Sundance 2026 is now in full swing and if Midnight strand movie Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, is any indicator, this year is going to be a fun fest. An expansion from their short, Help, I’m Alien Pregnant, directing team THUNDERLIPS (comprised of Sean Wallace and Jordan Mark Windsor) explore the weird and wacky experience of poor millennial May (Hannah Lynch) who finds herself with child after a close encounter with her new neighbour, Boo (Arlo Green).
As a New Zealand production, anyone familiar with movies such The Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the early films of Taika Waititi, will know exactly the kind of wry and witty humour that Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant houses. From the outset the film doesn’t waste any time in getting silly and the fun spirit of the movie is infectious. The cast of characters, which consists of May, her overly invested mother Cynthia (Yvette Parsons), and new neighbours Boo and his overbearing mother Ann (Jackie van Beek), are all extremely entertaining. Each character is leaning into a familiar archetype, but in heightening them the film finds the sweet spot for generating laughs.
The story is wild, and the method by which May finds herself pregnant is genuinely hilarious. It happens during the first meeting between May and Boo, and it is immediately apparent that these two are not ready to procreate. This early scene is a standout for more reasons than just the deed that results in a growing child, but also for the effects work. Boo isn’t entirely of Earthly origins and certain appendages are very different to the human man. It is this aspect of him that May is most drawn too, tied to her own sexual appetites previously gleaned through her search history. Amongst the shock and awe of the sex scene, comes proof that there is almost always someone in the world who can match your freak.
As May discovers her pregnancy, Cynthia latches onto her daughter and watching them speak to countless disbelieving doctors becomes a common motif. Importantly, this never gets repetitive or boring, the THUNDERLIPS finding endless ways to change things up, resulting in a wild and wacky film that keeps the audience invested. Although masked as an alien pregnancy, Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant makes some fantastic commentary about the state of the health care system, and especially its treatment of pregnant women. Some of May’s medical scenarios will be horribly familiar to those that have been pregnant, working to make Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant oddly relatable. It also doesn’t shy away from the grosser, more secret aspects of being pregnant, and thus works as a cautionary warning.
By its final act Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant has become an insanity incarnate, full of zany imagery, all manner of bodily fluids, and that special brand of side-splitting humour that only New Zealanders know how to do well. Underneath all this wackiness though is a beating wholesome heart, and although on paper a very silly comedy, the film does develop its characters to varying states of maturity. The ultimate end is sweet, darkly comedic, and certain to leave the audience with a grin on their face.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant
Summary
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant throws everything it can at the audience including, but not limited to, psychedelic bodily fluids, strange appendages, over invested parents, and lazy kids, to create a movie that is both humourful and heartfelt in equal measure.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant was reviewed at Sundance 2026.
