We live in a weird world of parasocial streamer dominance where our culture is frequently defined by agitators and online provocateurs whose only purpose is to spread deceit and hatred toward others. In this modern context, Iconoclast seems like a prime opportunity to explore the detrimental effects that parasocial infatuation has on seemingly well-meaning but evidently mentally unstable individuals.
Iconoclast Tribeca Review
Courtney Eaton and Gabriel Basso in Iconoclast, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9, 2026.
It’s a massive shame that the film has no idea what it wants to say. Burdened by a one-note plot that gives itself away in the first few minutes and a director with no trigger finger in the editing room, the movie collapses under its own weight. Gabriel Basso writes, directs, and stars in this project. The festival describes it as a “tightly coiled psychological thriller,” which is ironic, since its biggest flaw is that it’s one of the most loosely coiled films I’ve seen in a long time.
Coming in at an egregious 120 minutes, the story follows Connor, a guy with a boring, generic job who escapes his miserable reality by obsessively watching a live-streaming influencer named Nika, played by Courtney Eaton. Nika begins to manifest herself in Connor’s regular life. He clearly suffers from some sort of psychotic schizophrenia that, for whatever reason, is never made explicitly clear by the script.
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Either way, Connor is madly in love with this digital woman. The only reprieve he gets from his bizarre existence is when his new colleague, Morgan, played by Rain Spencer, joins him at work, making his mundane days slightly more interesting. The result of Morgan’s appearance plays out exactly as generically as you might expect.
Connor is torn between a connection with Morgan and his toxic ideation of the streamer he watches all day. He quickly falls into the predictable, stereotypical traps of alt-right incel commentary. In a desperate attempt to forge his identity, he starts lifting weights, learning to shoot guns, and shaving his head, believing this will appeal to Nika if they ever meet.
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It’s a standard plot that doesn’t deserve its bloated runtime. It isn’t enough for the film to be boring, predictable, and one-note with zero subtext. For it to stretch out to two full hours is obscene. A lot of my frustration with Iconoclast as it unfolded was watching the timeline scrub closer to the end, feeling like I was on the brink of insanity right alongside Connor.
Often, my criticisms of a movie fall squarely on the pacing. If a film is long, that’s one thing, but if a film is long and feels long, that’s when you run into a massive issue. It’s a shame because Basso’s lead performance is solid, and his direction isn’t terrible. It’s nothing fantastic or original, which this new world of author-driven cinema requires, but it’s serviceable. It’s unfortunate the editing team had no idea when to tighten things up.
Is Iconoclast worth watching?
Iconoclast gives itself no reason to exist because it is covering the exact same dark, intense tones you would expect from a dozen other thrillers like it. Basso tries to take a massive swing in the third act, but it feels like it comes out of nowhere. It plays like a bizarre late-stage rewrite meant solely to bring in Kiernan Shipka and Noah Centineo for a few minutes of screen time, clearly shot over a single day. There seems to be a kernel of a vision here, but the script ultimately fails to deliver, resulting in a dull, time-wasting waste that leaves little impact. Even the performances feel overshadowed by the muddled narrative.
Iconoclast premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs from June 3 to 14, 2026.
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