# Carolina Caroline
**Carolina Caroline** is a 2025 American romantic crime thriller directed by [Adam Carter Rehmeier](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-carter-rehmeier) and written by [Tom Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-dean), starring [Samara Weaving](https://www.edgepedia.org/samara-weaving) as Caroline Daniels, a young Texas gas station clerk who runs off with a charismatic con man, played by Kyle Gallner, and turns to bank robbery as the pair travels the American South in search of her estranged mother.[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, was acquired there by Magnolia Pictures, and received a limited United States theatrical release on June 5, 2026.[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/releaseinfo/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Adam Carter Rehmeier (director); Tom Dean (screenplay, credited on IMDb as William Thomas Dean IV)[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/fullcredits/) |
| Leads | Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels; Kyle Gallner as Oliver; Kyra Sedgwick as Deborah, Caroline's mother; Jon Gries as Hank, her father[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline/cast-and-crew) • [6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/samara-weaving-ditches-her-scream-queen-vibe-in-this-gripping-new-crime-thriller) |
| Premiere | World premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/releaseinfo/) |
| US release | Limited theatrical release June 5, 2026 by Magnolia Pictures; Netflix US streaming from November 6, 2026[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) • [7](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/samara-weaving-and-kyle-gallners-carolina-caroline-sets-netflix-streaming-debut/) |
| Runtime | 105 minutes per festival listings; 107 minutes per IMDb[8](https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VFF_2026_digital-guide.pdf) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/) |
| Reception | 90% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 83 reviews; Metascore 75 on Metacritic[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/carolina-caroline/) |
| Box office | $269,183 domestic and $391,766 worldwide per Box Office Mojo[11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt33365126/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Caroline Daniels works at a gas station in a small [West Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-texas) town in the 1990s and has never left the region.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) • [6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/samara-weaving-ditches-her-scream-queen-vibe-in-this-gripping-new-crime-thriller) At work she watches Oliver, a drifter and grifter, pull a short-change scam on her boss, and the two begin a romance in which Oliver teaches her his scheming methods.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/samara-weaving-ditches-her-scream-queen-vibe-in-this-gripping-new-crime-thriller) • [12](https://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/carolina-caroline-449077/) Caroline and her father Hank were abandoned by her mother Deborah when Caroline was an infant, and Caroline sets out to find her.[6](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/samara-weaving-ditches-her-scream-queen-vibe-in-this-gripping-new-crime-thriller)
The couple's road trip toward [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina) is financed by crime that escalates from small confidence games to bank robberies across several states over roughly three months.[12](https://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/carolina-caroline-449077/) • [13](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/movie/carolina-caroline-tiff-2025) The official synopsis states that as the heists grow more elaborate, Caroline transforms into a notorious bank robber, internalizing "the central truth of every con: There's no lie more convincing than the one you tell yourself."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) A late scene in which Caroline finally meets her mother, played by [Kyra Sedgwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyra-sedgwick) in a single extended appearance, marks the story's turning point.[14](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/carolina-caroline-samara-weaving-kyle-gallner-film-review-2026)
## Production and release
Rehmeier's previous films include the cult favorite *Dinner in America* (2020), which also starred [Kyle Gallner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-gallner), and the coming-of-age comedy *Snack Shack*; he had directed Gallner before and, per IMDb trivia, lobbied hard for him to take the role of Oliver.[7](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/samara-weaving-and-kyle-gallners-carolina-caroline-sets-netflix-streaming-debut/) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/) The film was shot in [Louisville, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/louisville-kentucky).[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/)
Production companies include Star Thrower Entertainment (Trevor and Tim White), Bee-Hive Productions (Stephen Braun), The Wonder Company (Eric B. Fleischman and Chris Abernathy), Create & Complete (Chris Ward), MacPac Entertainment, and [FilmNation Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmnation-entertainment), which handled international sales.[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) Jean-Philippe Bernier was the cinematographer and Justin Krohn the editor.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline/cast-and-crew)
After its September 5, 2025 TIFF premiere, Magnolia Pictures acquired the film for North American distribution and released it theatrically in 2026, opening in 243 theaters on June 5.[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) • [15](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Carolina-Caroline-%282026%29) It also screened at festivals including the Florida Film Festival, where it was the 2026 opening night film, and the Miami and Victoria festivals.[16](https://enzian.org/film/carolina-caroline) • [17](https://cms.miamifilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Miami-Film-Festival-2026-Line-Up-Announcement-Release.pdf) A home video release followed on June 23, 2026, and Netflix began streaming the film in the United States on November 6, 2026.[15](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Carolina-Caroline-%282026%29) • [7](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/samara-weaving-and-kyle-gallners-carolina-caroline-sets-netflix-streaming-debut/)
## Music
The original score is by Chris Bear of the band Grizzly Bear, and the soundtrack mixes country and [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) songs by [Jason Isbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-isbell), Chris Stapleton, and [Loretta Lynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/loretta-lynn), among others.[1](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere) Critics singled out the country music needle drops as central to the film's Southern atmosphere; the Victoria Film Festival guide wrote that they "perfectly underscore their escapades, giving the film a soulful, distinctly Southern personality," and the Variety review noted the soundtrack's contemporary throwback country alongside storytelling that harks back to 1970s New Hollywood cinema.[8](https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VFF_2026_digital-guide.pdf) • [18](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/reviews/carolina-caroline-review-37373/) Rehmeier also co-wrote the film's theme song, per the Florida Film Festival program.[19](https://floridafilmfestival.com/images/uploads/FFF26_Program.pdf)
## Reception
The film holds a 90% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from 83 reviews, with a critics consensus praising the leads' chemistry, and a 78% audience score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) On Metacritic it scored 75, based on 15 critic reviews, with 14 positive and 1 negative.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/carolina-caroline/) Reviewers repeatedly placed it in the lovers-on-the-lam tradition of *Bonnie and Clyde*, *Badlands*, and *True Romance*. Natalia Keogan in [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) called it a story "we've seen play out a million times" but praised its down-to-earth quality; Vikram Murthi in IndieWire wrote that the absence of surprises "isn't inherently a bad thing"; and Sheila O'Malley at RogerEbert.com highlighted "legitimate heat and chemistry between the two lead actors."[20](https://theweek.com/culture-life/film/reviews-disclosure-day-carolina-caroline) Guy Lodge in Variety wrote that Weaving and Gallner, "two fine actors rarely granted the glow that comes with a proper star vehicle, positively bask in it here."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline) The lone negative Metacritic review, from Movie Nation, criticized an opening framing device that reveals who survives the crime spree.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/carolina-caroline/)
Commercially, the limited release grossed $269,183 domestically and $391,766 worldwide according to [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo); The Numbers lists the worldwide figure as $382,368.[11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt33365126/) • [15](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Carolina-Caroline-%282026%29) The opening weekend took $110,110, about 41% of the domestic total.[15](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Carolina-Caroline-%282026%29)
## References
1. [Carolina Caroline Acquired by Magnolia Pictures Following TIFF Premiere, FilmNation Entertainment](https://filmnation.com/about/media-coverage/carolina-caroline-acquired-by-magnolia-pictures-following-tiff-premiere)
2. [Carolina Caroline, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline)
3. [Carolina Caroline (2025) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/releaseinfo/)
4. [Carolina Caroline (2025) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/fullcredits/)
5. [Carolina Caroline: Cast and Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carolina_caroline/cast-and-crew)
6. [Samara Weaving ditches her scream queen vibe in this gripping new crime thriller, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/movies/samara-weaving-ditches-her-scream-queen-vibe-in-this-gripping-new-crime-thriller)
7. [Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner's 'Carolina Caroline' Sets Netflix Streaming Debut, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/samara-weaving-and-kyle-gallners-carolina-caroline-sets-netflix-streaming-debut/)
8. [Victoria Film Festival 2026 digital guide](https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/VFF_2026_digital-guide.pdf)
9. [Carolina Caroline (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33365126/)
10. [Carolina Caroline Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/carolina-caroline/)
11. [Carolina Caroline, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt33365126/)
12. [Carolina Caroline, Répertoire des films classés (Québec)](https://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/carolina-caroline-449077/)
13. [Carolina Caroline Review — TIFF 2025, CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/movie/carolina-caroline-tiff-2025)
14. [Carolina Caroline review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/carolina-caroline-samara-weaving-kyle-gallner-film-review-2026)
15. [Carolina Caroline (2026), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Carolina-Caroline-%282026%29)
16. [Carolina Caroline, Enzian Theater](https://enzian.org/film/carolina-caroline)
17. [Miami Film Festival 2026 Line-Up Announcement](https://cms.miamifilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Miami-Film-Festival-2026-Line-Up-Announcement-Release.pdf)
18. ['Carolina Caroline' Review, Variety Australia](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/reviews/carolina-caroline-review-37373/)
19. [Florida Film Festival 2026 program](https://floridafilmfestival.com/images/uploads/FFF26_Program.pdf)
20. [Film reviews: 'Disclosure Day' and 'Carolina Caroline', The Week](https://theweek.com/culture-life/film/reviews-disclosure-day-carolina-caroline)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2025–2026 films › Crime, heist, and gangster films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license