Review — The Becomers: A love story of aliens, for aliens
For writer and director Zach Clark, the pandemic felt like travelling in space, and the anxiety and isolation of that period inspired his latest sci-fi dramedy The Becomers. The film, which had its worldwide premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival, captures a disturbing piece of American politics and culture without filter; filmed a month after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, it certainly is a product of its time, for better or worse.
In a galaxy far, far away
The Becomers follows two lovers who come from a few galaxies away to settle on Earth. They are able to take on the appearance of human hosts, whose remains they dissolve after changing, and take on their identities as best they can. The whole process, of which we see only the dissolving part, and the way their alien anatomy adapts to the human one, make for goofy and gooey body horror and absurdly disgusting intimate moments. Our two protagonists, unfortunately, end up in a series of unfortunate situations: the humans whose bodies they inhabit have their own agendas and secrets, as is the case of far-right conspiracy theorists and cultists Carol (Molly Plunk) and Gordon (Mike Lopez), or are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Serving all necessary exposition is a clever voiceover (voiced by Russel Mael) which, sparsed out over…
