Starbuck, Brian, Denise and Audrey stand together beneath the weight of an ordinary day that feels anything but ordinary. Photograph: Daniel McFadden/Warner Bros. Click to view the trailer.

American director David Robert Mitchell set out to make his fourth feature, The End of Oak Street, a homage to films of the 1970s and ’80s—films in which viewers genuinely care about the characters.

He exceeds every expectation.

The plot centers on the Platt family of five: mom Denise (Anne Hathaway), dad Greg (Ewan McGregor), teenage children Audrey and Brian (Maisy Stella and Christian Convery) and their dog, Starbuck (played by Brisket and Buzz, the two Australian cattle dogs; Buzz handled the close-ups and the dramatic beats of the film, while Brisket did the demanding stunt work).

The year is 1982. The family lives in an American suburb, in a cozy detached house wedged between its neighbors.

Tensions simmer within the family, but the real trouble begins when the entire block travels back in time.

But The End of Oak Street is no cheesy Ron Hubbard-style sci-fi hallucination.

If Mitchell were Alonzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington in Training Day, he could proudly declare: “Steven Spielberg ain’t got shit on me!”

Hats off to Spielberg and Jurassic Park, but Mitchell’s work feels like a giant standing on the shoulders of giants.

Mitchell is a master of genre, elevating the art of detail to Lynchian levels. What’s more, he stands alongside the finest directors of horror. It Follows (2015) still gives me the creeps.

What happens when you hit the King of the Dinosaurs in the head with a sledgehammer?

You’ll have to watch The End of Oak Street to find out.

‘The End of Oak Street’ premieres in cinemas on August 14.

FILM DETAILS

Title: The End of Oak Street
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Screenwriter: David Robert Mitchell
Cinematographer: Mike Gioulakis
Production year: 2026
Running time: 99 minutes