What begins as a heist movie takes quick twists and turns to break out of the regular mould. Things Will Be Different is a battle against more than just time.
★★★★☆
Michael Felker, best known as an editor on the films of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, has arrived with his directorial feature debut. The aforementioned pair are amongst the cast of this mind-bending thriller that probably requires more than the one watch to fully grasp it.
We are thrown straight in at the deep end with brother and sister Joseph (Adam David Thompson) and Sidney (Riley Dandy), navigating the high-stakes moments right after a heist. With millions of dollars to keep safe and numerous police sirens to evade, Joseph’s escape plan hits a lot of bumps in the road which further endanger their lives.
The multiple layers and themes to Things Will Be Different are the best place to start discussing the film, with the importance of the siblings’ bond coming as quite the surprise in the context of a heist and time travel. Not only do Thompson and Dandy turn in very solid performances but they don’t waste time in letting the audience buy into the emotion of their relationship. Sidney is keen to get back to her daughter as soon as possible whilst Joseph is intent on building bridges with his sister, with multiple threads developing the struggles that have led to this moment.
Just as beautiful as the siblings’ mending bond is the landscape of the film, with shining bright light replaced by a stark, snow-covered isolation as the story moves on. The snow and frost appears to be never-ending, a nice use of pathetic fallacy to mirror the desolate feeling of the two main characters at this remote house, where they are laying low in the days after their crime. Their isolation is mental, too, impacting the pair in different ways and further testing their love for one another.
Music is an important feature for Felker. It’s an eerie score, keeping you on edge without ever really going over the top, remaining in the background and refusing to overpower the visual experience. The song ‘Shadow Dance’ by Keith Sweaty and Lorna Dune, which we learn holds a special place in Sidney’s heart, is used as a device to ramp up the torture and anguish she is faced with courtesy of her mysterious antagonists.
The cast of Things Will Be Different is quite small, the leading pair the only two to get any real sort of introduction. Not only does this add to the feeling of being enclosed, locking the audience into the suffocating story, but it also adds to the intrigue of those around them. There are two figures at the end who epitomise this, with no information given about them at all, playing into the mysterious cycle that is often discussed, one of whom is played by Sarah Bolger of The Spiderwick Chronicles fame.
Things Will Be Different is a film most people won’t understand on first viewing, but the bizarre combination of a heist and time travel alone mean that this doesn’t matter all that much—it’s still great entertainment. A first taste of Michael Felker’s directorial flair excites for whatever else is to come.
The Verdict
For hours after the final credits roll, you will still be trying to get your head around this new release. There is a lot to like here with two strong performances and a picturesque location at the heart of it.
Words by Jamie Rooke
Things Will Be Different will be available on Blu-ray and digital download from 18th November.
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