16 Films to See in July
July brings some of 2023's most-anticipated films, including a new Mission: Impossible installment and dueling potential blockbusters from Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan releasing on the same date. In the gallery on this page, our editors have selected the most interesting films debuting in North American theaters this month, listed in alphabetical order.
Additional content by Jason Dietz.
Foreign/Drama/Rom-com | Directed by Christian Petzold
Opens in theaters July 14
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The latest from German writer-director Christian Petzold (Phoenix, Transit) is the second in a planned trilogy based around the elements. (The first, Undine, updated the myth of the water nymph.) Here, an encroaching forest fire and Nadja, a surprise house guest played by Paula Beer (working with the director for a third consecutive time), combine to upend the life of Leon (Thomas Schuber), an insecure writer trying to complete his latest novel. They are joined by Leon’s friend Felix (Langston Uibel), a photographer, Devid, an attractive local lifeguard, and, eventually, Helmut, Leon’s book editor. Critics at the 2023 Berlinale, where Afire won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, were charmed by the film’s humor, something Petzold has not featured in his previous films.