Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
by Alex Billington
July 22, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Just because you think someone’s a killer doesn’t mean they are one.” Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed the official trailer for a small town crime thriller movie titled The Girl in the River, ready for release (on VOD right away) starting in September. The film is the first feature made by filmmaker Brando Benetton, who has been sharpening his skills as an assistant director before this, along with a few other short films. A seasoned criminologist and a young female forensic psychologist are lured to a small town to investigate the murder of a young girl and the disappearance of her twin sister. As they crawl inside the killer’s mind, the case spirals into obsession and a race against time to save the other sister. This stars Maggie Grace and Devon Sawa as the two investigators, along with Tiffany Haddish, Sam Brooks, and Ralph Macchio. Shot on location in Mississippi, capturing all these eerie Deep South vibes right from the source. This looks like it has some unsettling twists and turns as they get deeper into figuring out what’s going on in this town.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Brando Benetton’s film The Girl in the River, from YouTube:
“Every lie floats to the surface.” A seasoned criminologist on the verge of retirement (Devon Sawa) and a forensic psychologist (Maggie Grace) are drawn to a remote town to investigate a child’s murder along with her twin’s mysterious disappearance, only for the case to spiral into obsession as they race against time to catch a killer before it’s too late. “You’re not ready to confront what real evil looks like.” The Girl in the River is both written and directed by up-and-coming writer / filmmaker Brando Benetton, making his feature directorial debut after a few other shorts (including Nightfire) previously; plus some work as first assistant director. Produced by Joe Lemmon & Andrew Stevens. This hasn’t premiered at any film festivals or elsewhere, as far as we know. Samuel Goldwyn Films debuts Benetton’s The Girl in the River thriller film in select US theaters + on VOD starting September 4th, 2026 coming up soon. Looks good? Intrigued?
