Showtimes
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YOUNGBLOOD
U.S. Premiere | Palm Springs International Film Festival 2026
Directed by Hubert Davis | Runtime: 104 minutes | Rated PG-13
By Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) 12/24/25 – At the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Youngblood arrives as a muscular, emotionally grounded sports drama that looks far beyond the rink. Directed by Hubert Davis, the film uses hockey as its entry point but keeps its focus firmly on masculinity, accountability, and the cost of inherited toughness.
Set against the unforgiving culture of junior hockey, Youngblood follows Dean Youngblood (a compelling Ashton James), a gifted but arrogant Detroit prodigy recruited to play for the Hamilton Mustangs in Canada. Raised by a father who equates strength with aggression, Dean arrives with undeniable talent, and an attitude that quickly alienates teammates, coaches, and rivals alike.
Davis smartly resists turning the film into a simple redemption arc. Instead, Youngblood unfolds as a character study of a young man forced to confront the violence he’s been taught to admire. Coach Chadwick (with restrained authority by Shawn Doyle) keeps Dean benched, recognizing not just a discipline problem, but a moral one. When Dean’s rage explodes in a brutal on-ice incident with enforcer Carl Racki, the consequences feel real, earned, and deeply unsettling.
The emotional center of the film belongs to team captain Sutton, whose mentorship offers Dean an alternative model of leadership rooted in restraint and responsibility. That influence, paired with Dean’s relationship with Jessie, Coach Chadwick’s sharp, unflinching daughter, forces him to question whether winning at all costs is worth the personal damage left behind.
Visually, Youngblood captures the raw physicality of hockey without glamorizing its cruelty. Davis frames the rink as both proving ground and pressure cooker, where silence in the locker room can be as punishing as a body check. The final playoff confrontation doesn’t hinge on whether Dean can win a fight, but whether he can choose who he wants to be when provoked, a refreshing and resonant shift from genre expectations.
Strong supporting performances from Tamara Podemski, Shawn Doyle, and Allan Hawco deepen the film’s emotional texture, grounding the story in community rather than spectacle.
Youngblood may be rooted in sport, but its message extends far beyond the ice. In an era increasingly reckoning with toxic behavior, the film asks timely questions about masculinity, mentorship, and what it truly means to earn respect. Its U.S. premiere at PSIFF feels particularly fitting, this is a crowd-pleaser with substance, capable of sparking conversation long after the final buzzer.
PSIFF Screenings:
• Sunday, January 4, 2026 – 3:30 PM | La Quinta Cinemark 7
• Friday, January 9, 2026 – 6:30 PM | Regal Cinemas
• Saturday, January 10, 2026 – 10:00 AM | Regal Cinemas
Talent note: Ashton James will be in attendance for Q&A sessions and available for interviews during select screenings.
