Since the early 2000s, there’s been a growing paranoia. People don’t trust their neighbors or anyone who could be considered “different.” Director Kevin Hamedani (Junk, ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction) used that as the basis for his new comedic sci-fi thriller, The Saviors. Co-written by Hamedani and Travis Betz (The Dead Inside, Lo), the film centers on a couple renting out their guest house to a brother and sister. What begins as typical awkwardness takes a turn when the couple begins to suspect the siblings are up to something nefarious.

Despite the humor throughout The Saviors and the fun sci-fi touches, the themes throughout the film are far more serious in tone. Sean and Kim are an interracial couple, Sean being white and Kim being Black, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own deep-rooted prejudices. When the siblings, Amir and Jahan, arrive to stay at the guest house, the first thing people will notice about them is that they’re of Middle Eastern descent. While they also seem to be a bit strange and don’t get Sean and Kim’s jokes, it’s easy to brush it off as cultural differences. Not long after, the audience learns Sean comes from a very conservative, racist white family. It’s clear he was brought up in an environment that saw non-white people as “other” and therefore inferior and even dangerous. Time and time again we see Sean try to separate himself from this mindset, making sure everyone knows how liberal and accepting he is. But, as Amir and Jahan reveal increasingly odd behaviors, Sean can’t help but let those subconscious views bubble to the surface. Eventually he gets Kim to be on his side, leading to the couple teaming up to investigate their temporary tenants in case they’re planning an attack on the president’s upcoming visit to a nearby mausoleum. Yet even the siblings seem to have their own preconceived notion about Sean and Kim.

On top of the commentary around bigotry and mistrust, The Saviors is also about a failing marriage. The reason Sean and Kim are renting out their guest house is to fix up their home a bit before they sell and finalize their divorce. At first, Sean’s manic behavior only seems to solidify Kim’s decision to leave the relationship. Once she begins to suspect Amir and Jahan, the audience sees Kim and Sean begin to reconnect. It’s a strange occurrence, watching as two people find themselves growing closer together again all because they’re suspicious of the same people. The relationship drama between these two adds another layer to the film. With the awkwardness between landlord and tenant, plus the relationship issues, there’s a lot of room in The Saviors for laughs intermixed with the suspense. While for the most part the story being told is successful, making the audience consider their own inner prejudices, it also ends up leaving the sci-fi elements by the wayside. These elements are mostly hinted at until the climax, leading to an end some viewers might be able to guess at before the big reveal. It’s an ending that is extremely bleak, yet also strangely hopeful.

The Saviors is an indie film with a fantastic cast. Danielle Deadwyler (40 Acres, The Woman in the Yard) plays Kim. Deadwyler has been in such a wide variety of films, but she always tends to shine in genre films. She makes sure the audience understands Kim is the rational one in the relationship. Deadwyler makes it clear she’s the voice of reason, which is why Kim’s decision to help Sean investigate makes the situation seem more legitimate. Adam Scott (Hokum, Krampus) plays Sean. Sean is a bit of a loser. He doesn’t have a job, he’s sleeping on the couch until he and Kim officially move out, and he spends most of his days drinking in his man cave. Scott is great in this role not only because he plays the character as a well-meaning idiot, but also because of how he shows Sean try to be different from his family. He wants to be what could be called a liberal white savior, but he can’t help but get caught up in his suspicions towards these strangers. Deadwyler and Scott are also great on screen together, at first coming across as disconnected and uncomfortable, then growing closer and more in sync with each other again. The film also features great performances from Theo Rossi (The Penguin, Carry-On) as Amir and Nazanin Boniadi (Hotel Mumbai, Homeland) as Jahan. Rossi and Boniadi play these characters as quiet, polite renters, yet there is something always just a bit off about their demeanor, making it easy for the audience to become wary of them.

Whether due to budgetary constraints or a storytelling choice, The Saviors takes place almost entirely on Sean and Kim’s property. This includes the house, the man cave/garage, the backyard, and the guest house. It helps to create the sense of this being a microcosm, allowing the story to intimately examine these four people and how they interact with each other. This might be a small group of people in one small speck of the world, but they represent socio-political views found across the world. The house itself is beautiful with a cozy feeling, but it also has many many windows. Windows Sean and Kim can look out to spy on Jahan and Amir, but also windows that allow people to look in at the couple. When it comes to the sci-fi elements, the bits of machinery shown have a very analog appearance, almost as if they came from an 80s movie. This machinery is also often connected to bright, vibrant lights. Because the sci-fi visuals are more understated, it gives The Saviors a more grounded, realistic feel. It allows for the focus of the film to be the people and their world views rather than the technology.

The Saviors puts its characters under a microscope as it reveals the deep-rooted mistrust that exists in everyone, leading to a film that’s both funny and thought-provoking. While the sci-fi elements feel a bit like an afterthought, the story created by Hamedani and Betz is something that has significant relevance throughout human history, but especially in today’s world. It’s the kind of plot that will make audiences take a hard look at how they view others around them, as well as how they treat those other people. Scott and Deadwyler are great as a dysfunctional pair on the brink of divorce. The Saviors is currently on its festival circuit after a successful world premier at SXSW. While there isn’t a wider release date set, be sure to keep an eye out for when you can witness the paranoia of The Saviors.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10