Very obviously trying to emulate the DIY approach of producers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Michael Felker’s lo-fi mind f*ck “Things Will Be Different” is both a fascinating debut and somewhat derivation of the filmmakers’ body of work. Clearly influenced by the Benson/Moorhead aesthetic and style, and sometimes slavish to their approach in a way that makes the film feel fairly familiar, this tiny, one-setting film may bring up more questions than answers. But at least those questions always appear intriguing nonetheless. Outside of their producing credit, the influence makes sense. Felker has served as the duo’s editor ever since “Spring” (and, as he says in the press notes, served as an AD on their first feature, “Resolution”).
READ MORE: SXSW 2024 Preview: 21 Films & Shows To Watch
In fact, “Resolution” is a good touchstone, as Felker makes a lot out of a little, obviously tailoring the film (and script) to the constraints of budget. Beginning after a successful robbery, we are introduced to Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy’s siblings, Joseph and Sidney, who are on the run. After getting a tip on a possible hiding spot, the duo makes for an abandoned farmhouse. A few turns of the clock later, they’ve managed to time travel. Hiding out at the farmhouse somewhere in the past; there, they plan to lay low for a few weeks before returning to the present when things die down.
Of course, what initially seems like an ideal hideaway quickly turns sour — even with a stocked fridge, an idyllic setting, and enough whiskey to keep the two in a drunken stupor forever. Eventually, they are held hostage in the house, only allowed to return back to their present after they’ve murdered another intruder, who will come into their timeline at some point.
What this means is that the two are forced to hang out in the farmhouse for an elongated period of time, always waiting for someone to possibly drop in. With that much time on their hands, the two attempt to figure out the mystery of where they are and what exactly is going on with the so-called ‘vice’ that they are placed in — an odd metaphor that suggests they are being pushed into murder by both the past and the future.
If the answers to those questions don’t exactly add up to much – “Resolution” and it’s more refined in-universe follow-up “The Endless” were much more concerned with the rules of its mystery box construction — Felker does a good job of fleshing out the two characters, pitting the inquisitive Sidney against the more apathetic Joseph. We’re given hints about their strained childhood before a conclusion that lays their trauma quite bare.
That these two characters feel like real people, trapped in the somewhat artificial construction of the plot, is a testament to Felker’s character writing and editing (he co-edits alongside Rebeca Marques), as well as Thompson and Dandy’s acting. The two-character actors are given a lot — perhaps too much — to work with here, and they really shine as siblings out of their depth.
Felker’s work on the editing side has always been able to cut through the (sometimes) pretentious sci-fi leanings to burrow into characters, and he accomplishes the same here. But, the “Things Will Be Different” pretensions are also not as fully developed as Benson/Moorhead’s accomplishments. If that comparison seems unfair, as the duo is well established and Felker is making his first feature here, it’s hard not to draw parallels when the film seems so much in conversation with their work.
A late film cameo by Benson (and Sarah Bolger) only solidifies this thematic and narrative debt. When the film arrives at its conclusion — a series of scenes that literalize the title — the central mystery has been upstaged by Sidney and Joseph’s relationship. This seems to be by design, but it’s also odd that the narrative spends so much time setting up its out-there premise only to pivot to a grounded character study in the end. This side of the film works wonders, especially compared to the surrounding mystery. If only the two felt more synthesized. Yet “Things Will Be Different” also gives the sense that Felker knows what he’s doing with a camera, and it’ll be exciting to see where he goes next. [B-]
