Nicolas Cage (“Dream Scenario,” “Mandy”) clearly likes his “The Trust” director Benjamin Brewer as they’ve reunited for “Arcadian,” a post-apocalyptic thriller that will make its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 11 and arrive in theaters on April 12 via RLJE Films who picked the film up for distribution earlier this year.
“Arcadian” takes place in a near future, where everyday life on Earth has been decimated. Paul and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. The film also stars Jaeden Martell (“It,” “Knives Out”), Maxwell Jenkins (“Lost In Space”), and Sadie Soverall (“Saltburn”).
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Michael Nilon wrote the script, and Ben Brewer was also the lead visual effects artist for the Daniels Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” so clearly, he knows his stuff in the VFX field, too.
“What drew me to the project was the brothers at the center of the story and their close bond,” Brewer, who co-directed “The Trust” with brother Alex, told EW this week. “That’s something I can relate to very deeply. I liked the idea that the coming-of-age story could be rendered in a sort of Mad Max apocalypse world, giving these recognizable tropes of growing up a dark fairytale hue, and I was also excited to have an opportunity to work with Nicolas Cage again.”
Here’s the SXSW synopsis:
In a near future, normal life on Earth has been decimated. Paul and his two sons, Thomas and Joseph, have been living a half-life – tranquility by day and torment by night. One day, Thomas doesn’t return home on time from a visit to his crush, the nearby farm girl, Charlotte. Paul chooses to leave the safety of their fortified farm, risking his life to find Thomas. Just as he finds his boy, a nightmarish battle ensues. Back at the house, Joseph is scared and all alone to defend himself against the nightly attack.
“Arcadian” opens April 12 via RLJE but premieres soon at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival. Watch the trailer below.
