Becomers, The (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Nov 19, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Zach ClarkRelease Date(s)
2023 (October 29, 2024)Studio(s)
Slasher Films/Yellow Veil Pictures (Dark Star Pictures/Vinegar Syndrome)- Film/Program Grade: C
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
The Becomers combines elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with indie filmmaking in a sci-fi love story set in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An alien couple (called X and Y) evacuate their dying planet. They land in Chicago, where they become separated and must learn to assimilate into this strange world of human beings as they try to reunite. They can assume the appearance of earthlings by duplicating their bodies, but with one exception: their eyes lack irises and emit day-glo hues. Contact lenses solve that problem. But copying the bodies of unsuspecting people results in messy deaths and the copies don’t last long, making it necessary to obtain new bodies frequently.
The first alien takes the body of a young pregnant woman (Isabel Alamin) who hides in a motel, trying to avoid the annoying attention of the motel manager (Frank V. Ross). Occasionally the alien stands outside, looking up at the night sky and making an otherworldly call to signal her presence. Later she takes the body of a suburban good Samaritan (Molly Plunk) who offers her a ride. Though on the surface emotionless, each iteration of the alien conveys earnestness as she searches and waits for her lost love.
An off-screen narrator (Russell Mall) fills in the back story of the couple. This avoids the expense of futuristic sets in flashbacks scenes but leaves a gaping hole in the visual narrative. There are some gruesome special effects of earthlings being consumed by acid-like vomit that turns them into a mass of slimy ooze. The aliens’ sexual organs are deeply gashed X’s and Y’s on the sides of their bodies that ooze colored liquid when they “couple.”
Director Zach Clark sets the film during both a pandemic and political division. The alien is thus thrust into not only an unfamiliar world, but a dangerous, acrimonious one. There are some lighter moments, such as when the female alien slowly peels off one hundred-dollar bill after another to pay the manager, since she has no idea how much a week’s motel stay will cost, and how she orders contact lenses from an Amazon-like online store to get them quickly. For the most part, however, the tone is downbeat as the alien seeks her lover. Using the sci-fi genre, Clark presents a sort of allegory of immigrants’ struggles to integrate successfully into a new life. Even if the alien lovers reunite, life will not be all roses on their new planet. They will be subject to all the complexities, ironies, and unpleasantnesses of planet Earth.
Not much technical information about the making of The Becomers has been provided in the extras. Director of photography Daryl Pittman creates a moody, sometimes creepy feel to the film. The color palette ranges from muted tones to vivid primary hues in the viscous material involved in the disintegration of human beings, sexual coupling of the aliens, and the birth of a caterpillar-like alien baby. The glowing alien eyes—blue for females, pink for males—is appropriately eerie and makes clear who the alien is even as they assume new bodies.
The soundtrack is English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Dialogue is clear and distinct. English SDH subtitles are an available option. Sound effects include squishy, gelatinous ooze; swirling, thick slime; and a few screams. Actors playing the aliens speak with a bit of hesitation and awkward pauses, suggesting their unfamiliarity with the often-confusing English language.
Bonus materials on the Region A Blu-ray release from Dark Star Pictures include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Zach Clark and Fritz Myers, Moderated by Kit Zauhar
- Isolated Music Audio Track
- Deleted Scenes (2:11)
- Happy Birthday Short Film (1:02)
- Original Trailer (1:48)
- Midnight Peepshow Trailer (1:31)
- Do Not Disturb Trailer (1:25)
- The Elderly Trailer (1:42)
- Property Trailer (1:42)
Audio Commentary – Director Zack Clark discusses the theme of sanctuary. The Becomers was written over three weeks in 2021, a year into COVID. He wanted to show what it was like to work in isolation. The central idea of the film is that two beings are deeply in love with each other in the midst of chaos on Earth. He intended it as “a really beautiful love story.” This particular love story doesn’t involve looks; they are just “skin vessels.” In casting, Clark avoided typically good-looking actors, who he deemed boring, in favor of those with interesting faces. The role of the suburban housewife was written for Molly Plunk, who had worked previously with Clark. Many of the other actors, who looked like “real people,” were cast from Backstage.com. The film had no designated casting director. Clark had a $100,000 budget and a 12-day shooting schedule. Major scenes were rushed, corners were cut, and special effects were poor. Backers delivered sufficient funds for about a third of the film to be re-shot. The final version was filmed over 20 days at a cost of $200,000. Because Clark was never shown an official budget, filming was “kind of liberating.” The film doesn’t telegraph what’s coming, creating suspense. Typical sci-fi conventions were circumvented. Putting the film together was quick, but post-production was far lengthier. Composer Fritz Myers notes that the score and the rhythm of editing are in sync. Indie filmmaking requires collaborators who will move the project forward. The director must do his part but also allow for creative input from other contributors.
Isolated Music Audio Track – The Becomers in its entirety is shown with only the original score by Fritz Myers on the soundtrack.
Deleted Scenes – Two outtakes are shown, one after the other, separated by a black screen.
Happy Birthday – A girl in bizarre make-up and yellow glasses holds a doll as she snaps the fingers of one hand. A pair of huge black hands slowly comes from the darkness behind her and make their way around her neck. After a few flashes, a gorilla, wearing the same yellow glasses, now holds a crying baby.
Booklet – The 16-page booklet included in the package contains an essay about The Becomers by Justine Smith and several color photos from the film.
The Becomers is certainly something different in terms of science fiction but may not satisfy sci-fi aficionados with its bargain-basement special effects and lack of razzle-dazzle. With a cerebral narrative focusing more on individuals than grand themes, it might just be the first boutique sci-fi romance. The pace is sluggish and most of the film progresses on the same note. The idea of aliens coming to Earth and stealing human bodies isn’t new. Clark provides an interesting spin on the theme but doesn’t use it to advantage. We never empathize with the alien pining for her lover because the script requires that she show little, if any, emotion. The film thus seems more like a sketchy experiment than a fully realized story. The film has an underlying creepiness as the alien goes from one body to the next in her quest to find her lover. The glowing eyes are a nice touch.
- Dennis Seuling