TV & MEDIA - LGBTQ+

Mouse Brings a Queer Coming of Age Story to US Cinemas on 6 November

Mouse reaches US cinemas on 6 November with a coming-of-age story about friendship, identity and a complicated connection with a friend's mother.

The queer coming-of-age film Mouse arrives in selected American cinemas on Friday 6 November 2026, telling a bittersweet story about friendship and identity.

Set in Arkansas in 2002, it follows teenager Minnie after her closest friendship changes, leaving her to navigate an unexpected attachment to her friend's mother. The release follows the film's premiere at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival.

What Happens in Mouse?

Minnie and Callie have always been close, although their friendship is not entirely balanced. Confident, admired Callie is the centre of attention at school, while Minnie has spent years in her shadow.

When their relationship changes just before their final year of high school, Minnie suddenly has to discover who she is without that familiar protection.

Her uncertainty draws her towards Callie's attentive mother, creating a complicated bond that takes Minnie further from her own family.

The film explores the confusion between friendship, desire and the need to feel understood, rather than promising a conventional teenage love story. Its LGBTQ+ themes are part of a wider account of how difficult growing up can be.

Who Stars in Mouse?

Katherine Mallen-Kupferer plays Minnie, Chloe Coleman appears as Callie and Sophie Okonedo plays Callie's mother, Helen.

The cast also includes Tara Mallen, Iman Vellani and David Hyde Pierce. Kelly O'Sullivan wrote the screenplay and co-directed the film with Alex Thompson, her collaborator on Ghostlight.

The filmmakers use the early-2000s setting to explore adolescent uncertainty and unequal relationships without reducing the characters to easy answers.