The Mexican film is the third feature directed by Gael García Bernal, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Argentine playwright and novelist Mariano Pensotti. Bernal stars as Camilo, a Cuban lifeguard whose life changes dramatically after he rescues Abel, a wealthy Mexican businessman with political ambitions, from drowning. Abel rewards him by bringing him to Mexico, where Camilo becomes his right-hand man, marries Abel’s daughter Juana and appears to enter an extraordinary new life. But the apparent dream quickly becomes something much darker: Camilo discovers that Abel’s world is built around manipulation and control, forcing him to fight to reclaim his own destiny. (La Biennale di Venezia⁠)

The film is being described as a comedy-drama with psychological, surreal and dreamlike elements, exploring manipulation, social masks, identity, class and the ways people construct versions of themselves for others. (Paloma & Nacho⁠)

And then there is Ricky Martin.

Martin’s involvement was deliberately kept secret until the first trailer was released on August 24, 2026. He plays Roby, an actor hired to portray Camilo in a biographical film being pushed by Camilo’s wife. In a particularly meta twist, Martin is therefore playing an actor who is playing a character whose life is itself being turned into a movie. (Quién⁠)

According to reports, Martin joined the project shortly before filming began in Mérida, Yucatán, and filmed his part in just one day. He is also credited as an executive producer, making his involvement considerably more significant than a conventional cameo. (Quién⁠)

The ensemble also includes Manuel García-Rulfo, Débora Nascimento, Esmeralda Pimentel, Natalia Oreiro, Jorge Salinas, Anna Díaz and Jerry Velázquez, alongside Bernal and Martin. (IMDb⁠)

The film has a major festival launch ahead. Hombre al Agua will have its world premiere in the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Spotlight section in September 2026, followed by its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Venice lists its running time as 116 minutes. (La Biennale di Venezia⁠)

Produced by Bernal and Diego Luna’s La Corriente del Golfo, alongside Cárcava Cine and Redrum, the film is arguably notable not just for its unusual story but for the meeting of two huge Latin American stars: acclaimed actor-director Gael García Bernal and global pop icon Ricky Martin.

And given that Martin’s role was hidden until the trailer, there may still be considerably more to discover when the film finally premieres.

The post Ricky Martin’s secret role in Gael García Bernal’s highly anticipated new film, Hombre al Agua appeared first on KIMU.

The film will be written, directed, and produced by French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, best known for her acclaimed 2020 film Cuties. Doucouré has reportedly been attached to the project since 2022, and the movie is now moving forward with backing from Studiocanal. Production is expected to begin in autumn 2026, with filming scheduled for the fall. 

The biopic has also been developed with the cooperation of Baker’s surviving sons, Jean-Claude and Brian Bouillon Baker, giving the project an added layer of authenticity and family approval. 

Twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, said she was “honoured” to take on the role, calling Baker’s legacy “such an inspiration” and describing her as a “visionary, ground-breaking woman whose story is as powerful as it is relevant today.” She added that she cannot wait to bring Baker’s “fight, love, losses, talent and heroism” to the big screen. 

Doucouré has said she wants the film to go beyond the glamorous public image of Baker and explore her contradictions, emotional wounds, courage, and relentless fight for dignity and equality. That means audiences can expect a deeper portrait of Baker, not just her rise as a Jazz Age icon in 1920s Paris, but also her work in the French Resistance during World War II and her activism during the American Civil Rights Movement. 

The project also seems to confirm that the previously announced A24 television series about Baker starring Janelle Monáeis no longer moving forward. That series was announced in 2022 but never materialized. 

Online reaction has been mixed but highly engaged. Some fans on Reddit have praised the casting, calling Twigs “perfect” and “Oscar nomination worthy,” while others questioned whether she has the acting range for such a demanding lead role, with some suggesting names like Ruth Negga or Janelle Monáe instead. 

Still, with Twigs’ dance background, striking screen presence, and Baker’s own legacy of reinvention and fearless artistry, this could become one of the most talked-about music biopics of the next few years.

The post Everything We Know About FKA twigs’ Josephine Baker Biopic appeared first on KIMU.

Online communities such as Reddit and DMT forums contain thousands of reports with striking similarities. Common themes include encounters with “machine elves,” insect-like beings, alien intelligences, impossible architecture, and feelings of entering a hyper-real dimension. Some users believe these entities are independent intelligences, while others interpret them as symbolic manifestations of the subconscious. Although these recurring themes are fascinating, researchers caution that anecdotal reports cannot establish whether the experiences reflect external reality.

Universities are now studying DMT more rigorously. At Imperial College London, scientists have developed “extended-state DMT” (sometimes called DMTx), using an intravenous infusion that maintains the psychedelic state for around 30 minutes, much longer than the typical experience.

Their goal is not to prove another dimension exists, but to investigate consciousness, brain function, and whether prolonged experiences reveal consistent psychological patterns. Researchers are also examining DMT as a potential treatment for depression, with early clinical trials showing rapid symptom improvements in some patients when combined with psychotherapy. Larger studies are still needed before it can become an established medical treatment.

A standard inhaled or vaporized DMT experience typically lasts 5 to 20 minutes, with peak effects occurring within the first few minutes. Intravenous administration generally lasts 10 to 30 minutes, depending on dose. Extended infusion techniques used in research can keep volunteers in the altered state for approximately 30 minutes, and researchers believe longer durations may eventually be feasible under tightly controlled laboratory conditions. Importantly, although the objective duration is short, many participants report profound distortions of time, describing experiences that feel like hours, days, or even lifetimes.

Overall, the DMT realm remains one of neuroscience’s most intriguing mysteries. The consistency of many reports has motivated scientific investigation, but there is still no evidence that DMT users are accessing another physical dimension. Current research focuses instead on understanding consciousness, the brain’s construction of reality, and whether DMT may have therapeutic value for psychiatric disorders.

The post Scientists Are Finally Testing the DMT Realm, Here’s What They Found appeared first on KIMU.

Set in Los Angeles in 1981, the series follows 17-year-old Bret Easton Ellis, played by Igby Rigney, and his impossibly glamorous circle of privileged prep-school friends. Their already complicated lives become considerably more dangerous when mysterious new student Robert Mallory, played by Homer Gere, arrives at school. At exactly the same time, a serial killer known as the Trawler is targeting teenagers across Los Angeles. The delicious question is whether Robert is simply the intriguing outsider Bret cannot stop thinking about, or whether there is something much darker lurking underneath.

That premise is where The Shards really hits its sweet spot. Like Scream, there is an ever-present sense that someone could be watching, lying or killing. Like Cruel Intentions, the drama is driven by attraction, manipulation, privilege and people who are far too interested in each other. But The Shards adds something neither comparison quite captures: a distinctly queer coming-of-age story in which desire, repression and paranoia are tangled together.

The cast is another major reason the show is generating attention. Rigney anchors the series with a performance that critics have singled out, while Gere brings exactly the right combination of mystery and magnetism to Robert. Kaia Gerber plays popular cheerleader Susan Reynolds, with Hayes Warner as Bret’s girlfriend Debbie, while veterans including Evan Rachel Wood and Wes Bentley add serious dramatic weight.

The soundtrack is another huge part of the show’s appeal. The 80s music does far more than simply establish the period, it becomes part of the atmosphere, giving every party, flirtation and ominous encounter an extra layer of cool. The needle drops help make Los Angeles in 1981 feel like a fantasy version of the decade, all glossy pop, new-wave swagger and teenage excess, while also creating a sharp contrast with the violence bubbling underneath. It is exactly the kind of soundtrack that makes you want to Shazam everything, then immediately build a playlist and pretend you were there.

And visually, the show is almost absurdly seductive. The production recreates 1981 Los Angeles through immaculate clothes, cars, parties, music and interiors, creating a world that looks glamorous right up until the moment something horrible happens. Viewers have already praised the production design, costumes and needle drops, while reviewers have highlighted its stylish, immersive quality.

That is ultimately why The Shards feels like such a hit already. It is not simply a murder mystery, or a teen drama, or a queer thriller. It is all three at once, wrapped in Ryan Murphy maximalism. It gives audiences something to obsess over, something to lust over and, crucially, something to theorise about. It is Cruel Intentions meets Scream, but gay, glossy, horny, paranoid and very, very dangerous.

The post Ryan Murphy’s The Shards is giving Cruel Intentions meets Scream, but GAY and set in the 80s appeared first on KIMU.

Establishing the mood with a cerebral percussion riff, an exquisite microtonal guitar and anthemic drums, NEO 10Y opens ANTiDoTE with dimensionality and cinematic allure. The opus expands with the lyrics, “I crave an empty mind, a yogic way to feel aligned, I try, I swim the ocean tide, and write an emo song to find my guide, I am a hologram, I live in a world where no one understands, I want the best for me, for love and peace eternally…”

We immediately connect with the raw vulnerability of the song and the high emotional quotient. NEO 10Y is known for his empowering and subversive tracks, and it is no surprise that this evolves into a liberation anthem with the pre-chorus, “So free me, I wanna be me, why can’t you see me? ‘Cause I’m just like you…”

The chorus unfolds like a psychedelic mantra where NEO 10Y taps into a whispered timbre to deliver the words, “Give me the antidote, I’ll be the antidote, we’ll be the antidote , love is the antidote…”. This aligns deeply with the artist’s message of love and peace, and his vegan activism. The second verse is clearly written from the perspective of an enslaved animal and really cuts deep.

ANTiDoTE was intentionally released today on 6 June (6/6/6) – an angel number for abundance and compassion, and NEO 10Y is also set to headline and host National Animal Rights Day in London, which he previously hosted in 2024. This follows his recent appearance on Jimmy Carr‘s show discussing a vegan future and his purpose to “help manifest a protopian dimension of peace through the expansion of love energy.”

Speaking on the release, NEO 10Y says, “ANTiDoTE is about breaking free, finding yourself, and choosing love instead of fear. It stems from the feeling of feeling unseen, misunderstood, and wanting peace. The chorus is a cry for freedom, to be accepted for who we are, and to remind people that deep down, we are one.”

The critically acclaimed artist (Billboard, Rolling Stone, Interview, PAPER) continues, “The song was inspired by personal emotions, but also by something bigger. The first verse comes from my own experience of searching for inner peace and balance in a dystopian world. The second verse is from the perspective of lives that don’t have a voice, souls that are confined, controlled, and waiting to be free – human and non-human animals.  It reflects the idea that we all feel, we all suffer, and we all want freedom.”

He concludes, “I made this song as both a personal release and a message. It began as that feeling of emotional isolation, but it grew into an anthem of awareness and transformation. I wanted it to feel emotional, powerful, and uplifting at the same time. The idea behind the hook is that change starts with us. We are not waiting to be saved, we choose to become better, to lead with love, and to be part of a collective healing. ANTiDoTE is about awakening. LOVE is the ANTiDoTE. I am LOVE, we are LOVE. LOVE is the shortcut to world peace.”

The dynamics of the production are sublime, almost transcendentally euphoric with a sitar solo, extended outro, wolf-like harmonies, layered vocal textures, and it even comes with an epic desert performance music video which sees NEO 10Y glistening in the sun wearing a bandana, gold and silver adornments with a ripped physique, like a scene from a yet-to-be-created ancient-futuristic superhero movie, Dune or Tarsem Singh‘s The Fall.

To compare NEO 10Y to other artists would fall short, as there is no one quite like him, but fans of Grimes, Sevdaliza, The Weeknd, and even Michael Jackson will be able to connect with him sonically.

Naturally, we have added ANTiDoTE to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the exquisite, stadium-ready discography of NEO 10Y, including CHOOSE LOVE / CRYING IN THE SIMULATION, ASCETIC HEDONIST, ONENESS (WHO WE ARE), Vapid Prophecy, and Shortcut To World Peace.

The post NEO 10Y manifests liberation and balances spirituality, activism, and emotional resonance on epic new single, ANTiDoTE appeared first on KIMU.

As of August 17, 2026, Netflix has not officially confirmed The Last House 2. There is no announced sequel title, production date, cast list, director confirmation or release date. Netflix’s official material currently focuses on the first movie, which began streaming on August 7.

That does not necessarily mean a sequel will never happen. Netflix will likely look at viewing figures, completion rates, audience reaction and whether the movie generates enough interest to justify another installment. The film has already attracted significant attention. It was reported as Netflix’s number-one movie in the US during August, although critical reaction has been mixed.

There is also potential material for another story because The Last House deliberately leaves audiences with questions surrounding the mysterious force, the family’s ordeal and the wider implications of what has happened outside their home. The filmmakers have emphasized that the movie is about more than simply surviving an external threat. Leterrier has described themes involving consumerism, family relationships, isolation and the psychological effects of being trapped together.

The movie was also designed around a constantly changing house. Production took place inside a single deteriorating set, with the physical transformation of the home reflecting the family’s psychological deterioration. That contained concept could theoretically lend itself to a sequel that expands the world beyond the original house.

However, there is currently no evidence that Netflix has started developing The Last House 2. Any claims about a confirmed sequel, returning characters or a 2027/2028 release date should therefore be treated as speculation unless Netflix or the filmmakers officially announce it.

For now, the safest prediction is that Netflix will wait to see how The Last House performs over the coming weeks before deciding whether the story continues. If a sequel is eventually approved, the most likely possibilities would be an expansion of the mysterious threat, a continuation involving the surviving characters, or an entirely new family facing the same phenomenon.

The post Everything We Know About a Possible Netflix The Last House Sequel appeared first on KIMU.

Drawing us in with a meditative frequency featuring cosmic synths and ethereal vocals with the hypnotic mantra, “Let your angels watch over us…”, Conchis opens Under Your Feathers with intrigue and dimensionality. The opus expands with a cerebral guitar soundscape, siren-like synths and celestial notions as we experience poetic prowess and intentional depth from the Finnish artist.

We appreciate the dynamism of the composition, evoking notions of 90s trip-hop with futuristic notions. Conchis‘s vocals are sublime and captivating, the sonic switch-up for the middle eight is cinematic and otherworldly. We could imagine Under Your Feathers being featured in a psychedelic TV show like Nine Perfect Strangers, or PLUR1BUS on Apple TV, but it would also work well in a Sofia Coppola or Luca Guadagnino film.

In essence, Under Your Feathers is about asking for protection when the world has become too heavy to carry alone. This feels super poignant and zeitgeist, delivered by Conchis at a time when we, as a society, need it the most. It was written during a period of severe illness and physical collapse and transforms an intensely private experience into something universally healing and cathartic.

Speaking on the release, Conchis tells us, “I wrote it as a kind of plea. For me and a friend who was going through something similar. We had both been unwell for a long time, unable to work or participate in life in the way we used to. We became each other’s support system. This song is asking for something larger than us to take us in, to protect us, to let us heal.”

Fans of Massive Attack, Portishead, Zero 7, and Cocteau Twins will absolutely be able to vibe with what Conchis is creating, but the artist’s progressive electronica is also primed for a modern, 2026 audience. The title itself adds another layer of symbolism. The concept of being under someone’s feathers suggests shelter and concealment, but also a willingness to surrender control. This avian hyperbole is further brought to life by the accompanying images for the track which show the artist with metallic and futuristic “wings”.

Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Under Your Feathers to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Conchis, including Streetlights, Cray Cray, and Chapters.

The post Conchis transforms illness and vulnerability into a hypnotic plea for protection on ethereal and progressive new single, Under Your Feathers appeared first on KIMU.

What makes this collaboration particularly meaningful is that it does not dilute Slayyyter‘s identity. M·A·C‘s editorial content highlights her signature smoky eye, maximalist glamour, and Midwestern inspired aesthetic instead of transforming her into a conventional beauty ambassador. In interviews for the campaign, Slayyyter connects her makeup choices to the visual world of her acclaimed Worst Girl in America era, arguing that performance beauty should feel lived in rather than overly polished. This authenticity aligns with the artist’s wider creative philosophy and reinforces M·A·C‘s long standing reputation for celebrating individuality over conformity.

The timing is equally important. Following a breakthrough year that included major festival appearances, late night television, and critical acclaim, Slayyyter occupies a rare position as an internet born artist successfully crossing into broader cultural recognition without abandoning the community that first supported her. Editorial coverage has framed her fashion evolution, including her work with M·A·C, as evidence that her once niche visual language has become influential across music, beauty, and style.

The collaboration also reflects changing expectations of beauty marketing. Rather than presenting flawless perfection, campaign imagery and festival coverage celebrate dramatic eyeliner, textured skin, and deliberately rebellious styling. M·A·C‘s activation around Coachella and subsequent editorial features positioned Slayyyter as a creative partner instead of simply a spokesperson, reinforcing the idea that artists now shape brand narratives through personal aesthetics as much as commercial appeal.

Ultimately, the Slayyyter and M·A·C partnership represents more than a celebrity endorsement. It signals that pop culture increasingly rewards originality, internet native creativity, and subcultural credibility. As fashion, beauty, and music continue to merge, collaborations like this suggest that tomorrow’s cultural icons will not necessarily emerge from traditional gatekeepers. Instead, they will come from artists who have already built authentic visual worlds, and whose influence extends far beyond the charts.

The post From Hyperpop Outsider to Mainstream Muse: Why Slayyyter’s M·A·C Moment Matters appeared first on KIMU.

The answer is more complicated than the increasingly casual way these drugs are discussed online.

GLP-1 receptors are found not only in the digestive system but also in the brain. GLP-1 signalling influences appetite, satiety, reward and energy regulation. This does not mean that GLP-1 drugs are inherently harmful to mental health. In fact, in January 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration said its review of 91 clinical trials involving more than 107,000 people found no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviour, depression, anxiety, irritability or psychosis among GLP-1 receptor agonist users. (fda.gov)

That finding is important. But it doesn’t mean that every individual’s experience will be identical, nor that every possible neurological consequence of long-term use has been resolved.

There are already well-established physical adverse effects. Gastrointestinal symptoms—including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation—are common. Other recognised risks include gallbladder disease and pancreatitis, while delayed gastric emptying can have implications for anaesthesia and aspiration. These are not hypothetical concerns; they are reflected in regulatory safety information. (FDA Access Data)

Then there are the newer drugs.

Retatrutide is not simply another GLP-1. It is an investigational drug that simultaneously activates three receptors: GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon. In clinical trials, gastrointestinal side effects were common, and dose-dependent increases in heart rate were observed. Because retatrutide remains investigational, there is considerably less long-term safety data than exists for established GLP-1 medications.

This distinction matters.

There is currently no good clinical evidence proving that retatrutide “destroys” the thyroid, permanently changes personality, eliminates creativity or causes cognitive decline. Claims like these should not be presented as established fact.

But individual experiences still deserve to be heard.

I took retatrutide for approximately six months. During that period, I experienced what felt like profound anhedonia, cognitive dulling and a dramatic change in my ability to think creatively. Writing—which had always felt natural to me—became extraordinarily difficult. Most disturbingly, I experienced intrusive thoughts about harming myself that felt completely alien and appeared without an obvious reason.

I cannot prove that retatrutide caused those experiences. Correlation is not causation, and an individual experience cannot substitute for controlled research. But neither should an experience like that simply be dismissed because it isn’t yet explained by the literature.

I have now been off peptides for several months. More recently, after taking a dose of thymosin alpha-1, I experienced what felt like another period of cognitive and emotional disruption. Again, that does not establish causation. It does, however, reinforce my personal belief that we should be cautious about treating powerful peptide drugs as though we already understand every consequence of manipulating these signalling systems.

The lesson isn’t that GLP-1 drugs are “bad”.

It is that effective does not mean fully understood.

These medications are changing fundamental systems involved in appetite, metabolism and brain signalling. As millions more people use them—often for years rather than months—we need long-term research that looks beyond weight on the scales and examines cognition, mood, motivation, reward, endocrine function and quality of life.

Patients deserve the benefits of medical innovation. They also deserve honesty about uncertainty.

And if someone experiences a profound or unexpected change in mood, cognition or behaviour while taking a GLP-1 or an investigational peptide, that experience should be taken seriously and discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.

The question isn’t whether we should stop researching these drugs. It’s whether we’re willing to keep asking difficult questions while the research catches up with their rapidly expanding use.

The post The Other Side of GLP-1s: What We Still Don’t Know About the New Weight-Loss Drugs appeared first on KIMU.

A recent article in Newsweek highlights research from the Twins Nutrition Study, in which researchers compared healthy vegan and omnivorous diets in identical twins. The study, published in BMC Medicine, examined DNA methylation, an epigenetic process involved in regulating gene activity and one of the markers scientists can use to estimate biological ageing.

After eight weeks, the twins following the vegan diet showed significant reductions in several measures of epigenetic age acceleration. Improvements were also observed in markers relating to inflammation, heart, liver, hormone and metabolic systems.

The findings are particularly interesting because identical twins share much of their genetic background, helping researchers reduce the influence of genetic differences. However, this was still a relatively small, short-term study, and the researchers caution that some of the changes could be related to greater weight loss among the vegan participants. More long-term research is needed before we can say that veganism literally reverses ageing.

Importantly, the potential benefits of eating plant-based extend far beyond biological-age measurements. An earlier randomized Stanford trial involving identical twins found that a healthy vegan diet improved several cardiovascular and metabolic markers in just eight weeks, including LDL cholesterol, fasting insulin and body weight.

Larger bodies of research also associate healthy plant-based eating patterns with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and premature death. A 2024 meta-analysis found that healthier plant-based diets were associated with lower cardiovascular and cancer mortality and lower overall mortality.

There is also the everyday advantage of what a good vegan diet encourages us to eat: more beans, lentils, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds. These foods provide fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds while generally being lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.

The message is increasingly compelling: a vegan diet is not simply about removing animal products. It is about adding more plants to the centre of our plates. And if those choices can support a healthier heart, better metabolic health and potentially a younger biological profile, there are plenty of reasons to give plants a bigger role in our lives.

Read the full research: BMC Medicine study, “Unveiling the epigenetic impact of vegan vs. omnivorous diets on aging”

The post Eight Weeks on a Plant-Based Diet Linked to a Younger Biological Profile, New Research Suggests appeared first on KIMU.