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- How one night in a small town becomes a whole world
- Performances that carry the film — Chosen Jacobs and Ora Duplass
- Writing and direction: simple tools, precise results
- Themes that connect: belonging, risk, and the theater of youth
- Why this hangout movie feels urgent for teens and anyone who was one
- Production notes, festival premiere, and what to expect next
Their Town arrives as a late-night portrait of adolescence, a film that trusts small moments to reveal big truths. It unfolds over a handful of hours in a quiet Maine community, where two teenagers find each other after a school play. The result is intimate, often funny, and frequently raw — a movie that feels lived-in rather than manufactured.
How one night in a small town becomes a whole world
The story begins after drama rehearsal. Abby, the lead, suddenly needs a scene partner. Matt, who signed up for stage crew, steps into the role. That choice launches an evening of wandering and conversation.
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Scenes move through familiar places made new: a family kitchen, a vast empty house, a late-night taco truck, and a closed playground. The film treats these locations like stages for truth-telling. Each stop nudges the pair into deeper talk and vulnerability.
- Inciting moment: a last-minute casting swap at rehearsal.
- Home life: a tense mother-daughter exchange that sends Abby out into the night.
- Shared spaces: Matt’s empty house and the town streets become confessional rooms.
Director Katie Aselton stretches the night into a quiet journey. The plot is simple, but its quiet turns feel consequential. The pace favors pauses over plot twists, letting the audience sit in things rather than be told how to feel.
Performances that carry the film — Chosen Jacobs and Ora Duplass
Chosen Jacobs brings an easy restraint to Matt. His face keeps history and curiosity in balance. He listens more than he performs, and that listening becomes magnetic.
Ora Duplass, in her first major role, inhabits Abby with a mix of brightness and bruised honesty. She is both theatrical and painfully sincere. Her best moments arrive when her confidence slips and private fear shows through.
- Chosen Jacobs — subtle, attentive, quietly funny.
- Ora Duplass — open, emotionally nimble, surprising in quieter scenes.
- Supporting cast — Daveed Diggs and Leonardo Nam appear as Matt’s dads. William Atticus Parker plays Abby’s boyfriend. Jeffery Self offers a grounded turn as their drama teacher.
Together the two leads create chemistry that never feels forced. Their conversations land like real speech. The movie often feels less like scripted scenes and more like catching two people mid-relationship.
Writing and direction: simple tools, precise results
Mark Duplass wrote the script with a clear affection for the small and specific. Dialogue moves back and forth in the way teenagers actually do: incomplete sentences, sudden jokes, and long silences that say more than any line.
Katie Aselton stages the film with calm assurance. She doesn’t rely on flashy moves. Instead, she uses proximity and timing to reveal character. The choices allow the actors room to breathe and surprise.
Visual tone and sound
Cinematographer Sarah Whelden favors handheld work and natural light. Shots are modest, often following characters at a conversational distance. The camera breathes with them. Sound design keeps the night alive — footsteps, distant cars, and whispered confidences.
This is a film about listening as much as looking. The technical approach reinforces intimacy without calling attention to itself.
Themes that connect: belonging, risk, and the theater of youth
Their Town explores familiar coming-of-age ideas with fresh sensitivity. It avoids heavy-handed moralizing. Instead, it frames questions and lets the characters answer them.
- Belonging: Who gets to be seen, and who deserves to be known?
- Identity: Performance, vulnerability, and the masks teens try on.
- Mental health: Tough topics arrive with nuance and respect.
- Community: The film treats small-town rituals as crucial to growing up.
There’s an affectionate portrayal of theater life throughout. For many characters, the drama club is a place of possibility — a microcosm where identities are tested and formed.
Why this hangout movie feels urgent for teens and anyone who was one
Hangout movies live or die by authenticity. Their Town nails the texture of late-night youth: the way jokes and confessions mix, how a single car ride can feel like destiny, and how small acts of kindness change trajectories.
The film never talks down to its characters. It treats them as complicated humans, not archetypes. That respect gives the movie emotional weight.
Production notes, festival premiere, and what to expect next
Their Town was written by Mark Duplass and directed by Katie Aselton. It features work from cinematographer Sarah Whelden and performances by Chosen Jacobs, Ora Duplass, Daveed Diggs, Leonardo Nam, William Atticus Parker, and Jeffery Self.
- Style: Intimate, handheld visuals and naturalistic dialogue.
- Running time: A single-night structure keeps the story taut.
- Festival premiere: The film screened at SXSW 2026.
At present, no wide release date has been announced. The SXSW screening gives a clear first glimpse of a movie aimed at viewers who value small moments and honest performances.
