Cast: Ross Marquand, Sarah Bolger

Written and Directed By: peter Cilella

Studio: RELJ

Release Year: 2025

Runtime: 96 minutes

Audio Description Provided By: Audio Eyes

Written By: Micah Grossman

Narrated By: Nicole Cyrille

What Is it?: A man (Marquand) facing impending fatherhood must deal with the possibility that he has just experienced an extraterrestrial encounter. Between his own personal demons clouding how he feels about fatherhood, and his obsession with his experience that he also decides to keep a secret, we watch as he slips in and out of what is real, and what isn’t. Can he put the past behind him in time, or is the family doomed from the start?

What Works: I’m already a Ross Marquand fan, so this was a pretty easy layup. I was intrigued ever before being offered a screener, because there was a movie starring Marquand, and it had audio description. Sadly, while sighted critics got advance copies, I did not. My AD copy never came, so I paid the blind tax.

Luckily, Ross is worth it. It’s very different from his other work, though Aaron on The Walking Dead did evolve quite a bit over the years. Still, he’s in a completely different context, and with the little we know about him, he seems like an average guy. So it becomes what would any man do when put in this situation? The alien encounter is properly creepy, and he sees images afterward that increase the tension. Mostly, this film is buoyed by Marquand’s performance, as many films are when their central protagonist is losing grip with reality.

Sarah Bolger was also fine, she just doesn’t have much to do, and the supporting cast all feel like interchangeable NPC’s that he interacts with, but have no major impact on his story. I was never terrified, but the director puts their trust in Ross, and that was wise.

What Doesn’t Work: There’s a repetitive angle on guns here that doesn’t really go anywhere, and felt unnecessary once the film concludes, and you realize the film didn’t have much to say. It feels like a film that wants to have a conversation, but also doesn’t care enough. “Guns are bad.” Yes, and?

I both appreciated and didn’t a scene where he sits with someone on a back porch. It reminded me of how The Surfer tries to be cyclical, but without actually putting a firm hand down, so it is open to interpretation. even the audio description team just describes him as just a guy, even if the scene feels more representative and profound for Marquand’s character.

the Audio Description: audio Eyes loves this thing where they increase the volume of the narrators voice in tense moments, and it’s been done before where it cheapens a bit as it comes across as the audio description jump scare. But I’ve noticed more recently, an appreciation for rising tension, and Nicole, much like with Abraham’s Boys, really does a nice job on rising to fever pitch, instead of jumping out at you and giving you an accessibility Boo! Also, considering I was hard on Micah for one track last year, this is a much better exploration of the visuals of the film, so keep it up. Solid work.

Why You Might Like it: If you like alien abduction movies, and wonder if the truth is out there, this has some properly chilling moments. Plus, Walking Dead fans… show up for Ross Marquand. You never know… maybe we’ll get an Aaron spinoff.

Why You Might Not Like it: t isn’t crazy scary. It’s often suggestively scary, with some images that might get you, but it isn’t ever truly terrifying. it is more of a psychological thriller than a horror film or scary movie. So, if your bag is gore laden, this doesn’t mess around too much in that area.

Final Thoughts: it’s always fun to see material where a solid actor/actress is given a platform to lose their grip on reality, and it is more refreshing when that opportunity is given to someone like Ross Marquand, who has been waiting for a meaty role like this. The truth isn’t out there, it’s in here.

Fresh: 7.5/10