The trailer for 1091’s forthcoming psychological thriller To The Moon was released today. The tale combines horror aspects as a backdrop to explore topics of addiction and withdrawal, and early reviews from the debut at the online film festival Nightstream have been rather good. The distribution business has also announced the anticipated release date for the film to the general public: Beginning on September 20th, you may watch it via video on demand. In the teaser for To the Moon, we see Dennis (Scott Friend) confront his addiction in a horrific setting. Reality, dreams, and illusions are all doomed to intersect as the protagonist suffers through low points and then recovers, as established in the opening scene.
A return to “normal” maybe even further off now that he’s being haunted by a red-hooded apparition who seems quite genuine. The video also shows Dennis’ estranged brother Roger (Will Brill) showing up at the family home and saying things like, “it’s common to reach a state of madness when going through withdrawal,” so we get an idea of the sort of ground the film will cover by the end. Mia (Madeleine Morgenweck) will have a particularly difficult time of it no matter what happens since she not only has to see her spouse struggle but also has to arbitrate the sibling rivalry that arises when Dennis and Roger start going at it.
It is Friend’s first time writing and directing a full-length picture, and he also serves as the film’s lead.
Acting roles in films like The Dark End of the Street, Union Bridge, and Fourteen have helped propel the career of the burgeoning director. In an interview with Variety before Yellow Veil Pictures and 1091 bought the film, the inexperienced filmmaker shared some of his motivations and ideas for the project: I am delighted to be working with the talented people at Yellow Veil Pictures to release my debut feature film. My intention with “To The Moon” was to examine love, addiction, and enabling within the setting of a nuclear family. In all its strangeness and gloom, this movie holds a special place in my heart, and I’m hoping its message will reach its viewers and inspire laughter as well as applause.
On September 20th, you can check out the first episode of To the Moon when it debuts on video on demand. Monday, September 19th, at 7:00 PM, Nitehawk Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York will host a unique one-night showing of the film as part of their ongoing one-night engagement.
Synopsis
In “To the Moon,” we follow Dennis and Mia, a young couple whose weekend getaway becomes a hallucinatory nightmare once Dennis’ estranged brother Roger arrives and begins to warp their perceptions. The film uses the trope of the unwelcome house guest as a metaphor for the fallout of trauma on the relationship of a young couple, turning it into a dysfunctional family study by way of a psychological, psychedelic thriller that plays out under the weight of addiction and takes its three leads to darkly funny lows.