On a gray, rainy Sunday, Clif, Dee, and I headed south to Portland, the Babylon of Maine, and our biggest city (population: around 68,000). Dee was keen on seeing the movie Exit 8, and as far as we could tell, none of the cinemas in our area would be showing it. Fifty miles one way is a bit of a drive for a movie, but because of the weather, we couldn’t work outside, and our electric vehicle, Bolty, gives us a guilt-free drive. So it seemed like a good day to head south. And as Dee noted, any day is a good day to go to the movies.

We made it to Portland in good time, and the Parking gods were on our side—there was an empty spot across from the Nicholodeon Cinema, affectionately referred to as “The Nick.” This empty spot really was a gift from the gods, as the parking garage, for some unknown reason, was closed, and there was a big event nearby.

So was it worth driving that far to see Exit 8? It certainly was. Exit 8, directed by Genki Kawamura, was so good that I’ve already put it on my list of best movies for 2026. Billed as a “mystery, psychological, horror film,” Exit 8 is actually light on horror and strong on psychological and mystery. Readers who are squeamish about horror films can go to this movie without fear. Exit 8 is also a surreal film, but it is primarily the psychological journey of Lost Man as he grapples with issues that are holding him back. Think Groundhog Day melded with The Twilight Zone with a dash of Waiting for Godot. Despite these twists, the movie manages to be warm and humane as we follow Lost Man on his journey.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, as the delight of this film lies in following Lost Man.  Simply put, after receiving an important call from a former girlfriend, Lost Man, on his way to work, gets off the subway and finds himself in a series of white-tiled corridors that lead to Exit 8, his way out. Except Lost Man can’t leave and keeps looping around the bright yet bland corridors. Finally, Lost Man notices a sign with instructions, the most important of which is to turn around whenever he encounters an anomaly. If he doesn’t, Lost Man is back to zero. Literally.

Lost Man makes progress and has setbacks, and I was rooting for him the whole time. The film is moving but never cheesy, a real gem that cost about $1 million to make, which is peanuts nowadays.

Note: The trailer emphasizes the film’s horror elements rather than the humane quest of Lost Man.

After the movie, what to do? Why to Maine Beer Company in Freeport for

and

and finally

As my Yankee husband would say, a pretty darned good day.