs and town gazebos have music — at least, that is the schedule you’ll find in many area towns and cities. Some town and city events are meant just for residents and others don’t specify. Your location’s library and parks and recreation department will have the most up to date information about summer happenings; registration is often required. Here are some of the family-friendly highlights.

• Allenstown: At the Allenstown Public Library, the summer reading program, with the theme “Unleash a Story,” began in June, according to allenstownlibrary.org.

• Amherst: The Amherst Town Library (amherstlibrary.org) is kicking off its summer reading program with a concert featuring Steve Blunt Tuesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. (registration required). On Wednesday, June 24, there will be a Live Pet Show from 10 to 11 a.m. on the library front lawn (bring your pet or just come to see other’s pets), according to the website. Mondays throughout the summer are “Chalk the Walk” days, when chalk will be provided to draw on the sidewalk outside.

The Amherst Recreation department (amherstnh.gov) will offer Summer Concerts on the Green on Tuesdays, June 23 through Aug. 11, 6:30 to 8 p.m., starting with Amherst Town Band.

• Auburn: The Griffin Free Public Library (griffinfree.org) will hold a Build a Gnome Home event on Thursday, July 9, at 1 p.m. (register online). The summer reading program — “Plant a Seed, Read” — starts June 17. The library will hold its annual book sale at the Auburn Village School gym on Saturday, July 25, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the library’s Facebook page.

Auburn’s Parks and Recreation department will hold a Summer Concert Series at Circle of Fun Playground, 5 Bunker Hill Road in Auburn, monthly on Thursdays at 6 p.m.: Off Duty Angels (June 18); Emily’s Garage Band (July 16), and Gary Mav & His Ad Hoc Rock Band (Aug. 20), according to auburnnh.gov.

• Bedford: The Bedford Public Library (bedfordnhlibrary.org) holds its Summer Reading Kickoff Concert with Ben Rudnick and Friends on Monday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. (register online). A Wildlife Encounters event for ages 7 to 12 will take place Monday, July 20 (two sessions, register online).

The Bedford Parks & Recreation department will host its Family Concerts in the Park on Wednesdays, June 24 through July 29, at 6 p.m. at the Bedford Village Common Park Gazebo, according to.bedfordnh.gov.

• Bow: At the Baker Free Library (bowbakerfreelibrary.org) the “Plant a Seed, Read” Summer Reading Kickoff Party & Farm Animal Petting Zoo is Friday, June 19, at 4 p.m. The library also hosts a magic show with Magician Mike Bent on Thursday, July 23, at 4 p.m.; a live reptile show on Thursday, July 2, at 10:30 a.m.; an outdoor concert with NH Scot on Monday, June 29, at 6 p.m., and Mr Aaron at the Town Gazebo as part of the Bow Rotary Summer Concert Series on Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 p.m.

The concert series runs through Aug. 13, according to the summer program brochure at bownh.myrec.com, which lists a variety of camps and kids’ programs.

• Boscawen: The Boscawen Public Library (boscawenpubliclibrary.org) kicks off its “Unearth a Story” Summer Reading program on Monday, June 22, with a program at 6 p.m.

• Brookline: The Brookline Public Library (brooklinelibrarynh.org) will hold its Summer Reading Kick-Off Party on Tuesday, June 23, at 4 p.m. featuring “ lawn games, crafts, bubbles, and freeze pops,” according to the website. The library will also host a Dinosaur Safari Magic Show at the Brookline Community Church Tuesday, July 28, at 4 p.m., the website said.

• Canterbury: The Elkins Public Library (elkinspubliclibrary.org) offers storytimes and other activities for kids.

• Chichester: The Chichester Town Library (chichesternh.org) will hold a book sale on Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to its Facebook page, where you can also find the summer storytime schedule. There will be a summer reading kickoff party with a Musical Puppet Show by Tom Knight on Friday, June 26, at 11 a.m. at the Chichester Grange Hall, according to a post.

• Concord: The Concord Public Library (concordpubliclibrary.net) will hold storytimes in the park on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. June through August; see the website for a schedule. The library will hold its summer reading kickoff on Saturday, June 20, at 9:30 a.m.

The Concord Parks & Rec lists a variety of summer kids’ programs in its summer and fall brochure, available via concordnh.gov. The city holds multiple concert series including Tuesdays featuring the Nevers Band at a variety of city parks and other locations at 7 p.m. (starting June 17); Thursdays at Eagle Square at 7:30 p.m. (July 2-Aug. 13); Wednesdays at Canal Street at 6:30 p.m. (July 15, July 29, Aug. 12 and Aug. 26), and a White Park Sunday Concert series many Sundays into September at 10 a.m., the website said.

• Derry: The Derry Public Library (derrypl.org) will hold its “Plant a Seed, Read” Kick Off Dance Party on Thursday, June 18, at 1:30 p.m. Let’s Play Music will offer a musical petting zoo on Wednesday, July 8, at 10 a.m.; the Children’s Museum of NH will present Dinosaur Detectives on Thursday, July 16, at 2 p.m. and there will be family storytimes many Friday mornings on the patio, according to the website, where you can register for these and other events.

The Derry Parks & Recreation Concert Series runs Tuesdays, June 16 through Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. in Macgregor Park, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.

• Dunbarton: The Dunbarton Public Library (dunbartonnh.org/dunbarton-public-library) will kick off its “Unearth a Story” summer reading program on Tuesday, June 23, with a make a library fairy garden program at 1 p.m., according to the website, which also lists programs such as a reptile show on Thursday, June 25, at 1 p.m.; a touch a truck on Saturday, July 11, at 10 a.m., and several storytimes.

Dunbarton’s Old Home Day is slated for Saturday, Aug. 15, according to dunbartonnh.org, where you can find a schedule of the day’s events such as a 10 a.m. parade, vendors and exhibitors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and ice cream at 2 p.m.

• Goffstown: The Goffstown Public Library (goffstownlibrary.com) is also theming its summer reading program “Plant a Seed, Read” and kicks it off June 20. See the website for the line-up of storytimes and other activities. Judy Pancoast will perform at the library’s Picnic on the Lawn on Friday, July 24, at 11:30 a.m.

• Hollis: Hollis Social Library (hollislibrary.org) will kick off its summer reading program with a Touch-a-Truck on Tuesday, June 23, at 2 p.m. at Lawrence Barn, 28 Depot Road in Hollis, according to the website. The library also has craft programs and storytimes for a variety of ages. Mr. Aaron is slated to perform on Thursday, July 23, at 3:30 p.m. and Lindsay and her Puppet Pals are slated to perform on Tuesday, July 28, at 3 p.m.

Hollis Recreation will hold a playground pop-up this summer on Tuesdays, 2 to 4 p.m., with activities at the Little Nichols Playground behind the library, according to the department’s Facebook page.

• Hooksett: The Hooksett Public Library (hooksettlibrary.org) will hold a touch-a-truck event to kick off the summer reading program on Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m. and a Magic Fred Show on Monday, July 13, at 10:30 a.m., according to the website, where you can find other kids’ activities.

• Hopkinton: The Hopkinton Town Library (hopkintontownlibrary.org) starts its “Plant a Seed, Read” summer reading on Monday, June 22, with activities including Music With Meghan on Friday, June 26, at 10:30 a.m., storytimes with Miss Grammy Pat and Ice Pops with Super Cool Cops on Wednesday, July 29, at 3 p.m.

Hopkinton Recreation Committee hosts the July Fourth Parade and Family Fun in Riverway Park in Contoocook with a farmers market, the Brad Myrick Band, the kids’ parade at 11 a.m. followed by the Independence Parade at 11:30 a.m. and family fun activities, according to hopkintonnh.myrec.com.

• Hudson: The George H. and Ella M. Rodgers Memorial Library (rodgerslibrary.org) will offer summer events including storytimes in Benson Park; a performance by Magic Fred on Tuesday, June 23, at 1:30 p.m.; a Teddy Bear Garden Party on Friday, July 10, at 10 a.m.; Wildlife Encounters on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 1:30 p.m. and more.

• Litchfield: At the Aaron Cutler Memorial Library (litchfieldnh.gov/222/Aaron-Cutler-Memorial-Library), the “Plant a Seed, Read” summer reading program starts Tuesday, June 23, with weekly themes, activities for kids, teens and tweens and more according to the newsletter on the library’s website.

• Londonderry: The Leach Library (londonderrynh.gov/371/Leach-Library), which continues to operate from the Community Room of the Londonderry Police Department while work is done on the building, will hold a visit from the Lorax on Tuesday, June 16, at 4 p.m. and Thursday, June 18, at 11 a.m. at Moose Hill Council Chambers in Town Hall as well as other storytimes and activities. The Leach Library will team up with the Londonderry Arts Council for a Concert on the Common for Kids on Saturday, July 11, at 1:30 p.m. featuring Matt Heaton and the Outside Toys at the Londonderry Town Common, according to the May newsletter.

The Londonderry Arts Council’s Concerts on the Common program began in early June and runs through Aug. 12 on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Common, 265 Mammoth Road in Londonderry, according to londonderryartscouncil.org.

• Loudon: The Maxfield Public Library (maxfieldlibrary.org) will host Alejandro’s Olde Tyme Magik Showe at Charlie’s Barn on Thursday, June 11, at 6 p.m., according to the website. The library will start its summer reading with a magic show featuring Jason Purdy at Charlie’s Barn on Saturday, June 20, at 11 a.m., where you can also register for summer reading, the website said. Find more storytimes and events, including a Dinosaur Tea Party on Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 11 a.m., on the website.

• Manchester: Manchester City Library (manchesterlibrary.org) will offer Family Movie Afternoons on Mondays at 2 p.m. starting Monday, June 22, according to a post on the library’s Facebook page. The library will also host a Dino Party on June 22 at 10 a.m., on theme with the summer reading program, “Unearth a Story,” which also begins June 22, according to the website. Other summer events include Slime of the Month club, escape rooms, multiple storytimes, Teen Thursdays and more, the website said.

• Merrimack: At the Merrimack Public Library (merrimack.aspendiscovery.org), the summer reading program begins with a performance by musical performer Tom Knight on Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. in Abbie Griffin Park, according to the website (where you can register). In addition to a line-up of storytimes and craft events, the library will have a Dino Tea Party on Tuesday, July 14, at 11:30 a.m. (register online) and more.

The Merrimack Parks & Recreation Department will host a Summer Concerts in the Park series on Thursday nights at 6 p.m. in Abbie Griffin Park starting June 25 with the Tom Knight performance, according to merrimackparksandrec.org. The series runs through Aug. 13.

• Milford: At the Wadleigh Memorial Library (wadleighlibrary.org), summer kicks off on Friday, June 12, at 6 p.m. with a community picnic. Along with crafts, storytimes and teen-specific programing, the library will feature a vegetable derby for grades 2 to 5 on Wednesday, July 8, at 2 p.m. and Miss Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on Wednesday, July 29, at 11 a.m., according to the website.

The Milford Recreation Department’s summer offerings include the Keyes Summer Bash 2026 in Keyes Memorial Park from noon to 3 p.m. featuring a bike parade, touch a truck, local vendors, games, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and a live concert, according to a post on the recreation department’s Facebook page.

• Mont Vernon: The Daland Memorial Library (dalandlibrary.com) runs its summer reading program Tuesday, June 16, through Friday, Aug. 7, according to the website.

• Nashua: The Nashua Public Library (nashualibrary.org) will hold is Summer Reading Kick-Off Party on Friday, June 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Library Plaza and feature a bounce house, an inflatable corn maze, ice cream and popcorn, live music from Straightjacket (’90s cover band), crafts, an herb garden activity, a plant clipping swap, lawn games and more, according to the website. In addition to storytimes and other kids’ activities, the library offers a variety of programming (including a Teen Rock Show on Tuesday, June 23, at 7 p.m. featuring Fates Collide from Nashua Community Music School), the website said.

Nashua’s extensive SummerFun programming (nashuanh.gov/546/SummerFun) includes special events such as the Fairytale Festival and Superheroes in the Park as well as weekly Tuesday night concerts at the Bandshell in Greeley Park at 7 p.m.; the Nashua Community Music School playgroup in Greeley on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. starting June 30 as well as Thursdays starting July 9, and more. See the city’s website for the complete summer schedule.

• New Boston: Whipple Free Library (whipplefreelibrary.org) will offer storytimes and other events attached to its summer reading program — see the website for upcoming events and to sign up.

The New Boston Recreation department will host Concerts on the Common on Tuesdays, July 7, through Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. with live music and food concessions, according to the department’s Facebook page. The series starts with The Bel Airs, playing the oldies, the post said. See newbostonnh.gov/recreation for updates.

• Pembroke: The Pembroke Library (pembroke-library.org) will hold a Summer Reading Kickoff on Wednesday, June 24, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. with a fun walk, a children’s performance by Miss Julieann and a musical performance for teens and adults by Oliva Conway, according to the website, where you can sign up and find the schedule of storytimes and drop-in play times.

• Salem: The Kelley Library (kelleylibrary.org) offers programming for kids and teens, according to the website’s calendar.

See the Salem Community Services Department Facebook page for upcoming events this summer.

• Windham: Nesmith Library (nesmithlibrary.org) will hold its Summer Reading Program Kickoff on Tuesday, June 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. with lawn games, the Walking Gourmet Food Truck and Bryson Lang juggling at 6 p.m., according to the website. See the website for storytimes, crafts for kids and teens, Wildlife Encounters on Wednesday, July 8; Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on Wednesday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m.; Mr. Aaron on Wednesday, July 22, at 10:30 a.m. and a “Meet the Town Vehicles” on Thursday, July 30, at 10:30 a.m.

The Windham Recreation Department will hold the town’s Fireworks display on Wednesday, June 24, at the high school, where the parking lot opens at 5:30 p.m., according to windham.recdesk.com. The department also offers a summer concert series, starting Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. with Nicole Knox Murphy playing on the Windham Town Common — see the website for the full schedule of seven shows, running through September.

• Wilton: The Wilton Public & Gregg Free Library (wiltonlibrarynh.org) will hold its summer reading Kick-Off Party on Friday, June 26, at 2 p.m.: “Join us for a summertime treat, make a craft, show off your artistic skill with some sidewalk chalk (weather permitting), take a walk along our story-trail at the front entrance, take some pictures at our photo-booth designed by Iggy, and welcome in the summer!”

Like an 8-hour movie

A look at some TV with movie ties

With The Mandalorian and Grogu putting TV in movie theaters, let’s look at some movie-flavored TV.

The Other Bennet Sister is currently in the final third of its 10-episode run on streaming service BritBox. Whether you’re a fan of the Jennifer Ehle-Colin Firth 1995 Pride and Prejudice BBC miniseries or the Keira Knightley-Matthew Macfadyen 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie, this sequel/sidequel miniseries based on the book by Janice Hadlow is worth a $10.99 one-month BritBox subscription. (The 1995 miniseries is available on Britbox and Peacock; 2005 is available for rent or purchase.) In Jane Austen’s book, Mary was the spinster-in-training sister of the five Bennet girls. Here, the action for Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) really begins after the death of her father. Mary heads to London to serve as governess for her uncle, Mr. Gardner (Richard Coyle), and aunt, Mrs. Gardner (Indira Varma), and she’s introduced to a new circle of family friends.

One of those friends, Thomas Hayward (Dónal Finn), seems as nerdily smitten with Mary as she is with him but he unfortunately has a preexisting “understanding” with the kind Ann Baxter (Varada Sethu). While Mary breaks out of her shell, she still sometimes finds herself trapped in her “the awkward one” persona, especially when she runs into Caroline Bingley (Tanya Reynolds), one-time Lizzy-competitor for Mr. Darcy’s affections. Caroline pours on the mean girl when she realizes that Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson), the new fella she has her eye on, has his eye on Mary.

This TV show very much catches the tone of both book-Austen and the beloved BBC series. Bruccoleri, who I probably only knew from her role in Call the Midwife, does a good job of selling both Mary’s initial awkwardness as the quiet one in a family of bigger personalities, and the character’s hero’s journey through the marriage market.

Want more of Mary’s cutie Dónal Finn? Catch him on Young Sherlock, released in March on Amazon Prime Video. Though not necessarily of the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie universe, it does share those movies’ director, Guy Ritchie, who co-created the show and directed two episodes, according to Wikipedia. Ritchie gives us characters who, in tone at least, could age into the people we meet in Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (both available for rent or purchase), particularly when it comes to Finn’s James Moriarty, just a hot-headed student at Oxford here. He seems to permanently wear a bemused smile and encourages young Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) in assorted hijinks. Sherlock is sent to Oxford to serve as a porter as a way of keeping him out of trouble — a plan by his older brother Mycroft (Max Irons, son of the Jeremy Irons) to keep his younger brother from messing up his budding government career. Sherlock and Moriarty quickly find themselves tangled up in assorted crimes that all seem to lead to larger conspiracies, and the show has buoyant fun with the various capers and ye olde spycraft. And yes, the Sherlock actor is one of those Fienneses (a nephew of Joseph Fiennes who shows up to play the Holmes boys’ father).

Another TV show running sort of in parallel to its creators’ movie universe, also on Amazon Prime Video, is the eight-episode late May release Spider-Noir, starring Nicolas Cage, who also voiced the Spider-Man Noir character in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (available on Netflix), though the show’s Wikipedia page says that this character is a different version than the one in the movies. Here, Ben Reilly (Cage) is the rumpled 1930s gumshoe who was once the masked crimefighter The Spider. Though he still has web-slinging and spidey-sense abilities, Ben gave up the fight five years earlier when his fiancee was killed. That doesn’t stop his friend, reporter Robbie (Lamore Morris), from trying to convince Ben to get back in the game as the city sinks under the crime and corruption caused by Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), a mob boss with his fingers in all the pies. All dames and crooked cops and scampy street urchins, this series (which I am a few episodes into) is a fun watch that won me over with its classic detective mystery vibes and its smart deployment of Cage’s whole goofy deal. And you can watch the show in black and white or color — while the color has its charms, I particularly enjoyed the shadows and rich contrasts of the black and white version.

A direct movie-tie-in series is Disney+’s eight-episode Wonder Man, a “Marvel Spotlight” series released in January, which features the character Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who first appeared in 2013’s Iron Man 3 and later in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. (Both are on Disney+.) Introduced as the terrorist “The Mandarin” in Iron Man 3, Trevor is actually, as Tony Stark discovered, a middling actor who agreed to play the part of the villain in exchange for a good-time mansion and an endless supply of drugs. Here, he meets our hero Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as both men are at an audition. Williams, who has just had his small guest part cut from a TV show after he had too many ideas about his role, is desperate for work, especially for a role in the upcoming reboot of Wonder Man, Simon’s favorite superhero movie as a kid. Simon works to convince his agent, the film’s casting director and the film’s director that he can be Wonder Man — while also trying to hide that he kind of is Wonder Man. Because of a tragic (hilarious) incident that led to the disappearance of Josh Gad (gamely playing himself), studios won’t let actual superpower-having people work in Hollywood. The unmasking of Simon’s powers — kind of non-specific, energy-related abilities — is his greatest fear, as it would mean the end of his Hollywood ambitions.

His ambitions make Simon a regular-guy super, not an Avenger wannabe. And his relationship with Slattery — who has his own secrets as well as long-standing actor-y issues, such as his rivalry with Joe Pantoliano (also gamely playing himself) — give this show an enjoyable The Studio sensibility.

Also in the Hulu-verse, you’ll find the just-finished first season of The Testaments, a sequel to the Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale but a show that, perhaps because of its star Chase Infiniti, feels like it shares some vibes with Oscar winner 2025’s One Battle After Another as well. Like Infiniti’s Willa in One Battle, her Agnes in The Testaments is a teenage girl doing teenage girl things (going to dances, trying to assert some independence from her home life) during weird civil unrest. The Testaments picks up in the alt-America country Gilead, a Christian theocracy that segregates and oppresses women, where Agnes is expected to soon marry and “be fruitful.” A student at a finishing school for the daughters of the elite men of Gilead that is run by Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), Agnes is assigned to show the ropes to recent convert Daisy (Lucy Halliday). Or maybe Daisy is meant to spy on Agnes, as her fellow girls at the school warn her. What we in the audience know is that Daisy is a spy — an anti-Gilead plant picked by former handmaid June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) herself to infiltrate the school.

As the series goes on, we see Agnes develop a kind of steely strength and absolute loyalty to her friends that feels very spiritually connected with the government-fighting rebel-in-the-making that is Willa in One Battle. Infiniti also does a good job of selling the teen-girl-ness of Agnes, who, as Daisy explains in a later episode, has regular teen girl feelings and desires despite the oppressive society she’s growing up in. The relationships between the school’s girls — the ones headed for marriage, the ones who fear they might be left behind — is compelling and keeps you watching even when the Gilead of it all feels too much. (And if you need some “viva la revolución,” One Battle After Another is available on HBO Max.)

Featured photo: The Other Bennet Sister

Pride Month

Find Pride celebrations in several area towns and cities in June. Here are a few of the events on the calendar.

• The First Friday Concord on Friday, June 5, from 4 to 8 p.m., has the theme Concord Pride, according to firstfridayconcord.com/june, where you can find a map and full schedule. The evening will include LGBTQ+ organizations on the Statehouse lawn from 4 to 5 p.m.; live music performances by Ashborne (City Hall Plaza, 4 to 8 p.m.), Kyle Erickson (Bicentennial Square, 4 to 5:45 p.m.) and Trade (Bicentennial Square, 6:15 to 8 p.m.), and food trucks Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nice Ice Baby, DeadProof Pizza and Stacy’s Grill, the website said.

• The 6th annual Windham Pride will be held Saturday, June 6, from noon to 4 p.m. and feature live entertainment, food trucks, kids’ activities and more, according to a post on the Windham Citizens for Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Facebook page.

• The Concord Pride 5K Run/Walk 2026 will take place Sunday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Statehouse with the start/finish line on Capitol Street, according to posts on the Equality Health Center Facebook page, where you can find links to sign up.

• The Milford Pride Fest 2026 will take place Sunday, June 7, from noon to 4 p.m. at the stage at Keyes Park in Milford featuring music, drag performers, food trucks, vendors and more, according to the event’s Facebook page

• Portsmouth Pride 2026 will take place Saturday, June 20, kicking off with a parade at 12:30 p.m. followed by the festival, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, according to nhoutright.org/portsmouth-pride, where you can find more details on this and other Pride month events in Portsmouth.

• Nashua Pride Festival will run Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 7 p.m. at Holman Stadium in Nashua, according to downtownnashua.org. The day will include live performances, food trucks, local vendors, community organizations and activities for all ages, according to the website. The festivities begin with a parade that starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (at the intersection of Concord, Amherst and Nashville streets) and ends at Holman Stadium, according to nashuanh.gov.

• The Manchester Pride Festival & Parade will take place Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Manchester, according to manchestertrue.org. The parade will kick off the day, followed by live performances, food, local vendors and community organizations and more, according to a post on the Manchester True Collaborative Facebook page. See the Manchester True Collaborate website for details on other Pride events happening throughout June including the Pride Youth Hop on June 23 and the official Pride afterparty on June 27.

Know of an upcoming pride event not mentioned here? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.

Is God Is (R)

Twin sisters set off on a mission of vengeance in Is God Is, a film written and directed by first-time filmmaker Aleshea Harris, who has given this movie all the best elements of a first film — including but not limited to energy, style and a willingness to take chances.

Anaia (Mallori Johnson) and Racine (Kara Young) often call each other “twin” in their conversations, which can take place partially via a kind of twin telepathy of facial expressions and slight head movements — that’s how close they are. Racine, slightly shorter and feisty, has always been the one to loudly stick up for Anaia, who is taller and quieter. Though both girls are scarred from terrible burns they suffered as children, Racine’s scars are mostly on her arm whereas Anaia’s scars cover part of her face. When, for example, kids cruelly taunt Anaia about her appearance, it’s Racine who offers a violent response.

Now in their young adult years, they live together and work a job cleaning offices — at least until Racine takes offense at how one worker responds to Anaia. The two decide to visit their long-lost mother (Vivica A. Fox) — who the twins start to refer to, maybe playfully at first, as God — who has written to tell them that she is dying. She asks them to do one final thing for her — kill her ex/their father (Sterling K. Brown), the man who so grievously injured all three women years ago. Though Anaia insists they’re not killers, Racine — especially after seeing the extent of her mother’s injuries — says she’ll get it done if Anaia just keeps her company while they find him. Thus begin their travels, starting with Divine (Erika Alexander), a woman who dated their father while he was on trial for the burnings.

As the movie follows the girls on their hunt, we get a series of solid performances — as well as an examination of the relationship between the increasingly out-for-blood Racine and the increasingly ambivalent Anaia. It’s a nice bit of development that the movie is able to accomplish in its relatively short run time (a brisk, well-used, no-filler 100 minutes).

Every thing about this movie is well-built and smartly used. This feels like a first film in the sense that everyone is just going for it, not hemmed in by any second guessing, and giving us visuals that can feel like choreography and dialogue that can feel more lyrical than literal. These are big bold choices but they all work and create a world specific to this story and to the bigger themes about violence, family and forgiveness. A In theaters.

Featured photo: Is God Is

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