Intrusive Thoughts (2026) – Review and Summary

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

“Intrusive Thoughts” Film Details

• Director(s): Saumene Mehrdady
• Writer(s): Saumene Mehrdady
• Distributor: Freestyle Digital Media
• Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 24 Minutes
• Public Release Date (Digital): January 13, 2025
• Genre(s): Drama
• Content Rating: Not Rated
• Primary Language: English | Non-English (Farsi)

Movie Summary

Gabe and Sasha have recently broken up and are now in a transition phase complicated by the fact that they still live together. But what doesn’t help is that Sasha is further along in moving on, with her family even setting her up on dates. Meanwhile, Gabe remains stagnant, unsure of what his next move should be, and he’s lashing out because he can see his options are few, and everyone is getting miles ahead.

Cast and Characters

Gabe (Alexander Morales)

• Character Summary: Gabe is a filmmaker who has done indie films, pornography, and ads for social media, but he is far from where he wants to be or thinks he should be. But, with lacking a network and beginning to burn the few bridges he has built, it seems he is becoming his own worst enemy.

Sasha (Sarah Chang Tadayon)

• Character Summary: Sasha is a creative who inspired Gabe to get onto the path he is on, but while Sasha isn’t making any notable moves in her career, her family seems to be ready to pimp her out to a man who will give them grand nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Sasha [82/100]

Sasha and Gabe are co-leads, with Sasha given more than enough of a life outside Gabe to evolve past being his ex-girlfriend and the catalyst of his most recent downward spiral. Now, I will admit, I wish we got a better sense of her professional life and what she wants to do for her career, but her personal life more than makes up for that.

How? Well, because it might only explore her relationships, including her attempts to date or those with her family, but it is more than enough. We are shown she is a Persian woman through her language, getting a sense of her culture through how she interacts with her family, and even outside her ethnicity, Sasha provides you a character that feels crafted with care.

Unlike Gabe, at times, Sasha doesn’t feel purely reactionary. Yes, things happen where it becomes clear that people don’t respect her autonomy and abilities as an adult woman. Yet, there are also many moments you’ll find her doing something disagreeable, foolish, relatable, and justified. She is a full-on person in a movie that, initially, seemed far more geared towards her ex dealing with the breakup than her life beyond it.

Low Point(s)

Gabe & The Expectations You May Have Had For The Film [63/100]

The trailer for Intrusive Thoughts may lead you to believe that, as Gabe is dealing with his breakup, he is going to unravel, and the reins that kept him from doing and saying certain things would be released or made loose. That isn’t what happens here. There is a clear line between Gabe’s words and actions, in terms of him losing inhibitions, and while he may say some callous, outright cruel things, in terms of harming others or himself? Those intrusive thoughts never win. They are played out, as a fantasy, on a rare occasion, but he never does what he thinks, and the film suffers a bit for it.

Mind you, do we want to see Gabe get into accidents, harm anyone, or anything like that? At first, no. But the problem is, as Sasha evolves as a character, Gabe seems stuck in a way that, you could submit, is representative of where he is in life. But with the film’s title and the ways that could have been utilized, far more could have been done to see him wrestle with the trajectory of his life.

Yet, because the film doesn’t, you become numb to Gabe’s struggle. I would even say, there may come a point where you wish, like so many exes in movies, Gabe was phased out within the first 20 minutes.

Overall

Our Rating (72/100): Mixed (Divisive)

Intrusive Thoughts fumbles in a notable way. On the positive side, it does create a Trojan Horse, which does give you a part of Sasha’s story, which didn’t really feel like the selling point of the movie. However, at the same time, what appeared to be the hook, Gabe’s intrusive thoughts causing him trouble, isn’t approached in a meaningful way. It could have saved Gabe’s narrative, but instead, it is a lukewarm part of the film, to the point that calling the movie Intrusive Thoughts feels like a misnomer.

What To Check Out Next

Check out our movies page! There you’ll find our latest movie reviews and recommendations, like some of our posts below:

• 

  Allswell In New York (2024): Review and Summary

  “Allswell In New York” will likely become a movie you badly wish was at least a mini-series, for while a completed film, it feels like such a tease.

• 

  Good Side of Bad (2025): Review and Summary | A Mundane Take On Mental Illness

  With mixed results, “Good Side of Bad” seeks a less embellished version of experiencing a mental illness or supporting someone that does.

• 

  Year One (2025) – Review and Summary

  Year One delivers a relatable and far from grandiose image of what living on a college campus is like, without being notably dramatic or idealistic.