Outerlands (Newfest Pride 2025) Review & Summary

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Outerlands” Film Details

• Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 40 Minutes
• Date Seen: (Film Festival – Newfest Pride)

• Released On: In Theaters
• Public Release Date: June 2, 2025
• Director(s): Elena Oxman
• Writer(s): Elena Oxman
• Genre(s): Drama, LGBT+
• Rating: Not Rated

Summary

Cass (Asia Kate Dillon) is a nanny by day, a waiter by night, who largely lives an isolated life. Their family is back in the Midwest, and they don’t seem to talk to them much, if at all, and while they have a cordial relationship with coworkers and their boss, their lack of effort prevents them from becoming friends.

Enter Kalli (Louisa Krause), a single mom who takes an interest in Cass and not only captures their attention but ends up invited to their bed. They trigger the meat of the movie, which is Cass watching Kalli’s kid, Ari (Ridley Asha Bateman), while Kalli claims to be in Vegas but provides no response when contacted.

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Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Cass’ Sense Of Longing [87/100]

At first glance, Cass appears content in solitude: working, drinking, playing mobile games, and avoiding emotional entanglements. It’s not glamorous, but it’s stable. However, Outerlands subtly reveals how longing isn’t always loud or visible—it can be quiet, masked by routine, and even unknown to the person experiencing it.

When Kalli enters the picture, Cass sees what life could be beyond isolation. Despite knowing Kalli is chaotic and inconsistent, Cass yearns for connection, to be seen and accepted without judgment. The stability Cass once prized becomes a foundation for something deeper—real human connection. Their emotional shift, the desire to be meaningful in someone else’s life, makes Cass relatable and their story expanding beyond all the labels Cass either claims or has pinned on them as they simply show themselves as human.

The Struggle To Find Someone You Want To Reciprocally Be Close To [85/100]

Alongside Cass’s longing is the theme of reciprocity—one that’s deeply felt through Ari, Kalli’s child. Ari, abandoned emotionally and sometimes physically by their mother, longs for consistency. Yet, Ari didn’t choose Cass; they were simply the adult placed in Ari’s life to keep them out of foster care. So, Ari doesn’t build a relationship with Cass, just a routine.

What unfolds is the pain of trying to bond with someone who either can’t or won’t reciprocate. You can see that Cass wants to be a safe space, knowing what it’s like to grow up without one, but with Ari hesitant and Kalli unreliable, you see Cass risks retreating to the emotional safety of solitude. After all, their loneliness coexisted with stability for so long. So there comes a point where, in fighting to be trusted by Ari, you can see Cass be reminded of how much life rewarded their emotional detachment by making them feel safe, even if their life was stagnant and empty.

Overall

Our Rating (86/100): Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended

Outerlands is a quietly powerful drama that may feel uncomfortably personal for anyone who shares Cass’s emotional journey. With grounded performances and heartfelt writing, the film explores loneliness, chosen family, and the vulnerability required to form real connections. Watching Outerlands can feel just as risky as the choices Cass faces—forcing viewers to confront whether they’ll seek deeper meaning and reciprocity in their lives, or retreat to the familiar safety of emotional solitude.

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