The Becomers Explained

The Becomers is a 2023 American film by Zach Clark.

Plot

Two alien lovers flee their dying planet and seize the bodies of two humans. Their jump from body to body while attempting to find each other and live in the Untied States.

Cast

• Molly Plunk
• Mike Lopez
• Frank V. Ross
• Isabel Alamin
• Keith Kelly
• Russell Mael (narrator)

Production

In February 2021, Joe Swanberg asked Zach Clark if he "had any ideas for $100,000 genre movies that we could shoot in 12 days in Chicago" as Swanberg was trying to produce four to six films.^[1] Clark wrote The Becomers in March 2021,^[2] and was inspired by B movies from the 1950s. Clark met and cast Russell Mael of the band Sparks as the film's narrator, after the latter was a guest on a Zoom meeting hosted by one of Clarks' friends.^[3]

Clark directed and edited the film. It was shot in and around Chicago^{[4] [5]} on a budget greater than $100,000. The cinematography was performed by Daryl Pittman and the soundtrack was composed by Fritz Myers.^[6]

Release

The Becomers was shown at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 22, 2023.^[7] Dark Star Pictures distributed the film and it theatrically premiered at Cinema Village on August 23, 2024. It will be released to video on demand on September 24.

Reception

Matt Zoller Seitz, writing in RogerEbert.com, gave the film three stars as it is "an arresting movie, and a great example of how to do a lot with a little", but wrote that he was "not sure that Clark has enough gas in the tank to carry the movie’s premise through". Alison Foreman, writing in IndieWire, gave the film a B-, but wrote that it "loses its way when Clark starts searching for a political message he can’t pin down". Jason Adams, writing in Mashable, praised the film as a "sweet and tender romance under a good dollop of gross-out Cronenbergian body horror".^[8]

Notes and References

1. News: Zilko . Christian . August 31, 2024 . ‘The Becomers’ Director Zach Clark on Finding the Romance in His ‘Gooey, Icky’ Sci-Fi Sex Scenes . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240901154801/https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/zach-clark-interview-directing-the-becomers-1235042129/ . September 1, 2024.
2. News: Thompson . Jaden . February 8, 2024 . Dark Star Pictures Acquires Alien Romance Comedy ‘The Becomers’ From Zach Clark (EXCLUSIVE) . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240209000028/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/dark-star-pictures-acquires-north-american-distribution-rights-the-becomers-zach-clark-1235902484/ . February 9, 2024.
3. News: Balaga . Marta . July 17, 2023 . Zach Clark’s Alien Romance ‘The Becomers’ Narrated by Sparks’ Russell Mael, Debuts Clip and Poster (EXCLUSIVE) . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240827061548/https://variety.com/2023/film/festivals/zach-clark-the-becomers-sparks-russell-mael-1235671865/ . August 27, 2024.
4. News: Seitz . Matt . August 24, 2024 . The Becomers . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240827054339/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-becomers-film-review-2024 . August 27, 2024.
5. News: Foreman . Alison . August 23, 2024 . ‘The Becomers’ Review: ‘Body Snatchers’ Marries ‘The Lovebirds’ in Zach Clark’s Alien Rom-Com . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240824020157/https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-becomers-review-zach-clark-alien-rom-com-1235039446/ . August 24, 2024.
6. News: Bergeson . Samantha . July 22, 2024 . ‘The Becomers’ Trailer: ‘Little Sister’ Director Zach Clark Takes on Aliens and QAnon . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240823205355/https://www.indiewire.com/news/trailers/the-becomers-trailer-zach-clark-aliens-qanon-1235028247/ . August 23, 2024.
7. News: Navarro . Meagan . July 18, 2023 . ‘The Becomers’ – An Alien’s Cover Gets Blown in New Clip for Genre-Bending Comedy . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230720040451/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3769751/the-becomers-new-trailer-for-genre-bending-comedy/ . July 20, 2023.
8. News: Adams . Jason . August 23, 2024 . 'The Becomers' review: The chaotic bodysnatchers movie we need . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240827060322/https://mashable.com/article/the-becomers-review . August 27, 2024.