The Becomers

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zach Clark directs. Daryl Pittman behind the camera. Fritz Myers scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
• 2Released 2 years ago.
• 3Directed by Zach Clark, shot by Daryl Pittman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Fritz Myers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Russell Mael and Conrad Dean and Isabel Alamin carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "No matter what form... No matter what planet... Their love would survive.".
• 7IMDB entry: tt27796095 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Daryl Pittman

Original score

Fritz Myers

Costume design

Abby Cottier

Makeup / hair

Corey Ruby

Sound

Maxwell Phillips

Runtime

86 min · 1h 26m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

The Becomers (2024) ↗

Also by

Zach Clark

• 
  Little Sister

  2016 · ★ 6.0
• 
  Modern Love Is Automatic

  2009 · ★ 5.0
• 
  White Reindeer

  2013 · ★ 4.8
• 
  Vacation!

  2010 · ★ 3.3

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Busted

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Hunter Spots Something Weird

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  Clip

  Clip · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Brent Marchant2024-09-15
  ★ 8/10

  Can polished, entertaining sci-fi effectively be delivered on a shoestring budget and under a tight shooting schedule? If writer-director Zach Clark’s “The Becomers” is any indication, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Add to this ambitious mix a sharply written story and script, skillful film editing, an innate quirkiness, a wry satirical bent and inventive, impeccably timed humor, and viewers have got a top-notch, quasi-campy sci-fi comedy on their hands, one well worth the watch. The filmmaker’s latest tells the story of a pair of star-crossed alien lovers who manage to escape their dying planet and come to Earth but are now desperately trying to find one another once again. It can be a challenge given their unfamiliarity with the ways of their new home, as well as their inescapable need to regularly appropriate (albeit, somewhat surprisingly, seemingly innocently) the bodies of human hosts (think a far less menacing, more sentimental version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” with its inherently grim events supported, ironically, by a sweet, but unusual, and certainly undeniable love story). Eventually, however, the differences between the two worlds invariably catch up with the duo, with their frequent (and often-improvised and opportunistic) switches involving them in an array of diverse scenarios populated by such characters as a woman in the process of giving birth, a cult of radical (but politically and spiritually oriented reformist) terrorists, and a corrupt high-ranking politician and his largely dysfunctional family. In telling this tale, the film serves up a big platter of laughs (some guilty pleasure-level goofy, others supremely witty and genuinely inspired), accompanied by ample introspections into such topics as gender and racial identity, the undeserved clout of crooked government officials, the metaphysics behind the nature of “being,” and the complicated relationship between survival and remorse, not to mention a whole lot about love. And it’s all topped off by a fine, obviously tight-knit acting ensemble, many of whose members’ roles don’t necessarily require much from them, but all of whom play their parts in ways that elevate them to unexpected levels of excellence and eloquence, more than one might ordinarily expect from a movie in this genre. That’s quite a list of achievements for a low-cost indie production of any kind, let alone one with the more demanding budget requirements and constraints typically associated with science fiction releases. But that’s where this picture’s production crew has really risen to the occasion by devising simple yet innovative ways to dazzle without breaking the bank, a brilliant accomplishment. If I had any reservation about this film, it would probably be that it’s a little slow to get rolling, but that’s more than made up for by the overall quality of this offering. If you enjoy quality filmmaking made up of the foregoing elements, you owe it to yourself to catch this one (preferably on a big screen, if possible). Like me, you’ll probably come away from it pleasantly surprised for what it delivers – not to mention encouraged by impressively illustrating what the film industry can achieve when it earnestly puts its mind to it.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• SL

  Slasher Films

Key crew

• Special Effects Makeup ArtistCorey Ruby
• GafferAlexander Sablow
• CinematographyDaryl Pittman
• Makeup Department HeadMaegan Rebecca
• Art DirectionMolly Hewitt
• Prosthetic DesignerPete Gerner
• Costume DesignAbby Cottier
• Special Effects Makeup ArtistCyle Williamson
• Visual EffectsJoshua James Johnson
• Prosthetic DesignerBrian Spears
• ProducerJoe Swanberg
• ProducerEdwin Linker
• GripGavin Pringle
• GripMaximilan Vanderwerf
• First Assistant CameraKevin Marshall
• Sound DesignerMaxwell Phillips

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical (limited)2024-08-23
• Digital2024-09-24