THE STORY – During a weekend reunion, a rising sci-fi author welcomes three college friends to his home, but strange events begin to blur the lines between reality and imagination.
THE CAST – Jermaine Fowler, James Morosini, Pauline Chalamet, Edy Modica, Rob Yang & Brendan Hunt
THE TEAM – Steve Pink (Director), Connor Diedrich & Samuel Johnson (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 90 Minutes
Steve Pink’s “Terrestrial” opens with the familiar trappings of a sci-fi thriller: the sound of electrical static and blasters, bodies strewn across a spaceship floor, and a shadowy alien emerging from the darkness. It’s an evocative nod to the genre that ties deeply to the story. It sets the tone for what is an ode to sci-fi films, but mixed with psychological drama that’s far more unsettling than its extraterrestrial setup suggests. “Terrestrial” is a completely original and ultimately heartbreaking descent into delusion, obsession, and the lies we tell ourselves to be seen, to be loved, to matter.
World premiering at the Fantasia International Film Festival, “Terrestrial” follows Allen (Jermaine Fowler), a down-on-his-luck science fiction writer who, just three months ago, was living out of his car and flipping burgers in a roadside diner. Now, he’s hosting old college friends in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, claiming to have a movie deal and a hotly anticipated debut novel. That novel, supposedly, is inspired by a saga titled “The Neptune Cycle,” written by his literary idol, S.J. Purcell (Brendan Hunt), which revolves around an alien race choosing one human for a grand cosmic destiny.
All is not as it seems in this film – not even close. We first meet Allen covered in blood. There’s blood on the floor, glass scattered everywhere. Questions swirl, but you can’t predict the answers. It’s a setup designed to immediately pique the audience’s curiosity about the film’s events. The scene then flashes forward in time as his friends – Maddie (Pauline Chalamet), her fiancé Ryan (James Morosini), and the hilariously unfiltered Vic (Edy Modica) – arrive to visit. It’s really a wellness check, though, as Allen’s worried mother called them in a panic. At first, his friends seem impressed by his newfound wealth, but doubts slowly begin to creep in. They quickly start to question not just Allen’s good fortune, but his sanity.
Their concerns are well-founded. Allen, though he talks a big game about his upcoming book deal, can’t seem to describe the plot of his novel convincingly. And while his home suggests success – complete with a fountain and a vintage Mustang – there’s something unmistakably off. His story is riddled with inconsistencies. His friends and the audience alike begin putting the pieces together. How did a broke, unpublished writer land a movie deal? The film masterfully builds this mystery through non-linear storytelling, returning to moments that add new meaning as truths begin to surface.
The tension escalates when Ryan begins poking holes in Allen’s façade. While Maddie is sympathetic, sharing a complicated, romantic history with Allen, Ryan serves as the skeptic, unafraid to challenge Allen directly. Each confrontation chips away at Allen’s carefully constructed reality, pushing him closer to collapse. At the same time, Allen’s erratic behaviour, including a deeply unsettling scene where he rehearses how to act “normal” before his guests arrive, hints at a psyche in freefall. Fowler’s performance here is nothing short of electric and unsettling. Watching him switch between charming host and unravelling madman is both riveting and disturbing.
“Terrestrial” uses “The Neptune Cycle” – both as a fictional book series and a film within the film – to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. As Allen starts to see the alien from the “Neptune” universe in real life, the question becomes: has Allen truly lost it? The more he clings to the idea of being “chosen” by the aliens in his favourite story, the more delusional he becomes. He makes desperate attempts to win back Maddie, to validate his identity, to conjure up meaning and recognition from nothing, leading him down a path that is equal parts stressful, wild, and tragically entertaining.
Steve Pink, best known for comedies like “Hot Tub Time Machine,” pivots sharply here but shows a knack for sharp dialogue and unexpected tonal shifts. What makes “Terrestrial” so effective isn’t its sci-fi leanings but its commentary on idolatry, self-delusion, and the crushing pressure to appear successful, especially in a world obsessed with fame and image. Allen’s spiralling descent isn’t just about mental illness; it’s about a very human need to be seen as important, as worthy. The film asks: What happens when the dream isn’t real, but we live like it is anyway?
As the plot of “The Neptune Cycle” starts to eerily mirror Allen’s own unravelling, the film races toward several “oh shit” moments that are as satisfying as they are shocking. The final act doesn’t pull any punches, showing just how far Allen has dug himself and how much damage his illusions have caused those around him. “Terrestrial” is a sharply written, emotionally volatile ride that fuses genre thrills with grounded drama in its gripping exploration of ego, madness, and the lies we tell to survive.
