Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
From the bodily to the existential, the horrors of parenthood are apparent and well-explored across the horror landscape.
Sean Brunner (Ross Marquand) is a soon-to-be father with a lot on his mind. Orphaned at a young age, due to his mother dying in childbirth and his father taking his own life a few years after, Sean is understandably anxious about what’s to come. One night, while being called into his elementary school security guard job, Sean sees spheres of light dotting the jet-black sky, causing the lights on the building to flicker, and disappear soon after. As he tries to fix one of the lights on the roof of the building, Sean is blinded by a white light, and finds himself in an alien ship, bound to a surgical table by webbed, mucous-y netting. Eventually, Sean wakes up in a hospital and is told he fell off the roof and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Soon, he’ll begin to have visions that blur reality and fiction.
Descendent is preoccupied with the trauma that follows men into parenthood. Sean’s story is an interesting and refreshing dive into men’s mental health, told uniquely through the lens of alien abduction. In the hands of a lesser cast and filmmaker, these struggles would fall flat or become sensationalized. Thankfully that’s not the case here. Marquand’s physicality belies the deep vulnerability he brings to Sean. The actor shrinks into himself throughout the film, externalizing Sean’s guarded nature. It often feels like Sean is very conscious of the space he takes up, both physically and emotionally as his condition deteriorates, and is trying to shirk it throughout the film. Sarah Bolger as Sean’s wife, Andrea, is also compelling to watch. Bolger gives Andrea a confident, strong mask that hides someone who is just as scared as Sean about the changes that are about to unfold in their lives. “You don’t think I’m terrified?” she asks her husband in frustration at one point. The pair share a number of scenes that help their relationship feel real. Later, Sean opens up about his struggles, describing the state of his mental health in a devastating way: “I feel like I’m trapped somewhere far away and I’m trying to get back to you.” Andrea sits next to him on the bathroom floor, comforting him.
Underscoring the domestic drama is, of course, the alien abduction. First-time feature director Peter Cilella opts for a more atmospheric approach to the intergalactic elements of the film. We see small glimpses of the aliens in hallucinations and flashbacks. Flashes of bulging, wet eyes that start showing up in the faces of Sean’s loved ones over the course of the film are a memorable element. We do not see the aliens often, but their influence and presence is felt in other ways. For instance, green overtakes the frame during Sean’s abduction, imbuing these moments with an otherworldly fear.
Descendent uses its strong cast and delicate filmmaking to make a compelling alien abduction movie that is grounded in the very human struggles men face as they become fathers. It’s harrowing and tender, a genre film with a grounded ethos.
Screens again Wednesday, March 12.
Read Richard Whittaker’s interview with writer/director Peter Cilella.
Descendent
Midnights, World Premiere
Catch up with all of The Austin Chronicle‘s SXSW 2025 coverage.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.