Balthazar (Jaeden Martell) attends a private school in New York, where he spends his nights performatively condemning gun violence in front of a ring light, mostly in the hopes of impressing his crush. But when Balthazar receives a series of alarming messages from an online troll who may be planning a school shooting themselves, Balthazar travels to Texas to confront the commenter. Here he meets Solomon (an almost unrecognizable Asa Butterfield), a troubled young man fired from his job, in debt to a multi-level marketing scheme, and in possession of a small arsenal of weapons.
An incendiary dark comedy from director Oscar Boyson, who makes use of his experience producing for the Safdie brothers by ratcheting up the tension and diving deep into the twisted psyche of a mind poisoned by the internet. Martell and Butterfield deliver breakout performances as two disaffected youths on divergent paths. As the boys’ destination becomes clearer, so too do questions about power, socioeconomic status, and who gets to tell their story.
Supported by
Media Partner
Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Noah Centineo, Jennifer Ehle, Becky Ann Baker, Chris Bauer
USA
2025
English
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Noah Centineo, Enzo Marc, Halsey, Anthony Li, Scott Aharoni, Sinan Eczacibasi, Alihan Yalcindag, Riccardo Maddalosso, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Alex Black, Nathan Wing, Grace Zander, Del Eswar, DJ Jiang, Nicholas Erickson, Anna-nora Berstein, Zak Williams, Christian Sosa, Peter Gold, Blaine Kern III, Pir Granof
Producer
Oscar Boyson, Ricky Camilleri, Jon Wroblewski, David Duque-Estrada, Alex Hughes, Jaeden Martell, Miles Skinner
Screenwriter
Ricky Camilleri, Oscar Boyson
Cinematography
Christopher Messina
Editor
Nate DeYoung, Erin DeWitt
Original Music
James William Blades
Oscar Boyson
Oscar Boyson was born and raised in Maine and lives and works in New York City. His producing credits include Frances Ha (2012) and Mistress America (2015) for Noah Baumbach; Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019) for Josh and Benny Safdie; and the original series Chillin Island (2021) for HBO. Boyson’s directorial credits include the short film Power Signal (2023), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, and dozens of music videos, commercials, and short films.
Filmography: Power Signal (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Mother and the Bear
Johnny Ma’s film stars Kim Ho-jung as a Korean woman who flies to Winnipeg when her immigrant daughter is hospitalized there. This crowd-pleaser plays up cultural differences to hilarious effect and offers a touching take on mother-daughter tension.
Afternoons of Solitude
Pacification director Albert Serra turns his unflinching gaze on the subject of bullfighting, and in particular the famous young matador Andrés Roca Rey. The film challenges us to look its subject square in the eye and draw our own conclusions.
The Plague
At a water polo camp, Ben is plunged into the deep end of toxic peer pressure. Terrified of incurring his campmates’ wrath, he joins them in tormenting a kid whose skin rash has been branded “the plague”. But then he experiences a breakout of his own...
