Determined to escape perpetually post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Levi (Justin Benson) instead falls in with John (Aaron Moorhead), a kindred conspiracy theorist. After witnessing an inexplicable event in Levi’s apartment, the neighbours become intent on monetizing the paranormal activity by shooting a Netflix-style docuseries. Convincing themselves that they’re piecing together a grand puzzle consisting of (but hardly limited to) numerology, symbology, energy fields, and mass simulations, they plunge through the looking glass and tumble down a succession of rabbit holes.
Serving as directors, producers, editors, stars, writer (Benson) and cinematographer (Moorhead), this dynamic duo, last seen at VIFF with 2017’s The Endless, remain the standard bearers for DIY speculative cinema. Their on-screen chemistry and adroitness with cinematic sleights of hand anchor their latest film even as Levi and John spiral further into delusion. Ultimately, it’s Benson and Moorhead’s infectious enthusiasm for mining mystery and endless possibility from the mundane that makes this lo-fi sci-fi spectacle so captivating.
Media Partner
Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
USA
2022
English
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
All the Lovers in the Night
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Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Clarissa brings Mrs. Dalloway to present-day Lagos, with Sophie Okonedo playing the titular society hostess opposite David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri, and India Amarteifio in a Nigerian vision of class, privilege, and past lives.
Image: © Courtesy of Elevation Pictures
Opening Gala: The Debut
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Árru
Set against the mountains and fjords of northern Norway, Árru follows reindeer herder Maia as a proposed copper mine threatens her Sámi community, forcing her to fight to protect both her community and the land that sustains it.
The Beloved
When Esteban Martínez, an acclaimed director with violent tendences, invites his estranged daughter to star in his latest project, the stage is set for a familial reconnection. But as tensions flare, questions about his intentions rise to the surface.
MODES 1
Archive and the land reveal other ways of seeing, ensuring that what is meant to endure cannot be erased.
Credits
Producer
David Lawson, Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson
Screenwriter
Justin Benson
Editor
Michael Felker, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Production Design
Ariel Vida
Original Music
Jimmy LaValle
Art Director
Catherine Simon