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Every few years, the festival circuit does exactly what it’s supposed to do: discover an exciting new talent working within the confines of indie filmmaking in a way that feels legitimately fresh and innovative. Young filmmaker Alexander Ullom proves that he is that talent with his directorial debut It Ends, a true independent film that subverts expectations and feels subtly clever.

It Ends Review

It Ends follows four friends who find themselves in a strange dilemma: they miss their turn and end up on a road that seemingly never ends, trapped with no way out and no one but themselves and the sinister forces lurking in the woods. Ullom’s horror/thriller/psychological drama feels like it could be a lost episode of The Twilight Zone but for Gen Z, using its high-concept sci-fi premise to capture the anxieties of a generation that grew up in a post-covid world.

Writer/Director Alexander Ullom nestles an existential crisis within his genre-bending road trip thriller in his feature debut, It Ends, which he’s aptly dubbed his “horror hangout” movie. A foursome of recent college grads set out for one last hurrah before life takes them on diverging paths, but a short excursion turns into a nightmare when they find themselves instead trapped on a never-ending road. What begins as an intense horror movie settles into a meditative rhythm for an inventive slice-of-life metaphor.

The central foursome couldn’t be further apart in personality and aim. The blue collar type of the bunch and unspoken leader, Tyler (Mitchell Cole), skipped college altogether and brags about his Hvac work. Pals Day (Akira Jackson) and Fisher (Noah Toth) don’t seem to have any direction post-college, yet that doesn’t seem to bother the more free-spirited pair either. That often leaves them both...

In Alexander Ullom’s “It Ends,” four friends fresh out of college find themselves on a road with no exits. It’s Jean-Paul Sartre with a Gen Z spin, a hangout horror movie rife with existential anxieties that cinema and television have been wrestling with since their inception — from Luis Buñuel to “The Good Place” — and which philosophers have pondered for much longer. That said, don’t let the familiarity of its premise fool you. It’s first and foremost a streamlined, low-budget genre thriller, albeit one whose overtly pulpy flourishes gradually reveal something more tonally surprising, dramatically complex and immensely promising for all the young talent involved.

What’s immediately striking is how quickly and economically its characters are established in medias res, through seemingly banal conversation and hints of individual personality just divergent enough to cause friction. Behind the wheel, the gruff, soft-spoken Tyler (Mitchell Cole), back from military training,...

A quartet of twenty-something friends out for a drive find themselves on a road to nowhere in first time feature director Alexander Ullom’s meditative sci-fi thriller, It Ends, premiering this week at the SXSW Film & TV Festival. Headstrong James (Phinehas Yoon), snarky Day (Akira Jackson), uptight Fisher (Noah Toth), and the pragmatic Tyler (Mitchell Cole) are heading out for a celebratory last meal as close compatriots before their impending adulthoods shoot them off into different directions for the foreseeable future. Cruising down a wooded country road, their futures seem far, far away, but when it becomes clear that this road seems to be literally unending, they have to decide how they are going to approach the rest of their lives, whatever that may mean....

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

A road trip among childhood friends turns into a long drive through hell — or a glaring metaphor for the existential dread of post-college life — in director Alexander Ullom’s tense feature debut, It Ends.

Making the most out of one location, one vehicle and four actors, the film milks as much as it can out of a far-fetched scenario that keeps the suspense level relatively high, although it doesn’t amount to much once the gas runs out.

More conceptual horror than gory nail-biter, It Ends follows in the footsteps of other “It”-titled indie screamers like David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows and Trey Edward Shults’ It Comes at Night — two movies where an unexplained phenomenon transforms our darkest inner fears into deadly abstract threats. Here, the threat is so outlandish that it’s not easy to wrap your head around it, which is why Ullom deserves credit for...

The crafty but ultimately disappointing “It Ends,” which just premiered at SXSW, takes a familiar experience and throws into a cleverly existential horror premise: What if you were driving on a deserted, tree-lined road in the middle of the night — an already eerie scenario that plenty of filmmakers have used to freak people out — but the road just never ended? What if you just kept going and going for thousands of miles?

There are moments throughout Alexander Ullom’s debut feature that are genuinely unnerving, as four 20-somethings try to figure out just what the hell is going on from the confines of their white Jeep. Ullom uses the car’s features to his advantage, mining the uncomfortable glow of flashing hazard lights and the incessant beeping of an open door, for tension.

But while the movie is often cleverly spooky, it falls short in finding meaning in its fun gimmick of a setup.

The Breakdown is a fun coming-of-age high school comedy and over the last few weeks we’ve got to know the cast and crew a little better. Today we have another video for you, which features multiple members of the cast giving us a little look behind the scenes.

David Codeglia directs the film which stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green.

Below you can see everyone’s take on their own character:

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne Brothers David and James Codeglia, the director and cinematographer for the film. Yvette Santos as Jessica Dustin Rhodes who plays Wings Beverley Simmons on styling the cast

Today the cast tell us about their favourite moments on the set…...

Today we’re continuing our look at The Breakdown, the new high school comedy from David Codeglia, which is out now to watch on Amazon. Its cast includes Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green and over the weeks we’ve heard from most of the cast and crew. Here’s who we’ve spoken to so far:

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne Brothers David and James Codeglia, the director and cinematographer for the film. Yvette Santos as Jessica Dustin Rhodes who plays Wings

They’ve all given us a look behind the scenes at the film, and this week we’re going to hear from Beverley Simmons who tells us about her history within the film industry.

In recent weeks we’ve heard from the cast and crew of The Breakdown, the new film from brothers David and James Codeglia. The teen comedy deals with a road trip that goes awry, and the subsequent adventure looks certain to change lives and bond the disparate group of high school kids forever.

So far we’ve heard from…

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne Twin brothers David and James Codeglia, respectively the director and cinematographer for the film. Yvette Santos as Jessica Dustin Rhodes who plays Wings

To kick off the new week we hear from Christian Nicholes as he introduces Jason. This character seems to be the antithesis of the typical gawky, uncertain teenager. He’s collected, lively and seems to genuinely care for his fellow classmates.

The Breakdown, the new high school comedy from David Codeglia, is out now on Amazon and has a cast which includes Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green among others in the ensemble. Over the past few weeks we’ve highlighted many of these young actors, who have talked about where their characters fit in the ensemble. Here’s who we’ve heard from so far.

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne Twin brothers David and James Codeglia, respectively the director and cinematographer for the film. Yvette Santos as Jessica

Today it’s the turn of Dustin Rhodes who plays Wings. Rhodes describes his character as the jock who’s also a band geek – a curious...

The Breakdown is a film we’ve been looking at over the past few weeks via special video messages from both cast and crew. The high school coming of age comedy has a large, vibrant cast at its heart and today we continue our closer look at the film.

The Breakdown, which is out now on Amazon, stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green among others in the ensemble. Here’s everyone we’ve heard from so far…

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne and last week we spoke to twin brothers David and James Codeglia, respectively the director and cinematographer for the film.

Today it’s the turn of Yvette Santos to introduce us to Jessica,...

We continue our closer look at The Breakdown, the new high school coming of age comedy, with words from the director David Codeglia and his twin brother cinematographer James Codeglia.

Family, and in particular – the family you choose, is at the heart of The Breakdown, with circumstances forcing a collection of cool kids and misfits together for a memorable, life-changing road trip.

The film, out which out now on Amazon, stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green among others in the ensemble.

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie Andy Casillas introduces Wayne

In this short video the brothers talk about their history as filmmakers, and how cinema has always been in the family.

You can see...

We’ve been featuring David Codeglia’s The Breakdown here on the site for the past couple of weeks, highlighting the diverse and eclectic cast of characters which makes up the high school comedy.

The film, out which out now on Amazon, stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green among others in the ensemble.

So far in this series we’ve featured many of the cast letting us know a little more about their characters and where they fit into the strange and sometimes chaotic mix of personalities. Here are the list of characters we;ve featured so far:

Noah Toth who plays Morgan Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette Andrea Dersom as Maddy Nia M’Bye introducing Katie Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell Shoshanna Green as Stephanie

Today we hear from Andy Casillas introduce Wayne, who he describes as quirky,...

The life-changing experiences of high school are a frequent foundation on which filmmakers build their stories. These journeys of discovery often bring together the quiet epiphanies of self awareness and the outrageous hijinx which are part of the school experience. David Codeglia’s The Breakdown is one such film. The film stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green.

Recently we’ve introduced you to Noah Toth who plays Morgan, Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette, Andrea Dersom as Maddy, Nia M’Bye introducing Katie, and Kirk played by Toyvon Cambell. Today we hear from Shoshanna Green who, as Stephanie, brings a (not-really that much more) mature outlook to the high schoolers. Her free spirit acts as inspiration (or a warning) to the rest of the characters. Here’s Shoshanna to tell us more.

You can see the trailer for the film below,...

One of the great things about films set in high school is they often feature a cast of talented newcomers, some of whom we’re seeing on the big screen for the first time. David Codeglia’s The Breakdown is one such film, and today we’re continuing our look at the young cast.

Directed by Codeglia and produced by Gillian Wang, the film stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green.

Over the previous weeks we’ve heard from Noah Toth who plays Morgan, Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette, Andrea Dersom as Maddy, and Nia M’Bye introducing Katie. Today we’re highlighting Kirk, played by Toyvon Cambell. His laidback attitude is a much-needed sense of calm in the teenage chaos of the film. Here’s Toyvon to tell you more.

Watch the trailer for the film below,...

We end this week with another look at the cast of the high school coming of age comedy The Breakdown. Directed by David Codeglia and produced by Gillian Wang, the film stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Green.

Last week we heard from Noah Toth who plays Morgan, Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette, and Andrea Dersom as Maddy. Today we focus on Nia M’Bye who makes her feature debut as Katie, a young woman who has her life sorted, and whose own journey looks to be waylaid by… The Breakdown.

Here’s Nia to tell you a little about what you can expect from Katie.

Watch the trailer for the film below, and be sure to check back for more Meet the Cast videos from The Breakdown.

The film is available to Rent/Buy on Amazon now: https://www.

Continuing our closer look at new coming of age high school comedy The Breakdown, we present the latest behind the scenes video to feature the cast.

So far we’ve heard from Noah Toth who plays Morgan and Sylvia Joan who plays Yvette in the film. Today we hear from their cast mate Andrea Dersom who plays Maddy, a girl whose maturity and wisdom is a stark constrast to the hormone sacks which constitute her class mates.

As can be seen in the trailer, Dersom’s character plays an important part in the journey our characters take. She is the existential, considered voice in the ensemble – looking deeper than the superficial desires the other characters hold.

Here’s Andrea Dersom’s take on what makes Maddy ‘Maddy’.

Watch the trailer for the film below, and be sure to check back for more Meet the Cast videos from The Breakdown.

The...

Today we’re continuing our deeper dive on The Breakdown, the new coming of age high school comedy from director David Codeglia. Earlier this week we got a closer look at Morgan, played by Noah Toth. Today we have Sylvia Joan telling us all about Yvette, one of the high schoolers whose road trip goes wildly awry.

Check back next week as we’ll be showing you more behind the scenes videos from the cast and crew. The film is directed by Codeglia, produced by Gillian Wang, and stars Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, and Shoshanna Gree.

Watch the trailer for the film below, and be sure to check back for more Meet the Cast videos from The Breakdown.

The film is available to Rent/Buy on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W7F4YQR

Synopsis:

A...

Last week we showed you a great trailer for high school coming-of-age comedy The Breakdown. Over the next few weeks we’re going to be showing you some great promo videos of the cast and crew going behind the scenes of this fun film.

Directed by David Codeglia and produced by Gillian Wang, Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, Shoshanna Green star.

Here’s the first of the Meet the Cast videos – Noah Toth, who stars as Morgan.

Watch the trailer for the film below, and be sure to check back for more Meet the Cast videos from The Breakdown.

The film is available to Rent/Buy on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W7F4YQR

Synopsis:

A high school band’s bus breaks down on a trip to a competition in California. Stuck at a motel, the...

Wanna party like a nerd? Take a few tips on how not to do it in the trailer for the coming-of-age comedy ‘The Breakdown’.

A high school jazz band embarks on a bus trip to California for an international band competition. Their bus breaks down and they are forced to stay at a motel. Bored, they decide to have a “Truth-or-Dare” party. Being nerds, they try to guess how cool kids do it. Clueless, their attempts are hilarious. They finally make it to the dance party and learn that being a nerd is not all that bad.

Directed by David Codeglia and produced by Gillian Wang, Noah Toth, Andrea Dersom, Christian Nicholes, Sylvia Joan, Michael Hampton, Dustin Chance Rhodes, Yvette Santos, Shoshanna Green star.

Also in trailers – Isabelle Huppert stars in tender new trailer for ‘Frankie’

The film is available to Rent/Buy on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com...