Next Year (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Next Year is a 21-minute drama set in a fractured future America where surveillance and anti-gay laws shape daily life. The story follows Robert, a grieving father coping with the loss of his husband while confronting the country’s increasingly threatening reality. Peter Dimario and Guto Barra direct and write.

Next Year is a short English-language drama set in a near-future America transformed by government surveillance and the criminalization of homosexuality. Against that tense backdrop, the film focuses on Robert, a father grieving the death of his husband.

Directed and written by Peter Dimario and Guto Barra, the 21-minute film places personal loss within a sharply altered national landscape. Its premise connects Robert’s private struggle with the wider fear created by an oppressive state.

Next Year movie details

Story without spoilers

The film follows Robert as he tries to navigate life after losing his husband in a fractured version of America. In this dystopian setting, homosexuality is illegal and surveillance is a defining part of society, creating an atmosphere of danger and uncertainty around his grief.

The supplied premise also points to a conflict between individual freedom and institutional control. Robert’s story remains at the center, while the country’s political reality provides the pressure surrounding him. The tagline, “they can't control everything…,” suggests resistance without revealing how the story develops.

What to expect

Next Year is a compact drama built around a speculative social premise rather than an expansive runtime. Viewers can expect a serious story about grief set against a near-future society shaped by surveillance, state power and the criminalization of homosexuality.

At 21 minutes, the film presents its ideas in short form, with Robert’s personal experience serving as the main point of connection to the broader dystopian setting. The available information establishes a tense and haunting premise but does not disclose the film’s ending or specific plot turns.

Cast and creative team

Jelani Alladin plays Robert, the grieving father at the center of the story. Zach Martens appears as Max, while Sherz Aletaha plays Kelly. Chris Hietikko provides the voice of a Government Official.

Peter Dimario and Guto Barra share both directing and writing credits. Their collaboration shapes the film’s short-form drama about personal loss in a tightly controlled future society.

• Jelani Alladin as Robert
• Zach Martens as Max
• Sherz Aletaha as Kelly
• Chris Hietikko as Government Official (voice)

Release and production context

Next Year is listed as a 2026 release from the United States of America. It has a runtime of 21 minutes and is presented in English. The film is classified as a drama and is listed with a release date of October 4, 2026.

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With its brief runtime and unsettling premise, Next Year frames a father’s grief within a dystopian America where surveillance and discriminatory law have reshaped ordinary life. Its focus on Robert gives the speculative setting a personal center, while the limited details leave the film’s resolution open for viewers to discover.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb