News

A fascinatingly uneasy debut from Ryan J Sloan has hints of Lynch and Cronenberg with star and co-writer Ariella Mastroianni radiating suppressed anguish and rage

Here is a paranoid noir chiller from the US, shot on 16mm on the mean streets of Jersey City; it is a fascinating debut for first-time feature director Ryan J Sloan that premiered at Cannes last year and is now getting its much-deserved UK release. A genuine skin-crawling unease seeps out of the screen for every second of its running time, helped by a brooding, moaning electronic score by Steve Matthew Carter. This ineffably creepy, often unbearably tense and disquieting film has a little of early Christopher Nolan (the Nolan of Following and Memento), with hints of Lynch and Cronenberg in its hallucinatory episodes.

Sloan’s co-writer and partner Ariella Mastroianni (reportedly a very distant relative of Marcello) stars as Frankie, a woman living on the edge of poverty,...

There are a set of rules that have long-guided ultra-low and microbudget production. Lots of daylight exteriors, one or two central locations (to minimize company moves and location rental cost), a small cast, no stunts, no child actors and a compressed shooting schedule. If today it’s not uncommon to see a 24-day schedule on films of $12 million, and most independents with sub $3-million budgets are boarded between 18 and 24 days, a filmmaker considering their first ultra-low-budget picture should think about going even lower, to 11 or 12 days, even. And, of course, shooting digital is probably the economically […]

The post “A Redemption Story That Gets Derailed By a Revenge Story”: Ariella Mastroianni and Ryan J. Sloan on Gazer first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

There are a set of rules that have long-guided ultra-low and microbudget production. Lots of daylight exteriors, one or two central locations (to minimize company moves and location rental cost), a small cast, no stunts, no child actors and a compressed shooting schedule. If today it’s not uncommon to see a 24-day schedule on films of $12 million, and most independents with sub $3-million budgets are boarded between 18 and 24 days, a filmmaker considering their first ultra-low-budget picture should think about going even lower, to 11 or 12 days, even. And, of course, shooting digital is probably the economically […]

The post “A Redemption Story That Gets Derailed By a Revenge Story”: Ariella Mastroianni and Ryan J. Sloan on Gazer first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Ryan J. Sloan's feature debut Gazer is a pensive puzzler that keeps the audience at arm's length. Its traits are grainy visuals, an untrustworthy narrator, and chilly noir vibes on a low frequency. Sloan and co-writer Ariella Mastroianni (who plays the film's time-blind lead) explore a New Jersey mystery that keeps methods low and slow. Gazer's an intimate thriller with a hyper-focused scope, but it's also a lethargic experience by choice. Visual storytelling is everything to Sloan's approach, perhaps to a detriment.

Mastroianni stars as Frankie Rhodes, a young single mother who struggles to perceive lengths of time. The neurological condition, known as "dyschronometria," prevents her from holding down simple jobs like being a gas station attendant. She uses self-recorded cassette tapes that remind her to pay attention, as she tries to fixate on details—she gazes into windows and, in her head, creates lives for unknown people.

The pace is picking up with studio wide release A Minecraft Movie booming and plenty of indie fare to fill out behind from Neon’s Hell of a Summer and IFC Films’ The Luckiest Man in America to Fathom’s next installment of The Chosen and expansions of The Friend from Bleecker Street and Gkids’ re-release of Princess Mononoke.

CinemaCon, the biggest annual gathering of theater owners and studios, wrapped last night in Las Vegas. Exhibitors’ tempers were strained by a sour first quarter at the box office and there was an explosion of talk around longer theatrical windows which will for sure remain an ongoing conversation. That said, Q1 is behind us so here’s to hoping for a sustained period of more movies — many highlighted in Vegas — and higher-grossing movies to lift all boats.

Neon opens Hell Of A Summer on 1,255 screens after Thursday previews and early shows took in $215k.

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Metrograph Pictures releases “Gazer” in theaters Friday, April 4, 2025.

Imagine if “Baby Driver” was a tragic, music-free exploration of mental decay, and you might be able to start picturing the tensest robbery sequence in “Gazer.” Just like Ansel Elgort’s tinnitus-inflicted getaway driver, Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni) needs to put her headphones in before she tackles a dangerous job. But she’s not blasting Queen or The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

The struggling single mother suffers from dyschronometria, a deteriorating mental condition that leaves her unable to accurately perceive the passage of time. Seconds and minutes seamlessly turn into hours and days in a way that leaves her constantly questioning when she is. It’s a workable, if inconvenient, situation when your biggest fear is missing a doctor’s appointment or zoning out at work. But when you have...

Within the first few minutes of “Gazer,” it’s easy to tell that a woman named Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni) is struggling. Our heroine, it would seem, has been living with a disorder of some sort, one that requires her to go about her day with a cassette tape player spouting commands into her ear throughout; these words, however, aren’t of the motivational variety or her favorite podcast. As she works a menial gas station job, the tape’s verbiage seems to narrate what she should be doing at that moment, seemingly a means to keep her grounded for reasons as yet unknown.

Continue reading ‘Gazer’ Review: A Unexpectedly Twisty, Atmospheric Slow Burn at The Playlist.

Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni) is already having a rough night, having just been fired from her gas station job, when it gets even more complicated as she starts to believe that she witnessed an act of violence. "Believe" is an operative word here. Frankie’s perception of reality makes her an unreliable narrator because she has a neurological condition called dyschronometria. To make sense of the surrounding world, Frankie dictates endless tapes for herself about her everyday experiences, and even she admits that what she thinks was her witnessing a guy hitting a woman might have been something different. Frankie’s suspicions are somewhat confirmed when the woman in question, Claire (Renee Gagner), appears in her support group for suicide survivors. Claire also comes up with an offer...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Time distorts in unsettling ways in our exclusive new clip from Gazer, the dark neo-noir thriller in the vein of Memento centered around a potentially unreliable narrator.

Metrograph Pictures releases the film in theaters on Friday, April 4, 2025.

The neo-noir thriller follows “a young mother (co-writer Ariella Mastroianni) who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder.”

Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts, and Tommy Kang also star.

Watch the clip below that introduces Mastroianni’s character, Frankie, as she weighs her options when faced with a dubious proposal for fast cash. Whether to take the risky job is the least of her problems; startling visions signal murder ahead.

One’s tempted to compare Gazer to many of the films it riffs on. For starters, there’s Memento, Christopher Nolan’s breakthrough film about a man unable to form short-term memories and caught up in a seedy criminal underbelly. Ryan J. Sloan’s debut may not feature such a radical structure, but with its gauzy 16mm look and engrossing story, it does something almost as important: announce a distinct directorial vision.

Ariella Mastroianni (also a co-writer) stars as Frankie, a single mother first seen working the night shift at a gas station. Her unique condition is dyschronometria, a degenerative brain disease that affects her perception of time and––most crucially––causes blackouts. To help center her in the moment, she uses cassette tapes that repeat affirmations and mantras, telling her to rewind if she feels one coming on. In other references, she spends her time at a support group...

Few directorial debuts in recent memory have felt as fresh as Ryan J. Sloan’s “Gazer,” one of the highlights of the sidebar sections of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The throwback neo-noir is a paranoid thriller about a single mother struggling with dyschronometria — a condition that prevents her from accurately perceiving the passage of time — who becomes sucked into a criminal conspiracy after accepting a shady job for easy money.

It boasts a star-making performance from Ariella Mastroianni, who co-wrote the film with Sloan, evoking the kind of character-focused movies that cinephiles are constantly lamenting Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. It’s also a truly independent film in every sense of the word, with Sloan and Mastrioanni pooling their wages from multiple dayjobs in order to shoot the film on nights and weekends.

In a conversation with IndieWire conducted at Fantastic Fest 2024, where “Gazer” made its U.S. premiere, Sloan...

So, what are you hoping to see this month? Whether you’re seeking a 420-friendly road movie, body horror with a fairy tale twist, based-on-a-true-story exorcisms, or romantic comedies with green cards and gay couples, there’s bound to be a Don’t-Miss Indie in this April edition… two of which will be featured in Film Independent Presents screenings on April 2 and 15 – will we see you there?

Secret Mall Apartment

When You Can Watch: April 2 (Film Independent Presents)

Where You Can Watch: Film Independent Theater, Theaters (limited)

Director: Jeremy Workman

Cast: Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young

Why We’re Excited: “Let’s all live at the mall” is the tagline of this documentary about eight artists who did just that – for four years. As Providence, Rhode Island’s historic mill district was getting a facelift in the early 2000s, art spaces were getting ousted in favor of shopping centers and power plants.

Gazer Photo: Ariella Mastroianni, courtesy of Telstar Films

Director Ryan J Sloan and co-writer Ariella Mastroianni's Gazer revolves around Frankie (played by Mastroianni), a young mother suffering with dyschronometria, that affects her perception of time. After a violent and horrific incident resulted in her husband's death, which Frankie revisits in her body horror-esque nightmares, she's desperate to save money for her daughter's future. When Frankie takes a job from a mysterious woman with a troubled history, she becomes embroiled in a vicious murder.

Sloan is an electrician turned filmmaker, with no previous credits, while Mastroianni is an actor and writer, originally from Ontario, Canada, who co-founded the music and entertainment magazine Nkd Mag in college.

Gazer Photo: Ariella Mastroianni, courtesy of Telstar Films

In conversation with Eye For Film, Sloan and Mastroianni discussed the conflict of art and commerce, and the theme of inner and outer lives. They also spoke...

Gazer opens in theaters on April 4th, courtesy of Metrograph Pictures. Shot on 16mm with a shoestring budget over the course of two years, the film is not only a masterful example of DIY filmmaking, but an inspiration to those who are looking to forge their own path to festival screenings and distribution. I recently caught up with Ryan J. Sloan and Ariella Mastroianni, and we discuss the making of Gazer below:

"Gazer follows a young mother (co-writer Ariella Mastroianni) who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder."

Starring Ariella Mastroianni, Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts, Tommy Kang Directed by Ryan J.

After two years of filming on weekends throughout the early days of Covid, Ryan J. Sloan and Arielle Mastroianni’s new film Gazer is finally coming to theaters after a successful festival run. Written by Sloan and Mastroianni, and directed by Sloan, the filmmaking duo dive into a strange and paranoid world with a unique take on thrillers that harken back to the days of early Cronenberg and other genre masters.

In the film:

A young mother with a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder.

In our exclusive clip from the film, our unreliable narrator has a strange, fleshy interaction…

Watch now:

Ariella Mastroianni,...

Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni) spends much of Ryan J. Sloan’s Gazer staring at strangers so she can maintain some grip on reality. Barely hanging on to a poverty-wracked existence, she finds a sense of meaning in creating backstories for those she surveils. After believing she has seen a woman, Paige (Renee Gagner), being threatened in an apartment building that she watches, the sylph-like Frankie gets sucked into an increasingly baffling mystery that threatens to completely upend her life, while also illuminating aspects of her past for viewers.

Located somewhere near the intersection of The Conversation and Memento, Sloan’s feature-length directorial debut marries the former’s obsession with watching to the latter’s meditations on the nature of perception. Like both films, it jolts the wandering, obsessive nature of its main characters with an interruption of violence and sews confusion throughout.

The stated reason for Frankie’s behavior is that...

Ariella Mastroianni is an actor from New Jersey by way of Ontario, Canada. With director Ryan J. Sloan, she co-wrote and co-produced Gazer, which she also stars in. The film, which the duo shot on weekends over the course of two years, brings the paranoid thriller genre into wildly original new territory. On this episode, Mastroianni tells the story of deciding to shoot on film, using their own money, with no formal support, no connections, just a deep desire to make the film they were both dying to see. She talks about the tools her acting teachers (like Brad Fleischer […]

The post “Don’t Wait for Permission” Gazer star Ariella Mastroianni, Back To One, Episode 334 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Ariella Mastroianni is an actor from New Jersey by way of Ontario, Canada. With director Ryan J. Sloan, she co-wrote and co-produced Gazer, which she also stars in. The film, which the duo shot on weekends over the course of two years, brings the paranoid thriller genre into wildly original new territory. On this episode, Mastroianni tells the story of deciding to shoot on film, using their own money, with no formal support, no connections, just a deep desire to make the film they were both dying to see. She talks about the tools her acting teachers (like Brad Fleischer […]

The post “Don’t Wait for Permission” Gazer star Ariella Mastroianni, Back To One, Episode 334 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Film is so back. Shooting on Kodak film continues to be both a more popular choice among filmmakers and to gather more Oscar prestige. At this year’s Academy Awards Sean Baker’s Best Picture winner, “Anora,” was shot on 35mm by cinematographer Drew Daniels; Brady Corbet’s Best Cinematography winner, “The Brutalist,” was shot on 35mm VistaVision to great aplomb by Dp Lol Crawley; Walter Salles’ Best International Feature Film winner, “I’m Still Here,” was shot on both 35mm and S8mm by cinematographer Adrian Teijido; and the Best Live Action Short winner, “I’m Not a Robot,” was also shot on 35mm.

This year looks set to build on that success. There will be a cohort of prominent movies captured on film from some of the usual analog-loving directors: Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Vincent Gallo writes, directs, and / or stars in Buffalo ’66, Trouble Every Day, and The Brown Bunny, all playing on 35mm; a print of Twilight screens Sunday.

Museum of Modern Art

Dutchman and We Are Universal play in a two-for-one screening.

Japan Society

A six-film Nobuhiko Obayashi retrospective has two final showings on Friday.

Anthology Film Archives

Willem Dafoe: Wild at Heart features films by Schrader, Lynch, Scorsese, and Kathryn Bigelow.

Film at Lincoln Center

A career-spanning Frederick Wiseman retrospective continues.

Museum of the Moving Image

Snubbed Forever continues.

IFC Center

A new 4K restoration of Picnic at Hanging Rock continues; Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Dr. screen; Fargo, The Thing, Irreversible, and House show late.

Film Forum

Godard’s A Woman Is a Woman begins playing in a new 4K restoration; The Little Mermaid screens on Sunday.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Japan Society

A six-film Nobuhiko Obayashi retrospective, featuring imported 35mm and 16mm prints, begins (watch our exclusive trailer debut).

Anthology Film Archives

Willem Dafoe: Wild at Heart features films by Ferrara, Lynch, Scorsese, and Kathryn Bigelow.

Film at Lincoln Center

A highlight of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu inspirations includes David Lean, Jean Cocteau, and more.

Museum of the Moving Image

Snubbed Forever brings The Magnificent Ambersons and 3:10 to Yuma, as well as 35mm prints of The Quiet Man and Rosemary’s Baby.

Roxy Cinema

Paris, Texas and a 35mm print of Girl, Interrupted play on Saturday.

IFC Center

A new 4K restoration of Picnic at Hanging Rock continues; Eraserhead, Inland Empire, Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Dr. screen; Fargo, Misery, and House show late.

Museum of Modern Art

A Jerry Schatzberg retrospective continues.

Film Forum

Godard’s A...

Gazer, the dark neo-noir thriller in the vein of Memento, has shifted into a new release date. With it comes a moody new poster.

Metrograph Pictures will now release the film in theaters on April 4, 2025. The film was initially set for February 21, 2025.

Gazer is directed by Ryan J. Sloan.

The neo-noir thriller follows “a young mother (co-writer Ariella Mastroianni) who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder.”

Ariella Mastroianni, Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts, and Tommy Kang star.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review for Bd, “In fact, the film feels like a very post-modern deconstruction of many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films,...

Ryan J Sloan's thriller, Gazer, starring Ariella Mastroianni, is coming to cinemas on April 4th from Metrograph Pictures. It is a slight shift in the release date but to make up for anyone who had to change their plans for its release a new poster was sent out today. We have also included the trailer and a small gallery of stills. “Focus. What do you see?” Afflicted with a rare and fatal condition that affects her ability to perceive time and causes sudden blackouts, single mother Frankie Rhodes relies on self-recorded cassette tapes to help her navigate the world. Desperate to make ends meet while she fights for custody of her young daughter, she accepts a risky but high-paying job from a mysterious...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Metrograph Pictures has released a new trailer for Gazer, a dark neo-noir thriller with shades of Memento as it centers around a mother afflicted with a condition that causes blackouts and distortions in time.

Gazer releases in theaters on February 21, 2025. The film is directed by Ryan J. Sloan.

The neo-noir thriller follows “a young mother (co-writer Ariella Mastroianni) who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder.”

Ariella Mastroianni, Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts, and Tommy Kang star.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review for Bd, “In fact, the film feels like a very post-modern deconstruction of many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films,...

When you watch a lot of trailers, like we do, they all tend to blend together. Very rarely does one stand out as something unique and interesting. Today, that happened with the trailer for “Gazer.”

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025

As seen in the trailer, “Gazer” is a film that follows a young mother with a unique condition that prevents her from perceiving time normally.

Continue reading ‘Gazer’ Trailer: Ariella Mastroianni Stars In Ryan J. Sloan’s Paranoia Thriller at The Playlist.

"Focus. What do you see?" NYC's Metrograph Pictures has revealed the official trailer for an indie mystery thriller titled Gazer, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Ryan J. Sloan. Now set for release in February 2025 in limited theaters if anyone's intrigued. This very grainy, old school, lo-fi thriller follows a young mother who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it's too late. Ariella Mastroianni stars as Frankie, a young mother with dyschronometria, who struggles to perceive time but is also a keen observer. She uses cassette tapes for guidance on a daily basis. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge, deceit, and murder... The film stars Mastroianni with Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts,...

Premiering earlier this year at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Gazer marks the directorial debut of Ryan J. Sloan, who co-wrote and produced the paranoia thriller with his star Ariella Mastroianni. Shot on 16mm over weekends over the course of two years, it’s quite a feat of independent filmmaking and now it’ll see a wider audience thanks to the Metrograph Pictures release beginning February 21, 2025. Ahead of the release, the first trailer has arrived for the film also starring Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts, and Tommy Kang.

Here’s the synopsis: “Gazer follows a young mother (co-writer Ariella Mastroianni) who, due to a unique condition that progressively affects her perception of time, is trying to save money for her daughter’s future before it’s too late. She takes a risky job from a mysterious woman with a dark past, which leads her to become entangled in a tense web of revenge,...

The tension within Ryan J. Sloan’s indie directorial debut “Gazer” is almost unparalleled: Of course the IndieWire review pointed to comparisons between Martin Scorsese, David Cronenberg, Brian De Palma, and Christopher Nolan when it came to decoding just how thrilling the feature is.

“Gazer,” which was among our favorite movies at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, premiered during the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Metrograph Pictures later acquired the North American rights to the neo-noir heist thriller, with Head of Metrograph Pictures David Laub saying in a press statement just how much writer/director Sloan’s vision echoes cinema history.

“‘Gazer’ is a movie born of cinema and those who love it,” Laub said, deeming the feature “a brilliant homage to the unforgettable New York thrillers of the 1970s and 1980s.”

Well, we couldn’t agree more. Sloan, who co-wrote the film with breakout lead star Ariella Mastroianni, filmed “Gazer” over weekends...

“Focus. What do you see?” opens a voiceover in the trailer for Gazer, the directorial debut from Ryan J. Sloan. We see a promising clip of a new thriller, shot on 16 mm and bearing a bit of a resemblance to Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

The latter point is a comparison Gazer is leaning into,...

At this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Collider's Perri Nemiroff met the trio behind Gazer, a driving neo-noir that was the very definition of a team effort. Co-writer, director, and producer Ryan J. Sloan, co-writer, star, and producer Ariella Mastroianni, and cinematographer Matheus Bastos stopped by to chat about the journey from their two-year shoot to the World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival to sharing their film with the Fantastic Fest crowd.

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival has unveiled its audience and jury award honorees for its 2024 edition, which ran from Oct. 17-24 at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.

Taking home the best film and best ensemble awards from the Dark Matter Jury was “Dead Talents Society” from writer-director John Hsu. The comedy horror, starring Bo-lin Chen, Sandrine Pinna and Gingle Wang, follows a ghost who joins a supernatural talent agency in hopes of becoming an urban legend.

Emma Benestan won best director from the Head Trip Jury, which honors films that deviate from the typical horror formula. Her film, “Animale,” follows a young bullfighter who begins noticing disturbing changes after a violent incident in the ring. Cast members include Oulaya Amamra, Damien Rebattel and Vivien Rodriguez.

For the Shorts Jury, Grace Rex’s script for “The Shadow Wrangler” took home best screenplay. Following an audiobook narrator tortured by...

Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni) is a young single mother struggling to make enough money, having just been fired from her job as a gas station attendant. Finding another gig isn’t going to be easy. Gainful employment is a tough ask for Frankie, who is living with a rare degenerative brain condition called dyschronometria, meaning she has problems with perceiving the passing of time. Her brain is essentially the unreliable narrator of her own reality. Like any noir hero worth their salt, Frankie makes audio cassettes to help her organize her thoughts about “a life lived in no specific order,” as she puts it on one tape.

This is the promising jumping-off point for a stylish low-budget mystery, directed by electrician-turned-filmmaker Ryan J. Sloan, which finds time along the way to riff on everything from “Memento” to “Videodrome.” In the best traditions of film noir, the initial offer which will help...

Metrograph Pictures has acquired North American rights to thriller Gazer, which premiered last week in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

Metrograph will release the film theatrically, with details to be announced later.

The debut feature of writer-director Ryan J Sloan, Gazer was produced by Sloan and Ariella Mastroianni through their Telstar Films. Executive producers are Sean Glass and Emily Korteweg and UTA Independent Film Group handled the sale.

Mastroianni also wrote the script with Sloan and stars as a young mother, with a condition that affects her perception of time, who takes a risky job from a mysterious woman.

Metrograph head...

Metrograph Pictures has acquired North American rights to thriller Gazer, which premiered last week in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

Metrograph will release the film theatrically, with details to be announced later.

The debut feature of writer-director Ryan J Sloan, Gazer was produced by Sloan and Ariella Mastroianni through their Telstar Films. Executive producers are Sean Glass and Emily Korteweg and UTA Independent Film Group handled the sale.

Mastroianni also wrote the script with Sloan and stars as a young mother, with a condition that affects her perception of time, who takes a risky job from a mysterious woman.

Metrograph head...

One of IndieWire’s favorite movies of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival has found a home. Metrograph Pictures has acquired the North American rights to “Gazer,” the neo-noir, heist thriller from director Ryan J. Sloan that premiered in the Director’s Fortnight sidebar at Cannes, IndieWire can reveal exclusively.

Metrograph is planning a theatrical release for the film with release plans to be announced at a later date. Financial details were not disclosed.

IndieWire’s review raved about “Gazer,” saying it combines “the manic paranoia of ‘After Hours‘ with a ‘Memento’-esque unreliable protagonist and touches of flesh-bending body horror that could be ripped straight from ‘Videodrome.'” It offers a new spin on neo-noir and paranoia thrillers of the ’70s and ’80s, but it resists becoming pure pastiche, as our critic Christian Zilko dubbed it.

The film tells the story of a young, single mother named Frankie who suffers from...

Cannes is over, the prizes have been given out at Saturday’s awards ceremony., and buyers have gone home, but the deals haven’t stopped. Some of the buzziest titles ahead of the festival are still are awaiting buyers. This year’s market hasn’t been weighed down by the writers or actors strikes in the same way as last year, meaning companies like A24, Neon, Apple, and more have jumped in on exciting packages of possibly future contenders, while art house, specialized distributors like Sideshow and Janus Films, Mubi, and Metrograph have been especially active.

Below we’re tracking everything that gets acquired throughout the festival and beyond.

Films Acquired After the Festival “Gazer”

Section: Director’s Fortnight

Director: Ryan J. Sloan

Buyer: Metrograph Pictures

Date Acquired: May 29

Cast: Ariella Mastroianni

Buzz: As IndieWire exclusively reported, Metrograph went big on this neo-noir thriller with a unique concept from a...

It takes a certain confidence for a film to open as Gazer does, with the exhortation to pay attention. “What do you see? Focus,” a disembodied voice instructs, inviting the viewer to pore over details. Perhaps you take note of the figure slumped on the sidewalk, or the other bodies moving behind windows. Maybe you drink in the grimness of the industrial New Jersey setting, or the brittleness of the heroine (Ariella Mastroianni).

Gazer rewards you for all this looking with an eye for striking imagery and careful compositions. But the act of observation can also imply a certain remove. As painstakingly crafted as this mystery-thriller is, it remains something to be admired from a distance rather than felt viscerally.

Arguably, its chilliness reflects its heroine’s own sense of disconnection. When we meet her, Frankie (Mastroianni) is deep into a progressive neurological disease that causes her to lose time...

French distribution company UFO has secured the rights to American filmmaker Ryan J. Sloan’s New psychological thriller “Gazer,” which will world premiere at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight on May 22.

Set in New Jersey and starring Sloan’s partner Ariella Mastroianni, “Gazer” is the story of a young mother with a rare degenerative brain condition called dyschronometria. The disease causes her to struggle to perceive time, which makes holding down a steady job nearly impossible. So, when a mysterious woman offers her a risky job, she takes it, unaware of the dark consequences of her decision.

According to UFO CEO Stéphane Auclaire, “We loved following the lead character Frankie, played by the hypnotic Ariella Mastroianni, through the twists and turns of this paranoid thriller that reminded us of Cronenberg and the Safdie brothers. The sound and music, framing and lighting cohere in an ‘analog obsession’, through which director Ryan J.

Ryan J. Sloan’s “Gazer” is a classic thriller that will surely have Cannes audiences on the edge of their seats when it world premieres in competition in Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s festival.

Set in New Jersey and starring Sloan’s partner Ariella Mastroianni, “Gazer” is the story of Frankie, a young mother with a rare degenerative brain condition called dyschronometria. The disease causes her to struggle to perceive time, which makes holding down a steady job nearly impossible. So, when a mysterious woman offers her a risky job, she takes it, unaware of the dark consequences of her decision.

While the thematic notes of a classic Hitchcockian thriller are plain to see on screen, one thing that really sets “Gazer” apart from most films – especially American films – that make it to Cannes is that the project was entirely self-financed and produced.

There were no production companies (apart...

Memento International has boarded “Gazer,” the debut feature of American filmmaker Ryan J. Sloan which will world premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

Set in New Jersey, the paranoia thriller stars Ariella Mastroianni as Frankie, a young mother with a rare degenerative brain condition called dyschronometria. Struggling to perceive time, she uses cassette tapes for guidance and is unable to find steady work with her condition. When a mysterious woman offers her a risky job, she takes it, unaware of the dark consequences that await.

Sloan, who is from New Jersey and previously worked as electrician, pays tribute to New Hollywood’s great masters by revisiting the mystery thriller genre in “Gazer.” Lensed in 16mm stock, the film follows a magnetic character played by Ariella Mastroianni, who stars opposite Marcia Debonis, Renee Gagner, Jack Alberts and Grant Schumacher.

“‘Gazer’ is a redemption story derailed by a revenge story, following flawed characters...

The 77th edition of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight will kick off with “This Life of Mine,” a dramedy directed by Sophie Fillières, a renowned French filmmaker who died last year. Presented posthumously, the film is headlined by French stars including Agnès Jaoui, Philippe Katerine and Valérie Donzelli. The independent selection, which has recently gone through a rebranding and is now spearheaded by artistic director Julien Rejl, will close with another French film, Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s “Plastic Guns,” an offbeat crime comedy headlined by popular actor Jonathan Cohen.

The lineup includes as many as four U.S. features, three of which are feature debuts, including India Donaldson’s coming-of-age film”Good One” which premiered at Sundance and garnered solid reviews. Set in upstate New York, “Good One” follows 17-year-old Sam as she joins her father and his oldest friend, Matt, on their annual backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains. “Good One” has...

Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled the line-up for its 56th edition running from May 15 to 23, at a press conference in Paris’ Forum des Images cultural center.

The section, launched in 1969 and overseen by the French Directors Guild, will present 21 feature films and 10 short films.

It is the second line-up overseen by Delegate General Julien Rejl, who took up the role last year.

Discoveries of his inaugural edition included Georgian director Elene Naveriani’s late coming-of-age drama Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry; U.S. indie film Riddle Of Fire by Weston Razooli, as well as Vietnamese filmmaker Phạm Thiên Ân’s 2023 Cannes Caméra d’Or winner Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell.

The 2024 edition will open with late director Sophie Fillières’ final feature This Life of Mine, starring Agnès Jaoui as a woman whose sense of self starts to unravel as she turns 55.

Fillières died shortly after completing the shoot and her...

Stars: Chris Cimperman, Ariella Mastroianni, Michael L. Parker, LeJon Woods, Renee Gagner, James Liddell, Grant Schumacher, Michael L. Parker | Written and Directed by Bruce Wemple

Most of writer/director Bruce Wemple’s films fall into one of two categories. There are films about cryptids like Dawn of the Beast and The Retreat. And there are films dealing with abnormalities with time such as The Tomorrow Job and Lake Artifact.

Island Escape seems to be an attempt to bring the two themes together with this story of an accident at a research base on the Isle of Gran Manan. We know something is really wrong as the prologue shows a helicopter pilot being killed by what appears to be a bestial version of himself who then tries to fly off in the chopper only to have it explode in mid-air.

Meanwhile, after a barfight, Chase is approached by Alison who claims...

This summer has been packed with horror on the big screen, with films including Insidious: The Red Door, Talk to Me, Haunted Mansion and Meg 2: The Trench currently playing in theaters nationwide. This week, one of horror’s classic icons joins them at the box office.

Here’s all the new horror releasing August 8– August 13, 2023!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up from Dread is the horror movie Island Escape, the latest feature film from prolific indie creature feature director Bruce Wemple (Monstrous, Dawn of the Beast).

Island Escape is available On Demand today, and it’s hitting Blu-ray on September 12.

In the film, “After a mysterious accident at a research camp on the Isle of Gran Manan, a CEO hires a team of blue – collar mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist working at the camp. Upon arrival, the team soon...

Island Escape, an upcoming action-packed horror film from Epic Pictures under their Dread horror label, opens for a limited theatrical run on August 4, 2023, and we have an exclusive clip below. The film, which will be released on VOD on August 8, 2023, follows a team of mercenaries sent on a rescue mission to a mysterious island, where they encounter deadly creatures and a mysterious phenomenon that threatens their very existence. Island Escape stars Ariella Mastroianni (My Best Friend’s Dead), James Liddell (Two Ways to Go West), Grant Schumacher (The Retreat), and Chris Cimperman (Novel Love).

The film is written and directed by Bruce Wemple, whose extensive work in the sci-fi and horror genres includes directing the time-travel thriller The Tomorrow Job and the horror films The Retreat and Dawn of the Beast. Island Escape is executive produced by Epic Pictures and Dread CEO Patrick Ewald, and Cole Payne, owner of the genre label Traverse Terror.

Up next from Dread is the horror movie Island Escape, the latest feature film from prolific indie creature feature director Bruce Wemple.

First Showing debuted the official Island Escape trailer this week, seen below.

In the film, “After a mysterious accident at a research camp on the Isle of Gran Manan, a CEO hires a team of blue – collar mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist working at the camp. Upon arrival, the team soon learns that not only is the island surrounded by a wormhole that causes time to reset every three days, but it’s also crawling with hideous and dangerous monsters. As they learn more about the nature of time, space and the creatures on the island, they quickly realize that death may be the easiest way to escape.”

Ariella Mastroianni, James Liddell, Grant Schumacher, and Chris Cimperman star.

Island Escape will be available On Demand on...

"How do you survive against an island full of stronger, faster, deadlier versions of your previous self?" Fs is exclusively debuting the official trailer for an indie horror film titled Island Escape, the latest feature from director Bruce Wemple. While Island Escape is at its core a horror film filled with monsters and gore, it combines several other genres such as sci-fi, action, and romance, to keep you guessing every step of the way. After a mysterious accident at a research camp on the Isle of Gran Manan, a CEO hires a team of blue collar mercenaries to extract his daughter, a scientist at the camp. Upon arrival the team soon learns that not only is the island surrounded by a wormhole that causes time to reset every three days, it's also crawling with monsters. As they learn more about the nature of time, space and the creatures haunting them on the island,...

Stars: Grant Schumacher, Rick Montgomery Jr., Caitlin Duffy, Andrew Gombas, William Champion, George Katt, Ariella Mastroianni | Written and Directed by Bruce Wemple

With The Tomorrow Job writer/director Bruce Wemple steps away from the creature features like Monstrous and Dawn of the Beast that he’s been making lately to go back to the time paradox films such as Lake Artifact and Altered Hours that he started his career with.

In fact, The Tomorrow Job reworks Altered Hours’ premise of a drug that can send its user a day into the future as the jumping-off point for its tale of Lee and his crew of time travelling thieves. Lee was a subject of the late Dr. Tupple’s experiments in time travel. And when he left the project, he took the remaining samples of the drug with him.

Now he, along with Finn and Martin use it to steal information for clients.

The Tomorrow Job Trailer — Bruce Wemple‘s The Tomorrow Job (2023) movie trailer has been released by Epic Pictures. The Tomorrow Job trailer stars Grant Schumacher, Caitlin Duffy, Ariella Mastroianni, and Chris Cimperman. Crew Bruce Wemple wrote the screenplay for The Tomorrow Job. Plot Synopsis The Tomorrow Job‘s plot synopsis: “Lee (Grant Schumacher) and his expert team of [...]

Continue reading: The Tomorrow Job (2023) Movie Trailer: A Team of Time Travel Thieves Go Into the Past to Stop a Disaster...

"I steal info from tomorrow and bring it back to today." Epic has revealed the trailer for The Tomorrow Job, an indie sci-fi thriller from filmmaker Bruce Wemple - his seventh feature and most ambitious project. This premiered at the 2022 Other Worlds Film Festival and will be out to watch on VOD soon in January. This heist time travel film follows a team of thieves that use a drug that allows them to trade minds with their future-selves in order to steal tomorrow's secrets. How's that for a crazy cool sci-fi film pitch?! When interrupted on a job the team must fix their past mistakes to prevent disastrous consequences. "A dynamic mix of genres, The Tomorrow Job is a high-stakes sci-fi action-adventure epic with heart, humor, and fun, and an ode to beloved heist comedies of the past." Starring Grant Schumacher, Caitlin Duffy, Ariella Mastroianni, and Chris Cimperman. This looks a bit skimpy,...