THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT Trailer (2024) Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy

THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT Trailer (2024) Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy

THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT Trailer (2024) Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy
© 2024 - Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing

"You shouldn't be here... The cycle is delicate. Time isn't kind to the displaced." Mystery and deception and control. Magnolia Pictures has revealed an official trailer for an indie sci-fi thriller titled Things Will Be Different, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Michael Felker. This premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival earlier in the year, then played at the Phoenix, Fantaspoa, and Overlook Film Festivals. In order to escape police after a robbery, two estranged siblings lay low in a farmhouse that hides them away in a different time. There they reckon with a mysterious force that pushes their familial bonds to unnatural breaking points. It's a time loop thriller meets supernatural thriller. "What comes from this not only bends the forces of spacetime but also bends Joe & Sid's familial bonds beyond the point of trust and forgiveness." Starring Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy as the two siblings, with Chloe Skoczen, Justin Benson, Sarah Bolger, & Jori Lynn Felker. This looks like a tricky, sneaky thriller - check it out below.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Michael Felker's Things Will Be Different, from YouTube:

Things Will Be Different Poster

When estranged siblings, Joseph & Sidney (Adam David Thompson & Riley Dandy), rendezvous at a local diner after a close-call robbery, they hightail it into an abandoned farmhouse that transports them to a different time in order to escape the local cops. But when they try to return to their present after the coast is clear, an unknown metaphysical force stops them and maroons them on the land unless they do exactly what they're told. What comes from this not only bends the forces of spacetime but also bends Joe & Sid's familial bonds beyond the point of trust and forgiveness. Things Will Be Different is written and directed by American indie editor / filmmaker Michael Felker, making his feature directorial debut after numerous shorts; he also edited Something in the Dirt. Produced by Jacob Rosenthal, Shane Spiegel, and Michael Felker. This initially premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival earlier this year. Magnolia Pics will debut Things Will Be Different in select US theaters + on VOD starting October 4th, 2024. Visit the film's site.
The notion of being “stuck in the past” applies both literally and figuratively to the siblings with a shared troubled history in “Things Will Be Different,” the feature directorial debut of editor Michael Felker. The title of this proficiently tense, lo-fi time-travel crime thriller reads like a promise of change, of overcoming past mistakes with the hope of an improved future. And it’s around that human need for second chances, to amend, that the filmmaker wraps his science-fiction proposition for what’s mostly an engaging two-hander.

In the aftermath of a robbery — not their first illicit act — Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy), an estranged brother and sister, head to an isolated farmhouse where old manual clocks and a seemingly ordinary closet allow them to travel back in time. If they wait a couple weeks before returning to their own timeline (which Sydney must do to care for her daughter), as Joseph’s friend instructed, they’ll be clear of their deed and get to keep their loot.

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Indictors that they have been transported to a different time come in the form of physical media laying around in the home, namely VHS tapes, CDs and later a tape recorder that acts as a communication device across time and space — a clever detail on the filmmaker’s part. At first, the pair passes the time reconnecting — there are open wounds between them — but when their laying-low period comes to an end, they can’t leave. They have entered a “vice grip” and must wait for and kill an unwelcome visitor in order to go home.

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Confronted with rules that are similar to the afterlife in the “Beetlejuice” movies, Joseph and Sydney can’t go too far from the property, or they will bleed to death. A border made of blood, presumably left behind by others who attempted to escape the time prison, now demarcates the area they can inhabit. No quantum physics jargon or any sort of full explanation is provided, but there are people who control what happens on this side of the portal. At one point, Sydney throws out several theories based on photos she’s found in the home, but no definitive answer is given.

Director of photography Carissa Dorson executes a number of strong visual choices to enliven the frames with visual representations of the story’s themes, preventing the setup of two actors in a single location (which has now become a mocking trope about independent cinema) from feeling stale. An example is a 360-degree pan that takes us through the changing seasons to convey that the siblings have spent a year trapped in this limbo. Later, another such camera move not only intensifies the film’s anxious mood but also calls to mind the circular movement of the clock’s hands, which mimics how they are experiencing time as a loop. Match-cut close-ups connect the past and the present on occasion, while the lens choice blurs the edges as if time was physically being stretched.

Those cinematic flourishes cede precedence to Thompson and Dandy’s performances, however. The actors mirror one another’s emotional distresses — at times perhaps even overacting a tad — as their characters grapple with both their current circumstances, as well as their latent resentment, and how what they have done to each other and what they are experiencing may be part of a continuum. Thompson’s visceral outbursts land with rattling impact given Joseph’s rugged demeanor. When he breaks down, as the prospect of either death or eternal wandering dawns on him, the weight of the film’s stakes comes across. Dandy stands her ground, playing Sidney with a believable coldness, suggesting she is the more level-headed one of the two and she still can’t fully trust Joseph.

But because the narrative gets caught in its intent to conceal as much as possible while simultaneously getting into the weeds of the time-travel mechanics, “Things Will Be Different” feels more akin in approach to Christopher Nolan’s puzzling “Tenet” than Rian Johnson’s more straightforward “Looper.” By the time the film reaches its conclusion, one may need pen and paper to map out where and how the timelines overlap. Alluding to this interlocking interdependence, Joseph and Sydney have the same tattoo of what resembles a Venn diagram. Could this also be a clue to comprehend the series of occurrences?

That Felker previously edited “The Endless,” another time warp tale by indie duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (who serve as executive producers here) implies he was already prepared to be on this wavelength himself. The movie’s assemblage (Felker co-edited with Rebeca Marques) and enigmatic clues (like a song playing on a boombox or glimpses of flashbacks) succeed at repeatedly throwing audiences off the scent in terms of the identity of the person Joseph and Sidney must eliminate. Even if the balance between the high concept and the human component falters at times, “Things Will Be Different” is an auspicious effort to amalgamate what touches the heart and what tickles the brain.

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Michael Felker, Things Will Be Different
A pair of siblings on the run after a robbery take refuge in a house with mysterious time-warping qualities, only to find that the law isn’t the only thing they have to fear.

Things Will Be Different, the latest from the Rustic Films roster (The Endless, Synchronic, Something in the Dirt) comes from longtime Benson & Morehead editor Michael Felker, who makes his feature writing and directing debut with this mind-bender that very much fits the mold of his frequent collaborators.

Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy) have just pulled off a major heist and they have to lay low for a while. This sibling duo hasn’t always had the greatest relationship – there is a traumatic past that comes into play – but when Sidney needs cash to help her child, Joseph plans this job to get them both in the clear.

The plan is simple, Joseph has acquired the keys to a magical house where they can hide, in a place out of time, for a couple of weeks while the heat blows over. Who doesn’t love a magical hideout?

The farmhouse is isolated, so not only are they out of time, they are also mostly out of sight, with very little risk of being discovered. It’s a perfect plan, until things start to happen that the two don’t account for and that start to bring their troubled history bubbling back up, creating a tension that they really do not need if they are going to get through this.

When the two weeks pass, it becomes very clear that they are not exactly alone; someone is out to kill them. A mysterious temple in the attached mill might be the answer, but it also might mean their doom if the desiccated corpses laying around are any indicator. If they are going to escape, they have to figure it out, but do they have the time?

Yet another in the high-minded science fiction thrillers that have become the trademark of the Rustic Films catalog, Things Will Be Different is a film that uses the radical conceit of time-travel to tell a human story, though with incredibly complex rules surrounding it. Felker has certainly learned from his mentors in terms of how to create that real, viable tension and character interplay within the context of the genre, and the element of the film that works best is definitely the relationship between Joseph and Sidney.

Thompson and Dandy are the only characters on screen for about ninety-five percent of the film, so their chemistry matters, and it’s very solid. Thompson as the doting but rueful elder brother looking to help his sister out and Dandy as the sister who just wants to get clear of her debts and sees her brother as a means to an end are both incredible in their roles.

They are given a lot of dialogue, but also a lot of action to work with and both acquit themselves suitably for the roles. There’s a vulnerability to both characters that conveys a tender brother-sister relationship that maybe once existed, but that both are unintentionally reverting back to when things get tough.

Felker’s direction is confident, even when things get hairy as the film ramps up the tension when our temporal interlopers complicate Joseph’s perfect plan. Like the work of his collaborators, Felker’s story gets very deep in the weeds when it comes to the mechanics of the house.

I’m going to admit that I lost track of the time-traveling rules, I felt like I needed a flow chart to keep track of everything that was going on. The overarching story and beats mostly connect, even when the film turns into an ouroboros. For a lot of sci-fi fans, that’s the good stuff, but I’m more connected to the characters, and thankfully that’s more than enough to keep this average viewer engaged.

Not unlike Shannon Triplett’s Desert Road, another timey-wimey sci-fi entry in this year’s SXSW program, Felker uses temporal displacement to explore themes bigger than the what and the who of the story, and for the most part it works. The mythology could certainly have been clearer, but it is very obvious that Felker and his characters understand what’s going on, and I’m willing to trust them to the end. An audacious debut from a filmmaker who clearly has control of his craft, Things Will Be Different takes time travel in a new direction, one that will engage and confuse in equal measure, and I dig it.

Review originally published during SXSW 2024. The film opens Friday, October 4, in select theaters and on various Video On Platforms, via Magnet Releasing. Visit the official site for more information.

Things Will Be Different
Director(s)
Michael Felker
Writer(s)
Michael Felker
Cast
Adam David Thompson
Riley Dandy
Chloe Skoczen

When a director's feature film debut is executive produced by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, you have my attention. Case in point: Things Will Be Different, from writer/director Michael Felker, is a complicated, twisted story of estranged siblings Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy) who have found a way to commit a heist and then hide out for a couple of weeks in a farmhouse in a different time by means of a time travel machine hidden in a closet. Hell, even that one-sentence plot synopsis was rough on the brain. Things are looking good for their return, until they aren’t. Right when they’re about to jump back in time, signs appear (literally) that tell them not to return yet, and that’s when things get warped.

Since Jospeh and Sidney aren’t especially close any longer, they don’t fully trust each other with any variation in their plans. They find a way to talk to some unseen person across time and space via an old-school tape recorder, who attempts to give them instructions of some tasks that need completing before they can go home (Sidney has a little girl who she’s desperate to get back to), including killing a new, masked player at the farmhouse who seems especially suited to defending themselves. They also can’t stray too far off the property or death will befall them. No one attempts to find out why or how any of this is happening, and the movie is all the better for it.

I appreciated Things Will Be Different’s lo-fi approach to its science-fiction elements, but the metaphor of this brother and sister who haven’t talked in a while being literally stuck in the past seems a little much, especially as they periodically go through the history of their fractured relationship as they deal with getting back to their time. At some point, I think we discover that we’re in something of a time-loop situation, and we’re even introduced to a pair of time “agents” (Benson and Sarah Bolger), who see this situation as a failure and are prepared to erase the two from existence, until Joseph comes up with a possible solution.

Inevitably, you will get confused as the film becomes overly convoluted. At a certain point, you don’t know who you can trust or whether a fix is even in the cards. Even the agents seem like they’re conniving to get Joseph to do something to save his sister, and they simply manipulate him into coming up with their idea rather than suggest it to him. By the end, I was losing interest and beginning to tune out, looking for a conclusion rather than a solution, which is a bummer because the acting and minimalist visual style is praise worthy. For a debut feature, Things Will Be Different shows a ridiculous amount of promise that perhaps Felker can stick the landing the next time around.

The film is now playing in limited theatrical release and on VOD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4IkQCed2L0
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THE STORY – Fleeing the police after a close-call robbery, two estranged siblings escape to a mysterious farmhouse that transports them to a different time.

THE CAST – Adam David Thompson & Riley Dandy

THE TEAM – Michael Felker (Director/Writer)

THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes

Time is an inherently fascinating concept to explore because there are so many layers in which to examine its value. Many choose to use it as a method to structure their stories and inform the method by which the plot itself is delivered. For others, it is a means to provide more extensive commentary, wrestling with weighted themes that give insight into the surrounding world. Ultimately, time is perceived as a rigid and finite resource, constantly flowing in one direction despite the desperate pleas for reversal. It is no wonder why the cinematic medium is fodder for altering this perception, which can be the foundation for twisty pulp adventures and introspective character studies. “Things Will Be Different” utilizes this perspective to create a story that indulges in both genre exercises and earnest commentary, and the final product is equally fascinating and frustrating.

At a small diner, estranged siblings Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy) have just met up after a high-stakes robbery. With the police still on their trail, they make their way to a home nestled out in the middle of nowhere. However, this is no ordinary farmhouse, for it holds a secret power that will aid them in their escape. Walking through one specific closet door allows them to enter a separate timeline, one that is isolated from the boundaries where they previously existed. While their initial plans were to lay low for two weeks before returning, that agenda is disrupted by a mysterious force that prevents them from leaving. In order to survive this ordeal, the pair must agree to eliminate another dangerous foe encroaching upon the territory. The duo has no choice but to adhere to these demands, stuck in a never-ending loop before being confronted with the terrifying truth that awaits to be discovered.

Admittedly, things do start a bit slow in establishing the foundation of this narrative. One is not totally aware of the fractured state that will soon be presented, and the introductory tone is one that is tedious to wade through. The somber exposition comes across as stilted in its execution, and writer-director Michael Felker does not thoroughly craft an engaging entry point. When the high concept reveals itself, many of the mechanical details are kept vague and obtuse, but this can be a captivating way to create this strange universe while allowing the audience to piece together the puzzle themselves. It’s a process that can occasionally be aggravating, but there is also a thrill in the discovery. The atmosphere is heavy, with a foreboding dread that adds tension to this conflict. The results are inconsistently entertaining, but when the material needs to find the right notes of suspense to play with, there is an effective delivery.

All of these machinations are at the service of the central mystery, and this is where the film struggles the most in showcasing a successful endeavor. The premise is inherently intriguing, and the method in which the fractured timelines must interact with one another creates a compelling arena of guesswork. Still, this structure does not become that engrossing until the final act. The personal stakes for these characters are muted to the point where it’s challenging to find the exact motivation that will give the piece a greater sense of momentum. With such intimate quarters, the desire to bond with these individuals as they deal with their emotional catharsis under these strange circumstances does not come to fruition, making the viewing experience a laborious process to endure.

Both Thompson and Dandy do an admirable job of carrying their scenes together, particularly helped by their endearing chemistry. A palpable strain in this relationship is genuinely communicated by the feeling of adult family members being awkward in each other’s presence but sharing a mutual admiration that mostly boils beneath the surface. Each also has their own baggage to give their roles a certain level of dimension, though Dandy arguably is the one who masters this task on a slightly superior level. She brings a more distinct vulnerability to her portrayal that can be more moving than the brute force that embodies Thompson, though he does have frail moments he conveys as well. The entire runtime is almost exclusively these two actors, and while their efforts are not always the most revolutionary, they are serviceable enough to be enthralling for what the material demands.

There can be something thrilling to see the execution of a sci-fi premise on a low scale. The meager resources challenge a production to find innovative methods to display their lofty ideas, which seems to be the objective of “Things Will Be Different.” The overall ideas are alluring in their designs, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Despite the appealing premise, the storytelling often succumbs to tedium, leaving a lethargic pace in its wake with characters that are only slightly interesting. The actors do a fine job for what they are given, but despite the potential for this material to become wholly riveting, it fails to be an utterly gripping experience. It is appreciated that it has ambitions to play with the perceptions of time once again, but its impact does not hold as much weight by the conclusion.
Things Will Be Different

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Felker
Written by Michael Felker
Produced by
Shane Spiegel
Jacob Rosenthal
Michael Felker
Starring
Adam David Thompson
Riley Dandy
Cinematography Carissa Dorson
Edited by
Michael Felker
Rebeca Marques
Music by
Jimmy LaValle
Michael A. Muller
Production
companies
XYZ Films
Rustic Films
Last Life
Distributed by Magnet Releasing
Release dates
March 11, 2024 (SXSW)[1]
October 4, 2024
Running time 102 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Things Will Be Different is a 2024 American science fiction thriller film written and directed by Michael Felker in his directorial debut. It stars Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy as brother and sister robbers who use time travel to lay low after their crimes. The film premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest festival on March 11, 2024, and was released on October 4, 2024, by Magnet Releasing.[3]

Plot
Estranged siblings Joseph and Sidney reunite at a bar with $5m in cash following a botched robbery. Joseph has made plans for the two to lay low at a remote farmhouse which apparently contains a closet with the ability to transport occupants into an alternative timeline if they follow instructions in a notebook.

At the farmhouse, with the police closing in, Joseph and Sidney locate the closet and follow the instructions. The process works, and the two leave the closet to find themselves in another timeline but find a nearby church and flour mill mysteriously locked. The notebook instructs them to wait fourteen days before re-entering the closet to return to the present. Sidney reluctantly waits, expressing her desire to return to the present to reunite with her young daughter, Steph. Later, whilst reminiscing about their childhood, Sidney recalls a disco track their mother used to play.

On the fourteenth day, Sidney finds the closet barricaded. Joseph discovers the mill unlocked and finds a decomposed body in the basement, along with a warning informing them they are now stuck in a timeline 'vice' and inviting them to sign the warning in order to comply.

Sidney attempts to flee but becomes violently sick forcing her to return. With no other option, Joseph signs the warning which causes a safe to instantly appear before them. Joseph unlocks the safe and finds a tape recorder which allows the two to record messages and listen to responses from a stranger.

The stranger questions their reasons for being there and states he intends to wipe any trace of their existence to protect the delicate balance of the farmhouse's abilities. He informs them the only way to escape alive is to stay at the farmhouse and kill a mysterious visitor who will arrive at some unknown point in the future.

Joseph and Sidney keep watch at the farmhouse for a year, waiting for the visitor to arrive. One day, the hooded visitor arrives and wounds Joseph. The visitor uses a portable speaker to play Sidney's mother's disco track, before wounding Sidney who retreats into the farmhouse. Finding the closet barricaded, she communicates again with the stranger through the tape recorder who warns her not to break in.

Joseph wakes to find himself inside the church with the visitor. The visitor, unable to talk, forces Joseph to speak to the stranger via the tape recorder and pretend that he has been successful in killing the visitor. Wanting proof of the visitor's death, Joseph tells the stranger he left the body outside due to bad weather. The visitor reveals in writing to Joseph that he is looking for the man that killed their family.

After forcing the visitor to flee, Sidney unmasks the visitor following a violent confrontation and discovers the visitor is her daughter Steph, now an adult. As Joseph arrives, Sidney attempts to protect Steph. Joseph however accidentally shoots and kills Sidney. Steph flees through the closet door.

Joseph, now alone, uses the tape recorder to inform the stranger that the visitor has left. Joseph buries Sidney before following instructions from the stranger to wait inside the mill. Joseph is soon transported to an unknown location where he encounters the stranger from the tape recorder, along with a woman. The two ask Joseph to remember any information about the visitor, but Joseph is unable to.

The two inform Joseph that he and Sidney failed to follow their instructions and as a result are going to have all trace of their existence wiped. Joseph begs to be given one last chance to travel back to save Sidney and rectify his mistakes. The man and woman agree and transport Joseph back to the first day of their arrival at the farmhouse.

Back at the restaurant from the beginning, it is revealed Joseph has repeated the cycle of the events of the film numerous times. Unable to prevent himself from accidentally killing Sidney, he tells Sidney the only way to stop the cycle is for her to kill him at the restaurant, and to leave the money and return to her daughter. Sidney shoots Joseph and flees the restaurant as police sirens are heard approaching.

Cast
Adam David Thompson as Joseph
Riley Dandy as Sidney
Chloe Skoczen as The Visitor
Justin Benson as Vice Grip Left
Sarah Bolger as Vice Grip Right
Jori Lynn Felker as Waitress
Production
It was directed by Michael Felker, who also wrote the screenplay.[1] According to Felker, he was inspired, among other things, by the films Looper by Rian Johnson and Blood Simple by the Coen brothers.[4] Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy play siblings Joseph and Sidney.[5] Originally, filming was going to take place on Felker's abandoned family farm in Michigan, but poor conditions forced production to pivot to the Mill District farm in Indiana a month before production. [4]

Former guitarist of the US post-rock band Tristeza Jimmy LaValle and multi-instrumentalist Michael A. Muller contributed the film music.[6]

Release
Things Will Be Different had its world premiere on March 11, 2024, at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.[1] It also screened at the Overlook Film Festival on April 5, 2024.[7] It was given a simultaneous release to streaming platforms and in theaters on October 4, 2024, by Magnet Releasing.[8]

Reception
In the United States and Canada, the film made $3,988 from twenty-three theaters in its opening weekend.[9]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[10]

Carlos Aguilar, writing for Variety, describes the film as "an impressive attempt to blend emotional depth with intellectual intrigue" in Things Will Be Different.[11]

References
"Things Will Be Different". South by Southwest. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
"Things Will Be Different (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 29, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
"Things Will Be Different, A Magnolia Pictures Film". Magnolia Pictures. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
Aldredge, Jourdan (March 12, 2024). "Explore the Anatomy of a Time Travel Thriller at SXSW". nofilmschool.com.
Wise, Damon (April 8, 2024). "Things Will Be Different Review: A Time-Travel Thriller With A Twist – Overlook Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
Brew, Caroline (February 28, 2024). "Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson-Produced Things Will Be Different Debuts Footage Ahead of SXSW Premiere, XYZ Films Handling Sales (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
"2024 Films". Overlook Film Festival. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 1, 2024). "Magnolia's Genre Label Magnet Acquires SXSW Midnight Sci-Fi Thriller Things Will Be Different". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
"Domestic 2024 Weekend 40". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
"Things Will Be Different". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 12, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
Aguilar, Carlos (October 4, 2024). "'Things Will Be Different' Review: Time-Traveling Siblings Can't Escape Their Past in Serviceable Sci-Fi Debut". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
External links
Things Will Be Different at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
Categories: 2024 films2024 directorial debut films2024 independent films2024 science fiction films2024 thriller filmsAmerican independent filmsAmerican science fiction thriller films2020s films about time travelMagnet Releasing films
Sidney (Riley Dandy) and Joseph (Adam David Thompson) are siblings on the run from both their past and current reality in writer/director Michael Felker’s upcoming sci-fi film, Things Will Be Different. Playfully pitting dark forces against each other in a game of metaphysical cat and mouse, the film is an engaging and suspenseful watch from start to finish. Achieving a tonal semblance of The Last of Us meets Back to the Future, Things Will Be Different offers a unique blend of heist drama and surreal sci-fi thriller.

A “Robbers on the Run” Drama Turns into a Time-Traveling Thriller
In order to escape the police after a robbery gone wrong, two estranged siblings concoct a plan to lay low in a farmhouse outside of town. What seems like a random location to Sidney is exactly what Joseph is looking for. Upon arriving at the location, Joseph details what makes the house so special: its ability to transport them into another dimension in time. Amused, Sidney agrees to follow Joseph’s plan, which seems simple enough. They follow a series of routines before entering a dark room through a special locked door. This is where the process takes place. After re-emerging, they will find themselves in a different year. The siblings will stay for two weeks and wait for time to pass in their present until it is safe to return home without fear of persecution from the cops.

Watch the Things Will Be Different trailer here.

In the beginning, the plan works as it should. Joseph and Sidney spend the days drinking whiskey and exploring the farmland without a worry in the world. But it isn’t long until they realize that they may not be alone in this new dimension. Just what–or who–this metaphysical farmhouse harbors is far darker than they ever expected. Trapped in this alternate reality, Joseph and Sidney are forced to face a mysterious entity that pushes their already fragile bond to its breaking point.

Backed by a Chillingly Atmospheric Score
Michael Felker crafts Things Will Be Different to have a larger-than-life story on an indie film budget. Large concept ideas are explored yet, admittedly, not always answered to audience satisfaction. Whether or not this will be a sticking point depends on your tolerance for unanswered questions. Nevertheless, the lead actors do a great job of embodying a restlessness and inquisitive nature within their characters. Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy create a convincing sibling dynamic with their authentic quips and playful banter. Another standout is the score by Jimmy LaValle (aka The Album Leaf). His meditative and atmospheric soundscape leans into Philip Glass territory at times, which adds an exciting element to every scene.

Takeaway
Things Will Be Different is an ambitious feature debut by filmmaker Michael Felker. Throwing their support behind the film as Executive Producers are directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, whose own films tend to live in the surreal fantasy space. Nominated for Best First Genre Feature Film at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, Things Will Be Different is commendable for its confidence in tackling the time travel genre in a fresh, new way.
The following review was originally part of our coverage for the 2024 SXSW Festival.

For whatever reason, the best time travel films of the 21st century have had quite a few things in common: they’re often stories that need to be seen multiple times to truly grasp, they’re relatively bleak, and they play with the limitations and implications of being granted such power. Movies like Back to the Future or The Terminator made time travel seem relatively straightforward, but after 2001’s Donnie Darko, the 2000s became inundated with complex films like 2004’s Primer, the films of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and, hell, pretty much the entire filmography of Christopher Nolan.

Executive produced by Benson and Moorhead and written and directed by their frequent editor Michael Felker, Things Will Be Different is a solid installment in this generation of time travel films, a dark, twisting tale that offers no easy answers and only comes into clearer view once the credits roll. Things Will Be Different is time travel on a small scale, but its limitations are a strength in this surprising story.

What Is 'Things Will Be Different' About?

Things Will Be Different introduces us to brother and sister Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy), right after they commit a robbery. With bags full of cash in hand, they meet back up at a diner, then hit the road once they hear sirens. Joseph knows someplace they can hide out for a while—a house a regular at the bar he owns has lent him—and the secluded home seems like a perfect getaway. But as soon as they hear sirens closing in on them again, Joseph brings out a mysterious book, starts shifting the hands on nearby clocks, jiggling a closet’s doorknob with specificity, and both he and his sister jump in to find themselves in a completely different time, but within the same house.

At first, this seems even better. No matter how hard the police look, they’re not going to find them in a completely different time. But after two weeks, as they try to leave, Joseph and Sidney come to find out they are trapped in this time, with their door back home blocked, and mysterious messages implying sinister things are afoot. An attempt to run away leaves Sidney vomiting blood, and it seems as though all they can do is follow the orders left behind on a time-bending voice recorder left in a safe. Joseph and Sidney are trapped, left with only questions to be answered and the fear of what they don’t know.

Without even knowing Felker’s history with the duo, the influence of Benson and Moorhead’s films can be felt in Things Will Be Different, as the pair are known for their mind and time-bending mysteries on a low budget. But Felker pares down the time travel story, keeping this film simple, giving us only the barest of hints as to what’s happening, and allowing us to simply enjoy the ride of where he’s taking us. The tone of the voice on the other end of the mysterious recorder is really the only key that Joseph and Sidney have about their situation, as they bide their time for some semblance of understanding.

Michael Felker Creates an Exciting New Time Travel Story with 'Things Will Be Different'
Adam Thompson and Riley Dandy in Things Will Be DifferentImage via XYZ Films
Despite the answers coming slowly, Felker’s script is still captivating, as there’s a foreboding tone underneath every step of this scenario. Felker hides the truth from his audience as well, putting us in the shoes of Joseph and Sidney. At one point, Sidney reveals that she’s been spending much of her time trying to figure out what the hell is going on at this house, which has led her down all sorts of paths that have gone nowhere. Yet to hear the possibilities that probably aren’t happening—theories that include everything from their dead parents doing this to them or Joseph’s theory of “coincidental torture porn”—we also get mixed up in this mystery that for us and them lacks sufficient clues to come up with a satisfactory conclusion.

What makes this all work though is the equally perplexed performances by Dandy and Thompson. We only get small glimpses of their past—they both had a difficult childhood, Joseph runs a bar, Sidney left her six-year-old back home—but these roles are played with such a depth of history between the two. We sort of are told everything we need to know about these two in their first interaction with the aforementioned recorder. Joseph seems accepting of their fate, whereas Sidney wants to cut to the chase, finding out what the people on the other end want from them. As we watch these two, Joseph is defeated by the mess they’re in, while Sidney keeps pressing forward, dedicated to get to the bottom of things. Things Will Be Different lives or dies by this dynamic of estranged brother and sister coming together, and like the mystery at hand, we crave more details about their past and what led them to this unusual house. Dandy and Thompson play these characters with just the right amount of ambiguity and uncertainty, so they become just as compelling as the questions we have about this situation.

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And for a movie that was clearly shot on a budget, Felker knows how to make the most of what he has. Naturally, Felker knows the importance of editing (in addition to writing and directing, Felker also edits his own film, along with Rebeca Marques), and utilizes the tension that cutting at just the right moment can provide. When the pressure is building, the edits are quick and exciting, as the score by Jimmy LaValle (aka The Album Leaf) increases the fear and anticipation. In some of the film’s most harrowing scenes, Felker places the camera far away, so we can only see these pivotal moments from a distance, which somehow makes them even more intense. For example, when Sidney attempts to run away, Felker films this moment so that she's an almost insignificant figure moving at high-speed, until she falls over in pain—to which Felker cuts back and forth to an extreme close-up, again, showcasing just how the right editing can make these moments feel grand.

Things Will Be Different is a strong feature debut from Felker that certainly won't be for everyone. Its version of time travel leaves much to the audience's imagination, and almost requires a second viewing to truly comprehend everything Felker is playing at. And very much in the Benson and Moorhead way of storytelling, the more something is explained, the more convoluted this actually makes things. While there's still plenty to figure out, one reveal near the end presents a strange new wrinkle in time, and what is going on probably makes things more confusing overall than actually solving the questions at hand. But this is a promising entry in the time travel canon from Felker, and his use of excellent editing, stunning cinematography by Carissa Dorson, and the two lead performances by Thompson and Dandy, makes this a film you'll want to rewatch as soon as it ends.

Things Will be Different movie poster
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10
Things Will Be Different
Things Will Be Different by Michael Felker is a strong entry into the time travel canon, which turns its limitations into strengths.

Pros
Michael Felker makes a compelling time travel story by paring down this genre.
The lead performances by Adam Thompson and Riley Dandy are almost as interesting as the mysteries at hand.
Things Will Be Different will make you want to rewatch it to catch everything that's really going on.
Cons
The answers given can often lead to more questions than solutions.
Things Will Be Different
Thriller
Horror
Sci-Fi
In order to escape police after a robbery, two estranged siblings lay low in a farmhouse that hides them away in a different time. There they reckon with a mysterious force that pushes their familial bonds to unnatural breaking points.

Release Date
March 11, 2024
Director
Michael Felker
Cast
Adam David Thompson , Riley Dandy , Chloe Skoczen , Justin Benson , Sarah Bolger , Jori Felker
Runtime
102 Minutes
Things Will Be Different is now playing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes.