By Simon Thompson
Writer/Director Michael Felker’s debut Things Will Be Different is a measured, adult, and assuredly paced science-fiction-horror mix. What works about Things Will Be Different is that Felker proudly wears his influences ( The Matrix, Looper, Primer, Blood Simple) on his sleeve, but has managed to amalgamate them into a project that showcases his distinct creative voice and not somebody else’s, which to me is one of the key indicators that somebody has real talent as a filmmaker.
Like most great science fiction and horror Things Will Be Different has a markedly simple plot. A brother and sister named Joseph and Sidney (played by Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy respectively), have committed a robbery and are on the run from the police. The pair spot a nearby farmhouse which they decide to use as a hiding spot, once they are inside, however, they discover that they can’t leave due to a mysterious force that is keeping them there. Joseph and Sidney’s familial relationship is pushed to the absolute breaking point, as the two of them try to figure out who or what is keeping them there, why they are being kept there, and how to escape.
Things Will Be Different is a movie that very much sits on the intellectual edge of the science fiction fence, but like the best examples of that side of the SF divide such as Star Trek The Next Generation, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Paprika, Solaris, and Donnie Darko it doesn’t get bogged down in overly explaining its big ideas, prioritizing the character dynamics between the two siblings rather than exploring the actual technical mechanics of what is keeping them trapped.
The best possible compliment I could give this movie is that reminds me of the Star Trek TNG episode Cause and Effect ( the one where the enterprise gets continually blown up in a time-loop) in how it manages to show the physical and mental toll of being trapped in the same location, forced into reliving the same events again and again with no real indication of how to break the cycle. I’d also like to single out the acting by both Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy for special praise, the pair of them have real chemistry and I completely believed them as brother and sister, especially during the scenes when they’re at the wits’ end and arguing with one another.
In terms of the visuals, Felker and Carissa Dorson’s cinematography is a feast for the eyes which brings out both the beauty, but also the isolated nature of the film’s rural Indiana shooting location, giving them a distinct look that I would describe as resembling Close Encounters of The Third Kind if it was filtered through 1950s EC horror comics and American outsider art – avoiding the usual horror cinematography pratfalls of either making everything far too dark to see or way too garish.
To conclude, Things Will Be Different is a cerebral yet entertaining debut by a director with real promise. It’s an unbridled love letter to both the horror and science-fiction genres that side-steps going into full JJ Abrams territory of being simply derivative of its influences, and much like the best science-fiction thrillers it’s a movie that you will want to watch again to try and suss out what you missed on your first viewing.
Things Will Be Different screens as part of The Overlook Film Festival 2024.
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