Gazer (film)

Gazer
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRyan J. Sloan
Written byAriella Mastroianni
Ryan J. Sloan
Produced byMason Dwinell
Ariella Mastroianni
Ryan J. Sloan
StarringAriella Mastroianni
Marcia Debonis
Renee Gagner
Jack Alberts
Tommy Kang
CinematographyMatheus Bastos
Edited byRyan J. Sloan
Jordan Toussaint
Music bySteve Matthew Carter
Production
company
Telstar Films[1]
Distributed byMetrograph Pictures
Release dates
  • May 22, 2024 (2024-05-22) (Cannes)
  • April 4, 2025 (2025-04-04) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80,000[3]
Box office$38,156[4][5]

Gazer is a 2024 American psychological[6][7] mystery thriller film[1][8] directed, written, produced, and edited by Ryan J. Sloan, in his feature directorial debut. The film's story follows Frankie Rhodes, who struggles to perceive time, in which she takes a risky job from a mysterious woman to support her family.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2024, and was released in the United States on April 4, 2025.

Synopsis

Frankie Rhodes, a young mother with dyschronometria, struggles to perceive time. Using cassette tapes for guidance, she takes a risky job from a mysterious woman to support her family, unaware of the dark consequences that await.

At the start of the movie, Rhodes loses her job as a gas station attendant in New Jersey, when she is distracted from helping fill gas by a violent encounter in a neighboring apartment. A woman in the encounter later attends a survivors meeting with Rhodes, and offers her $3000 to "move a car." Rhodes goes to the apartment and drives the car to the specified location in the Meadowlands, only to hear bumping in the trunk. Rhodes cannot remember what happens next, but hours later, the trunk is empty, with a bedsheet hanging out.

In a flashback, Rhodes and her husband talk about the stresses in their marriage. At the end of the conversation, the husband reveals a cut in his stomach.

Rhodes follows Paige to a newspaper manufacturing faciility, where her brother Henry has her tied to a pole. The brother tells Paige he is going to jail and threatens to hit her, then drops the weapon and walks away. Rhodes unties Paige and knocks the brother unconscious. As Rhodes checks on Henry and asks to call an ambulance, Henry whispers to Rhodes to kill Paige. Paige knocks Rhodes unconscious, and some time passes.

Rhodes is arrested and the police present photos of the dead Paige. They assert that Rhodes's fingerprints are found in Paige's car.

Cast

  • Ariella Mastroianni as Frankie Rhodes, a young mother with dyschronometria
  • Marcia DeBonis as Brenda
  • Renee Gagner as Claire Reznik
  • Jack Alberts as Henry Foster
  • Tommy Kang as Detective Gale Chong

Release

Premiere

Gazer had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2024.[7] The film also premiered at the Sitges Film Festival on October 8,[9] the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 11,[10] the Woodstock Film Festival on October 17,[11] the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on October 22,[12] the Montclair Film Festival on October 26,[13] and the QCinema International Film Festival on November 10.[14] The film was originally set to be released in the United States on February 21, 2025,[15][16][17][18] but was delayed to April 4, 2025.[19] The film was also released in France on April 23, 2025.[20]

Distribution

On May 2, 2024, Memento International acquired the international sales rights to the film.[21] On May 19, 2024, UFO Distribution acquired the French distribution rights to the film.[7] On May 29, 2024, six days after the Cannes premiere, Metrograph Pictures acquired the North American distribution rights to the film.[22][23][24] On January 28, 2025, Memento International signed distribution deals for Rialto Distribution in Australia and New Zealand, Gulf Film for the Middle East, AV-Jet International for Taiwan, PT Falcon for Indonesia, Feather Stone for Vietnam, Skeye for airlines, Bulldog Film Distribution for the UK and Ireland, and Cinefil for Hungary.[25]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 53 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Hypnotic and stylish if a little too indulgent in its pacing, Gazer is an intriguing mood piece featuring a terrific performance by Ariella Mastroianni."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[27] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Angie Han stated "A visually arresting, if emotionally detached, debut."[1] Catherine Bray of Variety wrote "Though it unfortunately lacks the narrative momentum of top-tier gumshoe pics, it’s no hardship spending time with Frankie, thanks to a neatly judged performance from Mastroianni."[28]

References

  1. ^ a b c Han, Angie (May 22, 2024). "'Gazer' Review: A Striking 'Memento'-Like Noir That Keeps Viewers at a Stylish Distance". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  2. ^ "Gazer (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Indie film 'Gazer' delivers big rewards on a small budget". KPBS Public Media. April 21, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Gazer (2025)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  5. ^ "Gazer (2025)". The Numbers. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  6. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (May 24, 2024). "The cult Cannes psychological drama that deserves a worldwide release". The Independent. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Lang, Jamie (May 19, 2024). "UFO Nabs French Distribution for Directors' Fortnight Player 'Gazer' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  8. ^ Zilko, Christian (May 22, 2024). "'Gazer' Review: A Mother's Dyschronometria Hides Her Own Ticking Clocks in a Brilliantly Paranoid Debut". IndieWire. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  9. ^ "October 8th, 2024". Sitges Film Festival. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  10. ^ McCracken, Kristin (October 14, 2024). "HIFF32 Slideshow: Friday, October 11". Hamptons International Film Festival. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  11. ^ "25th Annual Woodstock Film Festival". woodstock2024.eventive.org. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  12. ^ "Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2024". brooklynhorror2024.eventive.org. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  13. ^ "Gazer | Montclair Film". montclairfilm.org. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  14. ^ "Screening Schedule - QCinema International Film Festival". QCinema International Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  15. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (December 18, 2024). "'Gazer' Trailer: Ryan J. Sloan's Debut Is a Mother's Worst Nightmare in 'Memento' Meets 'Blow Up' 16mm Noir". IndieWire. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  16. ^ Raup, Jordan (December 18, 2024). "Gazer Trailer: Paranoia Thriller and Cannes Selection Arrives This February". The Film Stage. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  17. ^ Navarro, Meagan (December 19, 2024). "'Gazer' Trailer Distorts Time in Dark Neo-Noir Thriller". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  18. ^ Scott, Ryan (December 18, 2024). "The GAZER Trailer Is Giving Serious MEMENTO Vibes". Fangoria. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  19. ^ Navarro, Meagan (February 4, 2025). "Neo-Noir Thriller 'Gazer' Gets New Poster and Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  20. ^ "Les 42 films les plus attendus par la rédac en 2025" (in French). December 13, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  21. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (May 2, 2024). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight Title 'Gazer' Boarded by Memento International (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  22. ^ Gerike, Ted (August 27, 2024). "METROGRAPH PICTURES ACQUIRES RYAN J. SLOAN'S CANNES DISCOVERY GAZER FOLLOWING WORLD PREMIERE IN DIRECTORS' FORTNIGHT - Journal". Metrograph. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  23. ^ Welk, Brian (May 29, 2024). "Metrograph Pictures Acquires Neo-Noir 'Gazer' Out of Cannes' Director's Fortnight". IndieWire. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  24. ^ Hazelton, John. "Directors' Fortnight thriller 'Gazer' scores North America deal". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  25. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (January 28, 2025). "Memento International Posts Deals on Cannes' Directors Fortnight Thriller 'Gazer' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  26. ^ "Gazer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  27. ^ "Gazer". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  28. ^ Bray, Catherine (October 1, 2024). "'Gazer' Review: Promising Self-Financed Directorial Debut From a Former Electrician". Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.