Run Amok review: Molly Ringwald, Patrick Wilson in Sundance's dark high-school musical

Run Amok, written and directed by Nitzan "NB" Mager, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival as a dark high-school musical satire. The film stars Alyssa Emily Marvin as freshman Meg and features Molly Ringwald (aunt Val) and Patrick Wilson (Mr. Shelby); Collider lists the film’s release date as January 26, 2026 and a runtime of 96 minutes.

Run Amok follows Meg, a freshman who has lived with her cousin Penny, aunt Val and uncle Dan after her mother was killed in a school shooting. To mark the 10th anniversary at the same high school, Meg stages a musical reenactment of the shooting to outdo a classmate’s commemorative sculpture, recruiting Penny and other students.

Principal Linda (Margaret Cho) urges a less controversial approach, while Mr. Shelby — the teacher who disarmed and killed the shooter — initially supports Meg but draws a firm line. Collider’s review by Taylor Gates says the film skewers "thoughts and prayers" culture and the urge to solve violence with violence, depicting teachers carrying guns with rubber bullets and a Parent Teacher Arms Association (PTAA).

Gates highlights moments that mix dark comedy and real emotion, including the use of songs like "Killing Me Softly" and "...Baby One More Time," and a hall reenactment that becomes suddenly harrowing without exploitative flashbacks. Gates praises the script’s specificity and some gut‑punch scenes but finds Mager’s directing and cinematography too conventional given the material’s surreal potential.

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