Sender is a 2026 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Russell Goldman. It stars Britt Lower, Rhea Seehorn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Baryshnikov, David Dastmalchian, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Mike Mitchell. It is loosely based on the 2022 short film Return to Sender by Goldman.
| Sender | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Russell Goldman |
| Screenplay by | Russell Goldman |
| Based on | Return to Sender by Russell Goldman |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Gemma Doll-Grossman |
| Edited by | Marco Rosas |
| Music by | Gavin Brivik |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Premise
editAfter receiving a series of packages containing unnervingly personal items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender.
Cast
edit- Britt Lower as Julia Day, a woman receiving packages she didn't order
- Anna Baryshnikov as Tatiana Day, Julia's sister
- David Dastmalchian as Charlie, a delivery driver for the e-commerce company Smirk
- Rhea Seehorn as Whitney, a woman who meets Julia in a recovery group
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Lisa Barr, a woman also receiving packages she didn't order
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Dustin, Julia's former co-worker
- Mike Mitchell as Steve, a man on a date with Julia
- Ken Jeong as Dick Swope
- Edward Torres
- Alyssa Limperis
- Inger Stratton
Production
editIn April 2025, it was reported that Russell Goldman was writing and directing the film, starring Britt Lower, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Baryshnikov, and David Dastmalchian, with Curtis also serving as a producer. Principal photography began that month.[1] It is loosely based on the 2022 short film Return to Sender by Goldman. The script for Sender was featured on The Black List in 2023.[2] In August 2025, Curtis described the film as a psychological thriller.[3] In October 2025, Rhea Seehorn was announced as joining the cast.[4]
Release
editReception
editOn the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 34 reviews are positive.[7]
Variety reviewer Courtney Howard states, "Writer-director Russell Goldman re-fashions the puzzle box constraints of his short “Return to Sender” into an intricately-faceted feature, making way for a deep character study to emerge, crawling under our skin to truly unnerve in its damning examination of how commercialism is insidiously interwoven into our daily lives. Boldly off-kilter, brilliant and bizarre, its dark humor and taut psychological horror are laced together in a delightfully heady blend."[8]
References
edit- ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 14, 2025). "'Severance's Britt Lower To Topline Psychological Horror Film 'Sender' Produced By Jamie Lee Curtis". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 11, 2023). "The Black List 2023: Travis Braun's 'Bad Boy' Leads List Of Year's Most-Liked Hollywood Screenplays". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ↑ London, Rob; Nemiroff, Perri (July 29, 2025). "'Freaky Friday' Star, 66, Dishes on Working With 'Severance's Britt Lower on New Psychological Thriller Movie [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
- ↑ Villarreal, Yvonne (October 29, 2025). "To lead his next show, Vince Gilligan thought: Better call Rhea Seehorn". LA Times. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Sender - SXSW". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
- ↑ "Sender - SFFILM". SFFILM. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Sender (2026) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "'Sender' SXSW Review: Britt Lower and Rhea Seehorn Deliver the Goods in a Paranoid Mystery Centered on the Sinister Ease of Online Ordering | Variety". www.variety.com. Retrieved June 1, 2026.