Permanent Damage (2026)
Screening as part of the 2026 Fantasia Film Festival, Seth A Smith's Permanent Damage begins on quite a grounded premise. Tommy (Calem MacDonald) has escaped from prison and hides in a store where he is about to be caught, until an elderly woman (Clare Coulter) mistakes him for her son. Playing along with her mistake caused by her growing dementia, Tommy goes home with her just as her landlord LL (Stephen Dorff) is ready to throw her out for not paying the bills. Continuing to act like her son, Tommy offers to help the landlord with some renovations around the building in exchange for forgiving the lack of rent payments. Desperate to get the building to pass code, LL agrees to this, and as Tommy begins to help out, he meets LL's niece, Joe (Olivia Scriven), and the pair begin a blooming romance.
At first, this plot feels incredibly predictable. This type of false identity narrative where someone with a heart of gold gets caught in a lie is one that has been seen hundreds of times before, with Derek Cianfrance's Roofman using the exact same formula only last year. Luckily, this premise is a jumping-off point for one of the most insane films of the year, continually evolving and growing in ways no audience will be able to predict. Over and over again, new characters are introduced, and the situation grows more chaotic as Tommy works with Joe to steal from LL, who has a mysterious plan to make a fortune. More criminals get involved, and increasingly eccentric characters get added to the mix from there.
The result of this chaos is a viewing experience that is anything but boring. Eventually, watching Permanent Damage becomes an experience of simply waiting for the next insane character or twist to drop, with one almost always around the corner. Smith's previous film, 2020's Tin Can, suffered from a condensed scope that never felt able to break into something bigger. Permanent Damage does the exact opposite, asking itself how it can go further with each scene. Along the way, Smith is able to embrace a wide array of ideas that are often quite funny and memorable. From absurdist characters like fitness influencers who cover themselves in silver to armadillos that poop drugs, the absurdity here feels actually innovative and unrestricted.
The cast matches this energy wonderfully. While MacDonald is often more grounded, playing the likeable protagonist who is just trying to do the right thing, Dorff is able to go fully unhinged, hitting every high note to match the growing instability of the world around him. The side characters are all brought to life wonderfully, with no one feeling forced in delivery, which is a notable compliment considering what is being asked of them. In the best of ways, both on and off camera, it feels like the production allowed itself to have fun, which translates to the audience watching.
However, this non-stop escalation does have some side effects. For anyone invested in the original premise of the film, it will likely be disappointing to see it pushed so far into the background even by the halfway point of the film. Any deeper conversation the film starts to have, particularly one about how cruel and disgusting landlords can be and how that system is particularly predatory to older individuals, also gets lost in the shuffle. While the ending feels satisfying enough for where the film ends up going, some of these stronger elements inevitably get lost along the way.
Few films this year will feel quite as fun as Permanent Damage. Twisting an expected narrative on its head, the film embraces chaos and never looks back. While the narrative can sometimes be messy as a result, the deliverable is still enough fun to be a worthy ride to enjoy with a crowd who is also along for the ride.
At first, this plot feels incredibly predictable. This type of false identity narrative where someone with a heart of gold gets caught in a lie is one that has been seen hundreds of times before, with Derek Cianfrance's Roofman using the exact same formula only last year. Luckily, this premise is a jumping-off point for one of the most insane films of the year, continually evolving and growing in ways no audience will be able to predict. Over and over again, new characters are introduced, and the situation grows more chaotic as Tommy works with Joe to steal from LL, who has a mysterious plan to make a fortune. More criminals get involved, and increasingly eccentric characters get added to the mix from there.
The result of this chaos is a viewing experience that is anything but boring. Eventually, watching Permanent Damage becomes an experience of simply waiting for the next insane character or twist to drop, with one almost always around the corner. Smith's previous film, 2020's Tin Can, suffered from a condensed scope that never felt able to break into something bigger. Permanent Damage does the exact opposite, asking itself how it can go further with each scene. Along the way, Smith is able to embrace a wide array of ideas that are often quite funny and memorable. From absurdist characters like fitness influencers who cover themselves in silver to armadillos that poop drugs, the absurdity here feels actually innovative and unrestricted.
The cast matches this energy wonderfully. While MacDonald is often more grounded, playing the likeable protagonist who is just trying to do the right thing, Dorff is able to go fully unhinged, hitting every high note to match the growing instability of the world around him. The side characters are all brought to life wonderfully, with no one feeling forced in delivery, which is a notable compliment considering what is being asked of them. In the best of ways, both on and off camera, it feels like the production allowed itself to have fun, which translates to the audience watching.
However, this non-stop escalation does have some side effects. For anyone invested in the original premise of the film, it will likely be disappointing to see it pushed so far into the background even by the halfway point of the film. Any deeper conversation the film starts to have, particularly one about how cruel and disgusting landlords can be and how that system is particularly predatory to older individuals, also gets lost in the shuffle. While the ending feels satisfying enough for where the film ends up going, some of these stronger elements inevitably get lost along the way.
Few films this year will feel quite as fun as Permanent Damage. Twisting an expected narrative on its head, the film embraces chaos and never looks back. While the narrative can sometimes be messy as a result, the deliverable is still enough fun to be a worthy ride to enjoy with a crowd who is also along for the ride.