Terrestrial

Life imitates art in Steve Pink’s latest thriller, as devotees of a book series and TV adaptation called The Neptune Cycle find themselves in a conflict with curious echoes of the stories themselves. Central to the series is a species of alien that is said to be around us all the time, revealing itself only when it has wisdom to impart. Of course, the experience of encountering something like that might in many ways resemble a schizophrenic break, and this generates the uncertainty underlying the narrative, along with a measure of the tragic counterbalancing its comic absurdity.

Ryan (James Morosini) and Maddie (Pauline Chalamet, sister of Timothée) have just got engaged, and are accompanying their friend Vic (Edy Modica) on a trip to see their old college friend Allen (Jermaine Fowler). It’s a trip occasioned in part by Allen’s mother, who has told them that she’s worried about him, that something seems off. Viewers might share her concern after a brief prologue which sees him slumped against a wall in a house with bloodstains on its otherwise pristine hardwood floor. Then again, the house itself is magnificent; he doesn’t seem to be doing too badly, living in a place like this.

Settling in for the weekend, the friends enjoy a nice meal and spend time catching up whilst Vic pressures him to let her drive his Mustang. He talks about his work and his upcoming film deal. Is that why he seems so distracted? It’s just unfortunate timing, he says – he has a lot going on – but he is glad to see them. If only they knew the trouble he’s gone to.

Ever since he made his name with Grosse Pointe Blank, Pink has had a reputation for taking on projects with twisty plots and troubled, emotionally unstable characters. Similarly concerned with exploring what ordinary people might do in extremis, Terrestrial is one of those films that turns on a single line, abruptly stepping back into the past and then hurtling forwards again at an accelerated pace. There’s a deeper layer of past too, involving a debt owed to a gentleman who does not appear in person but sends a well-dressed representative to act on his behalf.

“Opportunities often present themselves when you least expect them, so when opportunity comes, be prepared to answer,” says a tape that Allen listens to – one apparently recorded by the author of The Neptune Cycle. At intervals, Pink shows us the screen in a room dedicated to the show. It plays episodes on a loop. They have cheesy dialogue and offer that reassurance that comes from knowing everything will work out in the end. Perhaps all these things were created with good intentions, but as our wide-eyed protagonist will discover, it can be dangerous to take them seriously.

Terrestrial screened as part of Fantasia 2025.

Reviewed on: 23 Jul 2025