Ambler at Hotel Contessa celebrates Dry January with mocktail week (1/11-17) featuring custom non-alcoholic cocktails & IPAs. Photo: Garrett Smith, used with permission.
National Mocktail Week 2026: Sip Smarter in San Antonio
National Mocktail Week takes place January 11–17, 2026, celebrating the second week of January with creative, alcohol-free beverages. The week highlights healthier choices, mindful drinking, and the growing community around non-alcoholic drinks made with fresh ingredients and thoughtful craftsmanship.
Whether you’re participating in Dry January or simply looking to cut back after the holidays, this week is the perfect opportunity to explore elevated non-alcoholic options without sacrificing flavor or experience.
Celebrate National Mocktail Week at Hotel Contessa
If you’re in San Antonio, Hotel Contessa is the place to be. The hotel’s riverfront restaurant, Ambler Kitchen + Cocktails, is celebrating National Mocktail Week with a curated selection of Ritual zero-proof mocktails and Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beers. (Hotel Contessa, 2026)
Tai Breaker – Ritual rum, lime juice, orange juice, orgeat
🍺 Non-Alcoholic Beer ($6)
Run Wild IPA – Athletic Brewing
Free Wave IPA – Athletic Brewing
About Ambler Kitchen + Cocktails
Located inside Hotel Contessa, Ambler Kitchen + Cocktails is a top-rated River Walk restaurant and bar, ideal for lunch, dinner, coffee, or a crafted cocktail, alcohol-free or otherwise. Known for its bold personality, Ambler blends Southwestern-Mexican flavors with international influences. Expect inventive dishes like elevated Reuben sandwiches and fried pecan sticky buns. Texan at heart, but anything but traditional.
Visit Ambler at Hotel Contessa
Ambler Kitchen + Cocktails 306 W. Market St San Antonio, TX 78205 📞 (210) 298-8040
Mattering is the new book by Jennifer Wallace. Photo: Penguin Random House
We live in a world more connected than ever, yet more people feel invisible, replaceable, and disconnected from purpose than at any other time in recent history.
From award-winning journalist and bestselling author Jennifer Wallace comes Mattering, a timely and transformative book that confronts the loneliness, burnout, and loss of purpose so many people are experiencing today. (Penguin Random House, 2025)
📅 Release date: Tuesday, January 27 📘 Status: Available now for pre-order
Why Mattering Matters
In this groundbreaking work, Wallace makes a powerful and urgent case: mattering—the feeling that we are valued and that we have an opportunity to add value—is a core human need, as essential to our well-being as food and water.
Yet in today’s world, this fundamental need is increasingly unmet, with serious consequences. As mental and social health crises continue to surge, we often point to social media, the pace of modern life, or polarizing politics as the cause. Wallace argues that beneath these forces lies a deeper issue, what she calls “an erosion of mattering.”
Stories, Science, and the Cost of Feeling Invisible
With her signature warmth and insight, Wallace weaves together compelling research and deeply moving stories of mattering lost and regained. She introduces readers to:
Burned-out employees
Overwhelmed caregivers
People navigating grief
Individuals facing destabilizing life transitions
Through these stories, Mattering shows how lives are transformed when people are reminded, often in small but intentional ways, that they are valued and that their presence and contributions truly count.
The “Mattering Core”
At the heart of the book is what Wallace calls the mattering core, made up of four essential elements:
Recognizing your impact
Being relied on (but not too much)
Feeling prioritized
Being truly known and invested in
Strengthening this core helps us reconnect with purpose, deepen our relationships, and face uncertainty with greater resilience and clarity.
Who This Book Is For
Perfect for readers of Brené Brown, David Brooks, and Adam Grant, Mattering is a rare, culture-shifting book that offers a diagnosis and a remedy. With a clear roadmap and actionable takeaways, Wallace shows how to:
Unlock mattering within ourselves
Build cultures of mattering in our homes
Create healthier, more connected workplaces
Strengthen communities that support belonging
Mattering is a call to action and a blueprint for living a meaningful life and for creating the world we so urgently need.
About the Author
Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It, named an Amazon Best Book of the Year.
Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. A graduate of Harvard College, Wallace began her journalism career in television at 60 Minutes.
Dave Stewart and Boris Grebenshchikov in The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded. Photo: EG-PR, used with permission.
The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026)
Screening at MoMA’sTo Save and Project: The 22nd International Festival of Film Preservation
Michael Apted’s The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) will be screened as part of To Save and Project: The 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation. (EG-PR, 2026)
About To Save and Project
To Save and Project is an international festival dedicated to newly preserved film treasures from archives, studios, and independent filmmakers. Many of the films premiering at MoMA will receive their first U.S. screening since their original release, while others will be shown in meticulously restored versions that more closely approximate their original presentation. Some titles will even be screened publicly for the first time ever in New York.
The festival runs from January 8 through February 2, 2026.
About the Film
The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) is a newly restored version of Michael Apted’s documentary, based on the only existing 16mm print, supervised by producer Steven Lawrence and editor Susanne Rostock.
The film is a revealing, rollicking portrait of Boris Grebenshchikov, the Soviet underground rock legend who became the first Russian rocker to record in the West during the early, optimistic days of Glasnost. It captures a rare moment of artistic freedom, cultural collision, and creative risk.
Featured Artists
The film features:
Boris Grebenshchikov
Dave Stewart
Members of the legendary Russian rock band Aquarium
With special appearances by:
Annie Lennox
Chrissie Hynde
Ray Cooper
Crosby, Stills & Nash
and many more
Boris Grebenshchikov is widely regarded as one of the “founding fathers” of Russian rock music and is the founder and lead singer of Aquarium.
Film Details
Title:The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) Directed by: Michael Apted Epilogue Directed by: Steven Lawrence & Susanne Rostock Produced by: Steven Lawrence Edited by: Susanne Rostock
To Save and Project: The 22nd MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation
Date:Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Time: 7:00 PM Location: MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2)
🎤 With an in-person introduction by Producer Steven Lawrence and Editor Susanne Rostock.
A Film Rediscovered
The Long Way Home was released to critical acclaim following its UK broadcast and its premiere at Sundance, yet it has largely disappeared over the past 30 years. By 1988, Michael Apted was already a highly regarded director in both fiction and nonfiction.
Apted’s extraordinary ability to draw people out results in a complex study of an artist who seized a fleeting moment of unimaginable freedom—recording new music with new collaborators—while grappling with the emotional fallout. Members of Aquarium felt abandoned, and longtime Russian fans were uncertain about Grebenshchikov’s English-language songs when he returned home to perform them.
Thanks to producer Steven Lawrence, the film now has a second life in this newly remastered edition. Together with editor Susanne Rostock, Lawrence has also created a new epilogue tracing Grebenshchikov’s life after the release of his U.S. album Radio Silence, including his years in exile and his outspoken criticism of Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The epilogue partially fulfills Apted’s own ambition to make a sequel—a project he hoped to complete before his death in 2021. (Courtesy of MoMA)
The Filmmakers
Michael Apted (Director)
Michael Apted made documentaries and feature films for over forty years. His globally recognized, award-winning work includes the UP Series (1964–2019), which followed the lives of fourteen British individuals from age seven, revisiting them every seven years. His documentary work also includes The Long Way Home, Moving the Mountain, Incident at Oglala, and The Power of the Game.
Steven Lawrence (Producer / New Epilogue Co-Director)
Steven Lawrence is a producer-director who has been making documentaries for over 30 years, focusing on artists, activists, and everyday heroes—from underground Soviet rockers and Senegalese rappers fighting female genital cutting, to Brooklyn cat rescuers and scientists racing to save the human microbiome.
As a producer, his collaborations with Michael Apted include three feature documentaries, among them The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) and Married in America.
Susanne Rostock (Editor / New Epilogue Co-Director)
Susanne Rostock’s more than 20-year collaboration with Michael Apted as editor resulted in a series of richly provocative films, including The Long Way Home, Incident at Oglala, Me & Isaac Newton, Inspirations, The Power of the Game, and Moving the Mountain.
Teatro Audaz’ Season 10 Announcement Celebration will take place this Saturday. Photo: Teatro Audaz
Noche Audaz: A Season 10 Fiesta You Don’t Want to Miss 🎉
Teatro Audaz San Antonio is turning 10 years bold, and they’re celebrating the best way they know how, with familia, cultura, and a full-on fiesta. (Teatro Audaz, 2026)
Noche Audaz marks the official kickoff of their 10th Anniversary Season, Audaz X: A Decade of Familia. It’s part party, part season reveal, and part fundraiser, all coming together for one unforgettable night honoring the past ten years and looking ahead to what’s next.
📅 When & Where
Saturday, January 10 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Teatro Audaz 1310 S. Brazos St. San Antonio, TX 78207
(Yes—free parking!)
🎟 Let’s Talk Tickets
Tickets are available online, and every purchase supports Teatro Audaz and its artists.
💎 Diamante Sponsor Ticket — $50
This option is perfect if you want to go all in:
Admission to the event
Delicious food
Two free drinks
A Season 10 Vecinos sponsorship, which includes a free ticket to an upcoming show
🥈 Silver Fiesta Ticket — $25
A great way to join the celebration:
Admission to the event
Delicious food
One free drink
🎶 What’s in Store?
Expect a lively, high-energy night filled with:
Amazing food and festive drinks
Folklórico dancers from The Academy of Mexican Folk Dance
Live music and special performances
An exclusive reveal of Teatro Audaz’s Season 10 lineup
Plenty of opportunities to support meaningful, community-centered art
❤️ Why Your Support Matters
Every dollar raised goes directly toward Teatro Audaz San Antonio’s productions, educational programs, and community initiatives, helping amplify underrepresented voices on and off the stage.
This night is about more than celebrating, it’s about sustaining a theatre company that tells stories that matter.
Come celebrate. Come support. Come shine with Audaz.
About Teatro Audaz
Teatro Audaz San Antonio is dedicated to creating space for Latinx stories and voices to thrive on stage. Through bold, innovative storytelling, they work to break barriers in theatre, empower artists, and build deeper connections within the community.
At its heart, Teatro Audaz believes theatre can inspire change, spark conversation, and strengthen cultural pride, here in San Antonio and beyond.
My Mother Cursed My Name is the debut novel by Anamely Salgado Reyes. Photo: Barnes & Noble
My Mother Cursed My Name Book Review: A Magical Realism Novel About Generational Trauma
My Mother Cursed My Name by Anamely Salgado Reyes is a debut novel that explores three generations of strong Mexican American women: Olvido, Angustias, and Felicitas. Blending magical realism, women’s fiction, and family drama, the novel examines generational trauma, grief, identity, and the power of names. Set near the U.S.–Mexico border, the story follows a grandmother’s ghost who meddles in her living family’s life from beyond the grave.
Book Overview: What My Mother Cursed My Name Is About
The novel opens with the history of the Olivares women, dating back to 1917, when Justa Olivares named her daughter Calamidades. Justa believed hardship built character and if she suffered, her daughter should too.
“For generations, the women in the Olivares family attempted to change the course of destiny through the power of names.”
Fast forward to Oakville, Arkansas, where Angustias abruptly pulls her ten-year-old daughter Felicitas out of school to leave town once again. On the road, Felicitas speaks with a mysterious intruder as they head to Grace, Texas, Angustias’ hometown, where her mother Olvido has just died.
The intruder is Olvido herself. Felicitas has the ability to see ghosts, allowing Olvido to linger. Convinced she cannot cross over without resolving unfinished business, Olvido insists on “fixing” Angustias’ life, including her family, career, faith, and future, by working through Felicitas.
Felicitas, who never knew her grandmother, agrees to help in hopes of understanding her. Meanwhile, Angustias, grieving and eager to leave Texas behind, is baffled when the town suddenly rallies around her offering jobs, matchmaking, and church invitations.
Each woman possesses a unique gift: Felicitas sees ghosts, Angustias sees people’s auras, and Olvido draws confessions from others through her cooking. Ultimately, they must learn how to truly listen to one another.
Review: Themes of Generational Trauma, Identity, and Motherhood
My Mother Cursed My Name is a haunting and intimate novel about inherited trauma, unresolved love, and the weight of family expectations. It asks a central question: how much of our destiny is decided before we are born?
The story alternates between Olvido, her daughter Angustias, and her granddaughter Felicitas, revealing how control, often disguised as protection, damages relationships. Olvido’s belief that names determine fate casts a long shadow across generations.
When Angustias becomes pregnant as a teenager, her choice to leave home feels both reckless and necessary, a desperate act of self-preservation. Years later, Felicitas’ attempt to connect with her grandmother delivers a darkly ironic truth: although Olvido is dead, her influence remains powerful.
Reyes’s prose is restrained, vivid, and poetic:
“Between the humidity and the running, her hair has tangled in multiple places as if various birds fought to make a nest on her head.”
Blending emotional realism with a subtle gothic tone, the novel uses death as a metaphor for estrangement and healing. My Mother Cursed My Name is ultimately a poignant exploration of motherhood, resentment, cultural inheritance, and the difficult work of breaking cycles we inherit without consent.
Readers who enjoy Latina literature, magical realism novels, and women’s fiction about family and identity will find this story heartwarming and thought-provoking.
“If only mistakes could anchor Angustias without drowning her, she wouldn’t be so determined on sailing the unknown sea.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
About the Author: Anamely Salgado Reyes
Anamely Salgado Reyes grew up on both sides of the Mexico–Texas border. Now based in the Rio Grande Valley, she writes stories rooted in family, friendship, culture, and the quiet magic found in everyday life.
Bad Brains 1981 backstage at CBGB New York City. Photo: Glen E. Friedman, used with permission.
Bad Brains Partners With Trust Records to Preserve Punk Legacy
NEW YORK, NY — The iconic and highly influential punk rock band Bad Brains announced last month that they have partnered with Trust Records, the company formed to ensure that classic punk and hardcore music continues to endure. (another side, 2025)
A New Chapter With Trust Records
Under the new deal, Trust Records will ensure that Bad Brains’ music remains available for generations to come. In addition, Trust Records has established an Artist Advisory Board, on which Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer will serve. The board will help guide the future creative vision of Trust Records.
The partnership will govern and administer the entirety of Bad Brains’ owned and controlled intellectual property, including:
Music publishing
Recorded music
Name and likeness
Trademarks
Visual intellectual property
This includes the band’s self-titled debut album as well as seminal releases Rock for Light, I Against I, and Quickness.
Darryl Jenifer on the Partnership
“After 40 plus years of forging the spirit PMA through our brand of progressive punk rock aka Hardcore, I’m happy that Bad Brains will be sharing the wheel with TRUST in our ongoing quest to keep Bad Brains alive in the hearts and minds of our supporters as we step into the future. TRUST’s love and knowledge of Bad Brains and the PMA ethos makes them a perfect match to partner with as we keep Bad Brains ‘Sailin’ On’. Stay tuned for what’s next to come. One love and a hefty dose of PMA.” — Darryl Jenifer, Bad Brains bassist
The Legacy of Bad Brains
Formed in 1978 in Washington, DC, Bad Brains is one of the most influential American recording artists to emerge from the punk and hardcore scene. The band’s pioneering artistry, strong ethics, and virtuosic musicianship have had a profound effect on global culture.
Bad Brains are cited as an influence by countless artists, including Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, Sublime, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, and Deftones.
The original lineup consisted of H.R. (vocals), Dr. Know (guitar), Darryl Jenifer (bass), and Earl Hudson (drums).
Trust Records on the Partnership
“We started Trust Records to promote, preserve, and protect punk and hardcore music and the culture that surrounds it. Bad Brains is the absolute top of the mountain in punk and hardcore. They taught the rest of us how to do it. It is the highest honor to partner with Darryl and Bad Brains in the stewardship of their iconic work.” — Matt Pincus, Founder, Trust Records
“Bad Brains are an iconic and legendary band whose impact on global culture cannot be overstated. We are thrilled that they’ve chosen Trust Records as their home and we look forward to working with them to continue to build their fan base around the world.” — Joe Nelson, Co-founder, Trust Records
About Trust Records
Founded in 2020, Trust Records was created to give classic punk and hardcore records the home they deserve. Born from DIY roots, the genre’s most influential releases shaped generations of disaffected youth around the world. As the industry moves further into the streaming age, preserving both the spirit and legacy of this music is more important than ever.
Trust Records focuses on ensuring this music remains accessible to future generations while maintaining historical accuracy and high-quality releases.
Their catalog includes 40th Anniversary Deluxe editions of Circle Jerks’ Group Sex and Wild in the Streets, 7Seconds’ landmark 1984 album The Crew, and reissues of Youth Brigade’s Sound and Fury, DFL’s My Crazy Life, SSD’s The Kids Will Have Their Say, Ink & Dagger’s The Complete Works, and more.
Dive into January with Twang’s Miche-Nada recipe. Photo: Garrett Smith and Giant Noise Partners, used with permission.
Dry January: A Reset for the New Year
Dry January is a month-long commitment to abstaining from alcohol, often taken up after the indulgences of the holiday season. Many people choose January because it offers a natural reset: routines are quieter, social calendars are lighter, and there’s a collective desire to start the year with healthier habits.
Going alcohol-free can improve sleep, boost energy, and support mental clarity. For others, it’s a chance to reassess their relationship with drinking, break unconscious habits, and prove to themselves that alcohol isn’t a necessity. Dry January is less about restriction and more about intention, reflection, and beginning the year feeling grounded and in control.
A Non-Alcoholic Option to Celebrate
With this in mind, Twang is sharing a non-alcoholic drink recipe to keep the ritual and flavor alive during Dry January. (Twang, 2026)
Twang is a Tex-Mex–inspired, family-driven company founded in 1986, specializing in flavored salt, sugar, and spice blends. For over 38 years, Twang has been sharing its bold products and recipes with the world, and Dry January is no exception.
Twang’s Miche-Nada
Twang’s Miche-Nada is a non-alcoholic spin on the classic Mexican beer cocktail, the michelada. It can be made using classic, spicy, or pickle Twang Michelada Mixers.
Curated with all-natural ingredients, the mix includes real lime juice, robust ancho chiles, and organic Worcestershire sauce. Twang’s Rimming Salt completes the drink, with flavors like lime, grapefruit, mango chile, and more.
The michelada mix comes in a 16oz bottle for $7.00, while rimming salts are $5.00 each. All Twang products ship nationwide and are available at select retailers across the country.
Twang Miche-Nada Recipe
Ingredients:
Twang Michelada Mixer (classic, spicy or pickle flavors)
Twang Rimming Salt (lime, grapefruit, mango chile, and more flavors)
Ice
Sparkling water
Lime wedge
Directions:
Rim your glass with choice of Twang’s Rimming Salt
Leyla’s House is Zülfü Livaneli’s, one of Turkey’s great modern writers, musicians and activists, new novel. Photo: Other Press
Leyla’s House: A Novel by Zülfü Livaneli
Release Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Publisher: Other Press
Tradition, modernity, displacement, and human connection collide in internationally bestselling author Zülfü Livaneli’s latest novel, Leyla’s House. Richly layered and emotionally resonant, the book explores old and new money, the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, and the complexities of modern Turkey. It’s available for pre-order now. (Other Press, 2026)
A Story of Loss, Survival, and Unexpected Friendship
Evicted from her Istanbul mansion, an elderly aristocrat forms surprising new connections across class and culture in this colorful, nuanced novel.
The last living member of a great Ottoman family, the refined yet sheltered Leyla finds herself homeless and vulnerable when her house is sold by the bank to a business tycoon and his ambitious wife. Forced out of her historic mansion on the banks of the Bosphorus, Leyla is rescued by Yusuf, the son of her family’s former gardener, now a journalist, and taken into his care.
Leyla follows Yusuf to a modern, cosmopolitan district of Istanbul, where she encounters a vibrant world of artists and outcasts, including Yusuf’s partner Roxy (real name Rukiye), a hip-hop singer. Despite initial hostility, a genuine friendship slowly develops between these two women from radically different worlds.
A Hidden History Comes to Light
When Leyla’s former home is emptied of its furniture, a startling family secret emerges. A discovered photograph reveals the old woman’s uncanny resemblance to a British officer, raising an unsettling question: could Leyla be the product of an illegitimate union between an Ottoman woman and an Englishman?
With a strong sense of romance and social insight, Leyla’s House captures a society in flux, where former Ottoman aristocrats, the nouveau riche, and Turks returning from Europe all coexist, collide, and redefine what belonging means.
About the Author
Zülfü Livaneli is Turkey’s best-selling author and a prominent political activist. Widely regarded as one of the most important Turkish cultural figures of our time, he is known for novels that interweave diverse social and historical perspectives. His acclaimed works include Bliss, Serenade for Nadia, Disquiet, The Last Island, The Fisherman and His Son, On the Back of the Tiger, and My Brother’s Story.
His books have been translated into thirty-seven languages, won numerous international literary prizes, and adapted into films, stage plays, and operas.
About the Translators
Brendan Freely
Born in Princeton in 1959, Brendan Freely studied psychology at Yale University. His translations include Two Girls by Perihan Mağden, The Gaze by Elif Şafak, and—co-translated with Yelda Türedi—Like a Sword Wound by Ahmet Altan.
Yelda Türedi
Born in Mersin, Turkey, in 1970, Yelda Türedi studied chemical engineering at Boğaziçi University. She has co-translated Ahmet Altan’s Like a Sword Wound and Love in the Days of Rebellion.
He doesn’t offer abstract frameworks or motivational clichés, but rather a practical system rooted in real-world experience. He has spent a decade in mission-critical consulting where decisions aren’t theoretical, they’re consequential.
His goal in writing this book is clear:
“This book is for anyone who is facing tough decisions, feeling stuck, or just looking for a better way to think things through.”
The Core Idea: Outcome-First Thinking
The premise is simple yet powerful. We need to stop reacting to the options in front of us and start anchoring every decision to the outcome we actually want.
This Outcome-First approach flips traditional decision-making advice on its head. Instead of weighing endless pros and cons, Sable encourages clarity first—defining success before choosing a path. The result is faster, more confident decisions with far less mental noise.
What’s Inside the Book
The book is divided into four clear sections:
Part I: Framing the End
Part II: Navigating the Messy Middle
Part III: Making the Call
Part IV: Becoming a Decision Maker by Design
Key Highlights
Part I, Chapter 1: Outcome-First Thinking Sable immediately addresses artificial intelligence, noting that AI will increasingly influence both personal and professional decisions. While AI can provide predictive analytics and real-time simulations, it can also begin to make decisions for us if we aren’t clear on our goals.
“AI is not your enemy, but it’s not your decision maker either. You are.”
Part I, Chapter 5: Generate Better Options — Decision-Making Under Pressure When faced with two bad options, Sable challenges readers to create better ones. He uses Tyler Perry as a case study: when told his work wasn’t mainstream enough for Hollywood, Perry didn’t conform or quit, he built his own studio.
“So the next time you’re told it’s either A or B, remember—you are writing the test, not just taking it.”
Why This Book Works
Sable acknowledges the speed, complexity, and constant pressure of modern life and designs his approach accordingly. The writing is clear, direct, and refreshingly free of jargon. He reinforces concepts through illustrations, case studies, and interactive exercises, with each chapter ending in summaries and key takeaways.
Several chapters also explore how artificial intelligence fits into modern decision principles, making the book especially relevant right now.
Final Thoughts
For readers who feel overwhelmed or paralyzed by choice, Begin at the End is an effective antidote. It restores agency and focus by reminding us that better decisions start with knowing where we want to go.
Looking for fresh decision-making ideas? This book is worth making your next guide.
“Whether in markets or in life, if you wait for perfect signals, you’ll miss the opportunities that come from moving forward with intention, even when the picture is messy.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
*Thank you to Jeremy Sable for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
‘To Die Alone’ is now streaming in the UK. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
To Die Alone Review: A Haunting Survival Thriller Now Streaming in the UK
Following its successful release in the US and Canada, To Die Alone is now available on major digital platforms in the UK. Directed by Austin Smagalski, this indie survival thriller blends physical danger with psychological depth, delivering a tense and emotionally resonant experience. (One Tree Entertainment, 2026)
A stark survival nightmare where injury, isolation, and buried trauma collide and the only way out is facing your past.
To Die Alone is an emotionally charged survival drama that strips its story down to the essentials: one injured woman, an unforgiving wilderness, and the weight of unresolved trauma. After a devastating accident while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Irving must fight to survive while confronting the emotional scars she has long avoided.
Hiking alone in an attempt to come to terms with her past, Irving’s inner turmoil is revealed through subtle flashbacks. Her journey takes a turn when she meets Ford, a paramedic and experienced forager who hikes recreationally. Though initially wary, Irving agrees to join forces with him as the dangers of the trail escalate.
Both characters are burdened by past trauma and appear to be searching for escape. As their bond develops, Ford confesses his greatest fear: dying alone. When Irving is violently injured after being pulled into a lake by an unknown assailant, the film shifts into full survival mode. Although Ford treats her injury, it becomes clear that escaping the wilderness will be far more difficult than anticipated.
The film’s long stretches of silence and sweeping wilderness cinematography create an atmosphere that is beautiful and brutal, emphasizing human fragility in isolation. Irving’s injury is portrayed with unflinching realism, making every movement feel earned. Ford’s presence transforms the story from a survival thriller into an emotional reckoning, exploring trust, vulnerability, and human connection.
Ultimately, To Die Alone is less about conquering nature and more about confronting oneself. Its ambiguous ending and unexpected plot twist deepen the film’s emotional impact, making it a haunting and intimate exploration of survival, grief, and resilience.
