Edie Arnold is a Loser, directed by Kade Atwood and Megan Rico, follows Edie (Adi Madden Cabrera) as a private Catholic school student on the outs of the cool crowd, trying to find her place in the world. It’s a tried and true story we’ve seen a lot of over the years, but Edie Arnold finds plenty of ways to stand out with lasting impressions. Edie and her best friend Frances (McKenna Tuckett) play drums and organ, respectively, for their school choir and during Sunday Mass, and have a passion for music. After spontaneously drumming for a band during a sold-out show, Edie and Frances form a band with a couple of other friends to capitalize on this momentum.
Edie is a strong-willed, independent girl raised by an overbearing mother (Cherish Rodriguez) who’s more interested in who Edie is hanging out with than she is with her own daughter. While it isn’t the focal point of the film, I found their relationship incredibly compelling. Growing up in a small town in Tennessee allowed me to see a lot of similar parents to Luanne Arnold, parents who weren’t quite what they wanted to be, so they pushed those expectations on their high school children. It’s a powerful through line in the film and certainly motivates Edie’s actions at every turn.
The film’s over-stylized editing and sounds make for a really fun experience, with every character’s jolt or expression emphasized to the max. It is a refreshing sense of humor that really works, particularly Frances’s interjections as Edie attempts to have normal conversations with attractive boys. These quirks and interjections are laugh-out-loud funny and add potent amounts of characterization to each person Edie comes across. Animated sketches pop up around Edie and Frances throughout the movie that only add to the experience.
Despite the 73-minute run time, Atwood and Rico manage to balance a few different threads equally. Edie’s band, her two love interests, and her relationship with her mom are all given enough time to have full arcs by the end of the movie. It’s representative of what high schoolers these days have to juggle. Friendships, school, clubs, sports, and family all seem to pull students in a thousand different directions without a clear idea of what should take priority. Edie tries to take all this in stride, but the film shows just how hard students have it.
Perhaps my favorite performance in the film is Star Herrmann’s Sister Myra, a strict, stern nun who runs the school. Her overseriousness and reactions to even the most minor offenses are hilarious and always entertaining. Edie and Frances have several run-ins with her, and they are the highlight of the movie.
Cabrera is a true discovery as Edie, balancing humor, angst, infatuation, and passion all into one performance. She’s in nearly every frame of the movie and is asked to do so much and really delivers. She’s a very gifted reactive actor, taking what each scene partner gives her and feeding off of it. Her ability to match their energy is special and helps her carry the movie on her shoulders.
Edie Arnold is a Loser is a funny, breezy delight that shows the hardships of high school relationships and balancing all that life throws at you. The strong script from Rico and the directing partnership with Atwood combine for a highly stylized tale full of life and pure fun.
Edie Arnold is a Loser held its World Premiere as part of the Narrative Feature Competition section of the 2026 SXSW TV & Film Festival.
Director: Megan Rico, Kade Atwood
Screenwriter: Megan Rico
Rated: NR
Runtime: 73m
Edie Arnold is a Loser is a funny, breezy delight that shows the hardships of high school relationships and balancing all that life throws at you.
Proud owner of three movie passes. Met Harrison Ford at a local diner once. Based in Raleigh, NC.
