Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona are continuing their respective indie reigns: After Arjona stole scenes in “Blink Twice” (and now appears in “Andor”), and just as Johnson is helping make box office history at A24 with “Materialists,” both actresses are adding in yet another critically acclaimed hit to their summer resume with “Splitsville.”
The comedy was first announced in 2024 and recently premiered at Cannes 2025. Michael Angelo Covino directs and co-writes with his “The Climb” collaborator Kyle Marvin; the duo also star alongside Johnson and Arjona as their respective spouses in “Splitsville.”
Yet it’s the buzzy synopsis, and not just the casting, that will turn heads: Ashley (Arjona) wants a divorce from her husband Carey (Marvin), who seeks marital advice from his friends Julie (Johnson) and Paul (Covino). Yet after Carey discovers the secret to his friends’ happy marriage is being open, Carey takes it a little too far, throwing all of their relationships into chaos.
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Nicholas Braun, David Castaneda, and O-T Fagbenle also star. Johnson, Covino, and Marvin produce along with Emily Korteweg, Ryan Heller, Jeff Deutchman, Ro Donnelley, and Samantha Racanelli.
The IndieWire review out of Cannes praised Marvin and Covino’s script for being “consistently funny,” while cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra “stages the action with a propulsivity and creativity that makes the domestic problems feel cinematically alive.”
The review further reads, “‘Splitsville’ probably won’t greatly advance the conversation around open relationships and their viability, but we’re not sure that’s the intention. Still, the filmmakers have created an utterly endearing tale of four people trying to negotiate their own desires in the silliest ways possible with unexpected chaos around every turn.”
“Splitsville” was far from the only critically acclaimed film that Neon had at Cannes: Prior to the distributor garnering its sixth consecutive Palme d’Or with Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” Neon nabbed “The Secret Agent.” It also had “Alpha,” “Orwell: 2+2=5,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Splitsville” going into the festival. Neon will soon release “Fjord” and “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” too, both of which were at the Cannes market.
Neon is releasing “Splitsville” August 22 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
