Aliens with Knives
Directed by Nicole Steeves and Struan Sutherland
Written by Struan Sutherland, Nicole Steeves, and Bill Corkum
Produced by Ron Foley MacDonald
Executive Producer Paul Andrew Kimball

Aliens with Knives is a new film from Winterlight Productions for their Studio 902 series on Eastlink Television in Atlantic Canada. It will be premiering Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 11:00 PM. Paul Andrew Kimball, the film’s Executive Producer sent me a screener thinking it might be my sort of thing.

He was right.

It’s a difficult film to discuss without spoilers (and I’m certainly hopeful that the film gets good exposure outside of Canada sooner rather than later) but I’ll do my best. In the film we meet Neila and Dan (Holly Stevens and Bill Corkum), a couple who are expecting the first child. The conception was difficult, and they are under the care of Dr. Kline (Sharleen Kalayil). Moving to an isolated location, Neila and Bill encounter a strange man and a number of alien beings. With knives.

That’s the setup and, without spoiling the plot, I can say that Aliens With Knives ably utilizes aspects of the broad mythos of extraterrestrial belief over the past few decades including hybrids, abductions, and the prevalence of the “reptilian” model of alien beings. Those of us who have some familiar with this mythos will find a lot that we recognize.

And it’s done in a good way! The acting is good, and gets better as you begin to realize what’s really going on. The writing is clever and the direction is superb, alternating between open and claustrophobic in a manner that is perfectly suited to the script. One of the best things about it is that the film is very difficult to categorize—thriller? Sure! Domestic drama? Absolutely! Comedy? I laughed out loud often while watching it. Parts are mind-bending, and parts are refreshingly clear and easy to follow. My advice is to settle in, and for 90 minutes immerse yourself in this world.

One last thing to mention—the music is perfect, evoking the right moods at the right times. It’s an integral part of the production and adds so much.

If you’re in a position to watch Aliens with Knives, you should. For those of you who aren’t, weep, and hope for wider distribution.