- Starring
- Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy, Cloe Skoczen
- Written by
- Michael Felker
- Directed by
- Michael Felker
- Run Time
- 1h 42min
- Release Date
- October 4th, 2024
Overall Score
Rating Summary
I’ve always had a soft spot for movies that make you think, especially how they weave through intricate storylines. Two of the better filmmakers in this style are Justin Benson and Aaron Morehead, whose films like The Endless and Something in the Dirt have established them as leading voices in mind-bending cinema. Now, their longtime editor Michael Felker has stepped up to deliver his own genre-twisting movie with Things Will Be Different. While it can be a little frustrating at times, the payoff is well worth it.
Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and his estranged sister Sidney (Riley Dandy) have just committed a bank robbery and need a place to lay low. Joseph knows the perfect spot, and it even has a trick that will help them avoid capture. The spot is a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, and the trick is there is a door that leads to another point in time, where they can hide out for a few weeks. Nothing could go wrong with a plan involving time travel, right? Of course, something goes wrong. On the day they’re supposed to return, they are greeted by a mysterious entity who tells them they must kill an “unwelcome guest” if they want to go home. Their foolproof plan begins to unravel, leaving the siblings with nothing but time as they wait for this guest to arrive.
Time and alcohol don’t mix well, especially when you’re trapped in a time-bending house with no clear answers. Tensions soon rise between Joseph and Sidney as they try to figure out who or what is keeping them stuck. Puzzles are meant to be solved, but the answer to this one isn’t quite what either of them expected. Written by Felker, Things Will Be Different masterfully handles the complexities of time travel without bogging down the audience with too much exposition. While the mechanics work, there’s still plenty of mystery, leaving both the characters and the viewers guessing. This is one of those films that isn’t meant to be fully understood in just one viewing. As it grows more complex, it also grows more confident in its storytelling, which, at its core, is a family drama with big ideas.
Things Will Be Different is an entertaining yet cerebral movie that works well as a sci-fi thriller. There are some great ideas here, but also some head-scratching moments that leave you a bit confused as you try to piece it all together. The pacing flows nicely, but the ending doesn’t fully resolve some of the questions it raises. Despite that, the concept is so strong that I was able to forgive its flaws. The film feels fresh and proves that with a good idea and two strong leads, a smaller budget doesn’t really matter. This is definitely a good watch, and although there are some bumps along the way—even a few moments of confusion—the movie finds its footing in the third act, making the journey to the end well worth your time.