‘PENDULUM’ Trailer Sends Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor Into a Sinister Desert Retreat
‘PENDULUM’ Trailer Sends Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor Into a Sinister New-Age Retreat
The official trailer for PENDULUM has arrived, offering a sun-drenched descent into paranoia led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor alongside an impressive ensemble that includes Jena Malone, Norman Reedus and Jacki Weaver.
Written and directed by Mark Heyman, PENDULUM follows Patrick (Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail (Dynevor), a married couple attempting to recover from a shared tragedy. Searching for a way forward, the two travel to a secluded new-age retreat in New Mexico that promises the possibility of healing.
What initially appears to offer Abigail exactly what she needs soon becomes considerably more unsettling.
As Abigail is drawn deeper into the retreat and falls under the influence of its charismatic leader, played by Weaver, Patrick becomes increasingly concerned about what is happening to his wife. His suspicions soon begin pushing him toward a psychological breaking point, leaving him — and potentially the audience — uncertain whether Abigail is being pulled into something dangerous or Patrick himself is losing his grip on reality.
The newly released trailer makes that uncertainty the centerpiece of the film, beginning with the couple’s arrival before gradually revealing glimpses of rituals, strange behavior and an increasingly fractured Patrick attempting to understand exactly what is happening around him.
Visually, PENDULUM appears to make considerable use of its New Mexico setting. The trailer trades the darkness traditionally associated with cult and psychological horror for wide-open landscapes, harsh sunlight and an isolated desert environment that becomes increasingly ominous as the footage progresses. That sun-drenched aesthetic gives the film a sense of exposure rather than safety, with seemingly nowhere for its characters to escape from whatever is unfolding at the retreat.
The trailer also leaves plenty unanswered. Whether Patrick has correctly identified something sinister operating behind the scenes or his increasingly unstable perspective is distorting what he sees appears positioned as one of the central mysteries.
Joining Gordon-Levitt and Dynevor are Anna Deavere Smith, Jena Malone, Norman Reedus and Jacki Weaver, giving the psychological horror film a notably strong ensemble. Weaver’s presence as the group’s enigmatic leader is particularly effective in the trailer, providing a calm counterpoint to Patrick’s increasingly desperate state.
Behind the camera, Heyman brings another significant genre connection. He previously co-wrote Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, with Aronofsky returning here as one of PENDULUM’s producers.
Aronofsky produces alongside Jacob Jaffke, Élan Klein Jaffke, Will Greenfield, Heyman and Dave Caplan.
Between its cast, isolated desert setting and increasingly surreal imagery, PENDULUM looks considerably more intriguing in motion than its initial premise alone might have suggested. The trailer appears to be walking a line between cult horror and psychological thriller, while deliberately keeping the reality of Patrick’s situation just out of reach.
Check out the official trailer for PENDULUM and let us know what you think in the comments.
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