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Interesting core concept struggles to shine through absurd and heavy-handed grotesqueries. Indie film with mismatched humor and shocking scenes lacks consistency in execution. Experiment gone wrong; film fails to polish the concept and crosses too many lines.

The Becomers (2024) has an interesting premise that becomes buried underneath awkward performances and moments that attempt to shock us into thinking it's artsy. While there does seem to be a core message examining the human condition from the perspective of alien invaders, and their developing appreciation and understanding of humans, the message is voided thanks to grotesque and absurd imagery. Despite a valiant effort and passion from writer/director/editor Zach Clark, the movie feels inconsistent and disappointing.

The Becomers (2024) Director Zach ClarkRelease Date August 23, 2024Writers Zach ClarkCast Victoria Misu, Anne Ruttencutter, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, Frank V. Ross, Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Russell MaelRuntime 86 MinutesGenres Sci-Fi, Romance, Comedy

When a pair of powerful aliens land on Earth,...

Since Jack Finney’s “The Body Snatchers” was first published 70 years ago, screen adaptations — official and unofficial alike — have taken place in small-town USA, Me Decade San Francisco, a military base, high school and so forth. All had a gist in common: humanity being infiltrated and co-opted by a shape-shifting invasive force from outer space. Loosely playing on that theme, Zach Clark’s “The Becomers” adds a new wrinkle, in that this time the body-hopping entities don’t necessarily intend conquest. They just want to co-exist, peacefully. But it turns out they may have chosen the wrong planet and/or species, because they discover today’s mankind is perhaps too messed up to be worth the trouble.

That’s a good premise for the kind of sly, deadpan absurdism Clark aims for here. But despite its fantastical hook, this episodic narrative lands short of the curiously winsome black comedy quirkiness...

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes…a planetary apocalypse forcing you and your alien soulmate to invade the Earth and possess bodies you don’t understand? Sure, why not.

In Zach Clark’s wonderfully weird “The Becomers,” alien terror collides with a cascading case of mistaken identity. When two genderless extraterrestrials crash-land in different parts of Illinois, they must covertly assimilate through a revolving door of skin-suits before finding each other’s new forms. Clark’s latest is more candy-tart than saccharine-sweet — but for those unfamiliar with his out-there style, this electric portrait of doomsday-defying love serves as a ready-made soft spot for the indie filmmaker.

“The Becomers” writer/director/editor is already known for painting in seriocomic shades thanks to movies like “Little Sister” and “White Reindeer.” He’s exploring themes of complex grief again here, but this time it’s through the lens of a loss...

A scene from The Becomers. Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures

Start with the classic, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Flip the perspective to that of the aliens who take over human bodies. Then tell the story from the ETs’ point of view in a darkly comedic package. Now you know what you’ll be getting in The Becomers.

The film is narrated in a dreamy, romantic tone by a male voice (Russell Mael), rhapsodizing about its great love for its partner who has also come to Earth, both landing somewhere in the Metro Chicago area. We don’t know what they look like, since they must take over a human’s body, killing the original occupant in the process. The result is a new mind in an old body, with the only visible difference being bright colorful lights emanating from their eyes. Their goal is to blend into that person’s life without being noticed,...

Have you ever seen something really horrific or even just bizarre on our planet and thought, 'ugh, what would an alien think if they were to visit Earth right now?'" That's the core question of The Becomers, an upcoming extraterrestrial body-snatch film from Little Sister and White Reindeer director,...

The Becomers: "Forced to flee their dying planet, two body-snatching alien lovers arrive separately on Earth. Determined to find each other, the aliens jump from body to body, but they quickly learn that it's not easy to inhabit their new, fleshy hosts, and that life in modern-day America is more complicated than they could have ever imagined."

"Writer/director Zach Clark’s acclaimed sci-fi genre-bender The Becomers kicks off its U.S. theatrical release on Friday, August, 23rd and arrives on VOD in North America on Tuesday, September 24th. The film will open in New York on August 23rd at Cinema Village, in Los Angeles on August 30th at Lumiere Music Hall, and in Chicago on September 13th at Music Box Theatre, with more cities listed below.

The latest film from the celebrated American indie filmmaker, the visually striking and outrageously plotted film reverberates with the pulse of politics...

The trailer for the 2023 film, The Becomers is here, putting a more gruesome and absurd take to the body-snatching genre. The film made its debut during the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival and stars Russell Mael, Molly Plunk, Isabel Alamin, Keith Kelly, and Mike Lopez. The film will have a limited theatrical release across America before it makes its way to VOD for all to see.

As the summer movie season comes to a close, August brings a shockingly stacked slate of offerings, topped by a film that is sure to age like a fine classic in years to come. Elsewhere we have accomplished debuts, action spectacles, and a thriller from the man who has recently returned to perfecting the formula.

15. Blink Twice (Zoë Kravitz; Aug. 23)

While its new title doesn’t quite have the hook of its original, Pussy Island, we’re curious what’s in store for the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz. Featuring some cast––including Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, and Geena Davis––the story follows a cocktail waitress who becomes infatuated with a tech mogul and travels with him to his private island, where things begin going wrong. Featuring cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in genre-bending comedy The Becomers, and exclusive new images reveal just how goopy and gross the body hopping can be.

Dark Star Pictures releases The Becomers in theaters on August 23, 2024.

In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.

Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances,...

White Reindeer and Little Sister director Zach Clark returned to the festival circuit last year with The Becomers, a sci-fi tale narrated by none other than Sparks frontman Russell Mael and starring Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, and Frank V. Ross. Picked up by Dark Star Pictures, they’ve now debuted the first trailer ahead of a U.S. theatrical release on August, 23rd and VOD release on September 24.

Here’s the synopsis: “Forced to flee their dying planet, two body-snatching alien lovers arrive separately on Earth. Determined to find each other, the aliens jump from body to body, but they quickly learn that it’s not easy to inhabit their new, fleshy hosts, and that life in modern-day America is more complicated than they could have ever imagined.”

Jared Mobarak said in his review, “Writer-director Zach Clark has seemingly worked backwards from the Qanon chaos that...

"I guess we're gonna have to start assimilating sooner rather than later." Dark Star Pictures has revealed an official trailer for The Becomers, an indie sci-fi comedy from filmmaker Zach Clark. This premiered at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal one year ago, and is ready for release in US art house theaters + on VOD this fall. A body-snatching alien comes to Earth, reconnects with their missing partner alien, and tries to find their way in modern America. The "visually striking and outrageously plotted film reverberates with the pulse of politics & cultural trends of the last five years – drawing from Covid, Qanon, and constant states of anxiety – while exploring themes of confusion, isolation, and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers." Starring Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, and Frank V. Ross, and featuring narration from Sparks' lead singer Russell Mael.

Indie filmmaker Zach Clark is returning to the big screen with the alien sci-fi dramedy “The Becomers.”

Written and directed by “White Reindeer” filmmaker Clark, “The Becomers” centers on two aliens who realize just how messed up America is after landing on Earth.

The official synopsis reads: “Forced to flee their dying planet, two body-snatching alien lovers arrive separately on Earth. Determined to find each other, the aliens jump from body to body, but they quickly learn that it’s not easy to inhabit their new, fleshy hosts, and that life in modern-day America is more complicated than they could have ever imagined.”

Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Keith Kelly, Isabel Alamin, and Frank V. Ross star. Sparks lead Russel Mael narrates.

The film is being released by Dark Star Pictures and includes satirical references to Covid, QAnon, and other divisive issues in American politics. The film debuted at the 2023 Fantasia...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in genre-bending comedy The Becomers, and Dark Star Pictures announced today that they’ve acquired it for release.

In The Becomers: “Dropped to Earth and escaping their dying planet, the two extraterrestrials (played by a sequence of actors) seek each other out —jumping from body to body— on our planet while becoming increasingly drawn into the madness of modern-day America.

Written, directed, and edited by Zach Clark (Little Sister), the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.

Clark...

Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to Zach Clark’s genre-bending comedy “The Becomers,” with plans for a theatrical release in the third quarter of 2024. The acquisition took place before the commencement of the 2024 European Film Market on Feb. 15.

The alien romance film had its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal; it subsequently screened at Beyond Fest and the Leeds International Film Festival. The cast includes Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V. Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly. Russell Mael, the lead singer of Sparks, lends his voice to the film as narrator.

Written in march 2021, the film “reverberates with the pulse of American politics of that time,” according to the description. It draws from Covid, Qanon, and “constant states of anxiety while exploring themes of confusion, isolation and the deep need for human connection through the story of two body-snatching alien lovers.

Alien invasion movies can get pretty dark. One needn't look further than the likes of A Quiet Place, or War of the Worlds, or Signs, or any hundreds of other films that play on humankind's fear of the other and otherworldly beings. In these films, humans are the unmistakable underdogs, and great efforts are made to have the audience root for our fellow Homo sapiens to overcome vastly technologically superior enemies and emerge triumphant, our home world intact. But it's never without sacrifice.

Not too many films show you the invasion from the alien's perspective though, and fewer still are able to give moviegoers a chance to really empathize with extraterrestrial invaders in an authentically hopeful way. Writer and director Zach Clark's latest film, The Becomers, accomplishes just that.

The Becomers Has Both a Gruesome Streak and a Soft Side

The film starts off rather cruel, almost acting like...

Last week, a bunch of high-ranking military officials went before the US Congress and admitted that the government has been aware of the existence of aliens and that remains of extraterrestrials had been recovered from UFO crash sites. But the public at large was relatively unphased by this news because we're already so wrapped up in our own problems. How much more shocking can an alien invasion be to say, a global pandemic or a climate crisis?

Seeing The Becomers at the Fantasia Film Festival reflected this mood. The sci-fi rom-com indie satire drops a pair of aliens into a distracted and troubled world much like our own. It was written and directed by Zach Clark (Little Sister) in the early days of Covid-19, joining the leagues of post-pandemic flicks like Sick and Corona Zombies.

“…the film has an unworldly feeling to it…”

In The Becomers, an alien has landed on earth,...

Writer/Director Zach Clark (Little Sister) takes familiar science fiction concepts, namely body-hopping aliens attempting to assimilate themselves on Earth, to awkward results and gets even weirder with it. The Becomers defies easy categorization as it blends absurdist humor with gross-out sci-fi and quirky rom-com conventions. It’s an ambitious voyage aimed to challenge perceptions and occasionally the gag reflex as it examines the power of love amidst a turbulent world.

The Becomers begins as horror, with an alien landing on Earth and seeking a human host to emulate. The alien finds one but then comes upon a woman giving birth in her car, asking for help. The title card then abruptly appears over a revolting mingling of blood and viscous yellow body fluid swirling on the ground. It’s enough to impress upon viewers that this alien species’ body-hopping way of fitting in spells bad news for the human hosts.

As the narrator (Sparks’ Russell Mael) tells his story of star-crossed love many moons away, we watch as violence is wrought upon random, unsuspecting souls. Is the brightly lit, eye-holed entity taking over these bodies the same character as the disembodied voice we hear? Maybe. Hopefully.

Why? Because that would mean it isn’t acting out of aggression. It would merely be an alien creature come to Earth, jumping from host to host until it can reunite with its lover. When one body no longer proves sufficient, it must discard and seek another. When it settles on one that works, it lays low in hiding––using the cash from the pockets of its victims to find its way onto the Internet so it can buy contact lenses that hide its glow without the need of sunglasses. Unfortunately, however, Earth (and especially America) is hardly the “safest” place to hide.

Writer-director...

Body-snatching aliens attempt to navigate love in the modern world in The Becomers, a genre-bending comedy set to make its premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

A new clip and poster reveal below gives a glimpse at the weird, funny, grotesque blend of genres in the latestby writer/director Zach Clark (Little Sister).

The Becomers tells “of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America.”

Written, directed, and edited by Clark, the film was shot in Chicago and stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks. The Becomers is produced by Joe Swanberg (Depraved, The Rental), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films.

A new, exclusive first-look clip and poster has been released for Zach Clark’s upcoming genre-bending comedy The Becomers ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival later this week on July 22nd. The Becomers tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America. You can check out the exclusive clip and brand-new poster below.

Written and conceived in early 2021, The Becomers reflects the challenges of the real world at the time through its pointedly chaotic portrayal of society, with science fiction elements heavily inspired by the original Star Trek series. A true brew of surprising genres, the film is all at once comedic, horrific, grotesque, and romantic. The imminent premiere of The Becomers marks Clark’s second time screening at the Fantasia International Film Festival following the 2016 Canadian premiere of Little Sister,...

It’s time for some body-snatching mayhem.

Zach Clark’s “The Becomers,” about confused alien lovers trying to find their place on Earth, and each other, has debuted the first clip and poster ahead of its Fantasia Film Festival premiere.

“I was really inspired and influenced by 1950s B-movies. I have always liked the disreputable pockets of film history. My general approach to the entire movie was to embrace that and embrace kitsch as an access point,” said Clark.

“Older genre films really invite the audience in. Now, it’s all about visual effects and things looking as real as possible. But this more lo-fi effect asks you to play along in a way that modern stuff doesn’t.”

Also joining in on the fun is the film’s surprising narrator, Russell Mael, best known as the lead singer for Sparks: The cult American band celebrated by Edgar Wright...

Horror Feature “My (Best Friend’S) Head Exploded” to Premiere in June: "Writer/Director Scott Bryan’s puppet-filled existential horror feature, “My (Best Friend’S) Head Exploded,” will have its two-weekend world premiere this June.

“My (Best Friend’s) Head Exploded” is a rebellious, existential, terrifyingly messy puppet feature made out of material things by actual people. It tells the story of Lydia, a coming-of-ageless vampire forced to deal with the loss of her best friend, Sam, after the pair conjures a moment of complete clarity which causes Sam’s head to explode.

In the aftermath, Lydia must contend with old ghosts, generational trauma, oppressive authority figures, and the confusing fear of infinity to set reality right and save her own sanity.

“I love making weird stuff that a studio would be afraid of and a computer couldn’t replicate,” Bryan said.

The film will show at the Salem Witch Board Museum in Salem,...

The genre-bending comedy features a voice performance from Sparks’ Russell Mael.

Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Zach Clark’s The Becomers and will launch the genre-bending comedy at this week’s Cannes market.

Clark wrote, directed and edited the film, which tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner and tries to find their way in modern America.

Molly Plunk, Mike Lopez, Frank V Ross, Isabel Alamin and Keith Kelly star and Sparks lead singer Russell Mael has a voice role.

Clark said: “During the pandemic, I binged the original...

Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to “The Becomers,” a genre-bending comedy written and directed by Zach Clark. The company will launch the film at the Marche Du Film in Cannes this week. “The Becomer” tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America.

“During the pandemic, I binged the original ‘Star Trek’ series for the first time and then I made this movie” Clark said about his latest film. “It felt like life as we knew it was ending, but then again, it also felt like that might not be the worst thing either. ‘The Becomers’ is a story of love, longing, and alienation. A kitsch-soaked, pathos-laden melodrama about our sad, sad planet. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever made and I can’t think of anyone better than Yellow Veil...

Saying Zach Clark‘s Little Sister being called a comedy does a disservice to the film seems like a slight on the genre. I know. But I don’t mean it that way. What this label does — even if it’s clarified with the word “dark” — is build an expectation that’s able to hurt the film’s true appeal. Clark and Melodie Sisk‘s script is definitely a drama first: a tough familial drama consisting of broken souls seeking an avenue to mend fences and remember what it was like to be whole. The humor enhances this drive by lightening the weightiness of the Lunsfords’ struggle as well as endearing them as a relatable group not so different from our own families regardless of our personal issues possibly not matching their immense tragedy.

The title dually represents young Colleen (Addison Timlin). She’s the “little sister” of the family,...

See You Next Tuesday is the debut feature film by underground filmmaker Drew Tobia. It stars Eleanore Pienta as Mona, a pregnant supermarket worker who is quickly losing her grasp on reality and is unable to find the support she needs from her alcoholic mother and party girl sister, Jordan.

The film has been a hit on the underground film festival circuit, having won the Audience Award at last year’s the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Most Effectively Offensive Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival. It also screened at the Sydney Underground Film Festival, Arizona Underground Film Festival, Brisbane Underground Film Festival and Migrating Forms.

Next up, See You Next Tuesday will be getting an official theatrical release, opening at the Cinema Village in New York City on August 22nd; and will be available on multiple VOD platforms shortly after.

Previously, Tobia has directed numerous hilarious and...

Mona (Eleanore Pienta) is pregnant, works as a checkout clerk at a grocery store, and lives in a rathole apartment. Mona visits her mother May (Dana Eskelson) on occasion, but it's a very tumultuous relationship—one minute it's great, the next it's shit. Mona tries to reconcile with her sister, Jordan (Molly Plunk), but that proves problematic as well. Jordan's girlfriend, Sylve (Keisha Zollar) is a bit more understanding with Mona's plight, but overall, Mona is alone. With a baby on the way and her life in shambles, Mona frantically searches for something even remotely resembling happiness. If you're looking for dysfunctional families in film, look no further than See You Next Tuesday. It's a film that forces audiences to see what family life is for many. It's not the American dream being pushed on TV, because there never was an American dream. It's the reality of families broken apart for whatever reason,...

In his still relatively young, yet incredibly prolific, career, Iraqi-American filmmaker Usama Alshaibi has mostly exhibited three very distinct and separate styles in his approach to his films.

There are the highly sensual and sexual portraits of women, such as Traumata, Gash and Organ Molly. There are the serious and personal documentaries, such as Nice Bombs and the still-in-production American Arab. And there are his gonzo, transgressive “comedies” such as The Amateurs and The Foreigner.

However, for his latest feature-length, fictional narrative film Profane, Alshaibi has melded all of those styles into a singular, cohesive vision that is, as of now, his most accomplished work.

Have You Seen This Movie? (Leave Your Own Review)

Although Profane is a portrait of a young, female Muslim sex worker, Muna (Manal Kara), one can’t but help to feel that the film’s raw, naked emotional level comes from a highly autobiographical place.