Drinking and Driving (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Drinking and Driving follows Iris and Palmer, two young women still living in their hometown, as a reunion with Levi and Phoenix unsettles their shared routine. Set during a hazy summer of parties, bedrooms, and uncertain memories, the Canadian drama-comedy examines friendship and confusion without revealing how its story ends.

Drinking and Driving is a 2026 Canadian drama-comedy about Iris and Palmer, two friends in their early twenties who remain rooted in the hometown where they grew up. They work at the same restaurant, share a bed, and move through life with a risky drinking-and-driving habit.

Their familiar routine shifts when they reconnect with Levi, someone they used to know, and spend time with him and his cousin, Phoenix. A dream Levi shares with Iris changes the dynamic among the four, turning an aimless summer into something more unsettled and difficult to define.

Drinking and Driving movie details

Story without spoilers

Iris and Palmer have built a tightly connected life around work, home, and one another. Their days unfold alongside Levi and Phoenix in a loose series of encounters involving cars, backyards, and other people’s bedrooms. The group’s social world initially carries the drifting quality of a summer shaped by parties and repetition.

That atmosphere begins to change after Levi tells Iris about a dream. The disclosure affects the relationships within the group, while the summer itself seems to lose its clarity. As the parties fade, the four characters arrive at a field in a state of shared confusion. The film’s premise keeps the focus on shifting bonds, blurred reality, and the consequences of an unexpected emotional disruption.

What to expect

The supplied genre labels point to a blend of drama and comedy rather than a straightforward genre exercise. The premise suggests an intimate, unconventional story centered on four young people, their friendships, their habits, and a summer that gradually becomes less concrete.

Surrealism, female friendship, grief, alcoholism, LGBT themes, and drunk driving are among the listed keywords. Other keywords reference sexual situations, family relationships, and drug use, so the film’s subject matter may be adult-oriented and intentionally uncomfortable. These elements are best understood as content indicators rather than a description of specific scenes.

Cast and creative team

Jillian Frank plays Iris and co-directs the film with Avalon Fast, who plays Palmer. Frank and Fast also share writing credit. Ethan Hawksworth plays Levi, while Henri Gillespi appears as Phoenix. The cast also includes Payton Berg as Hailey and Sophie Bawks-Smith in an unspecified role.

• Jillian Frank as Iris
• Avalon Fast as Palmer
• Ethan Hawksworth as Levi
• Henri Gillespi as Phoenix
• Payton Berg as Hailey
• Sophie Bawks-Smith

Release and production context

Drinking and Driving is a Canadian production in English. It is listed as released on October 11, 2026, with a runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes. The film is directed and written by Jillian Frank and Avalon Fast. No production company is listed in the supplied information.

Drinking and Driving official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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With its small central group, hometown setting, and increasingly uncertain summer atmosphere, Drinking and Driving presents a drama-comedy built around disrupted routines and changing relationships. Its listed themes indicate a mature, surreal-leaning story whose appeal will depend on how viewers respond to its unconventional premise and blurred sense of reality.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb