Alex Ullom’s next film goes to the extreme
Alex Ullom, the 27-year-old director behind the upcoming horror film It Ends, has already completed filming on his next project: 4 X 4: The Event. While It Ends is a lo-fi, existential road horror story, Ullom describes the new film as its complete opposite: an exercise in “straight maximalism”.
It Ends premiered at SXSW and is being released in Australian cinemas? The supplied information confirms a US theatrical release through Neon on 21 August, but does not provide Australian release details.
What is 4 X 4: The Event about?
Details remain deliberately limited, but the film follows eight contestants who enter an illegal livestream built around sensory assault. They must kill or be killed, using only items they can order online. The cast includes Jaden Smith, Sophia Lillis and at least one actor from It Ends.
Deadline’s report says principal photography has wrapped, while the plot is otherwise being kept under wraps. A brief synopsis listed on IMDb pitches the concept as Battle Royale meeting Saw and Climax.
“Illegal MrBeast Games” meets political revolution
Ullom rejects the idea that 4 X 4 is simply a reality-TV satire in the mould of The Running Man. Instead, he characterises it as an illegal, off-the-grid version of MrBeast Games combined with political revolution and the confrontational style of Gaspar Noé.
Noé directed the drug-fuelled 2018 film Climax, as well as the cult films Irreversible and Enter the Void. Ullom says the comparison may seem unexpected after watching the comparatively relaxed It Ends, but that contrast is intentional.
“I’m trying to overload the theatre.”
Ullom says his aim is for the entire film to feel like the intense title sequence of Enter the Void. Viewers can watch that sequence here, although it may be unsuitable for people prone to seizures.
A film designed to overwhelm
The director identifies the title drop in It Ends as one clear link between the two projects. In that film, a particularly intense title card arrives around 20 minutes in. Ullom says the editing approach used for that moment will inform the whole of 4 X 4: The Event.
The film’s setting is also unclear. When asked whether it takes place in the present day or a dystopian near future, Ullom points to the chaotic state of the modern internet and simply describes the story as an illegal livestream.
Eight contestants and a major casting process
Assembling the eight participants was a substantially larger undertaking than casting It Ends, which was reportedly put together through Instagram. Ullom credits casting director Kim Winther, whose recent work includes Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
He says he formed a strong connection with every member of the cast and is grateful that they agreed to take a chance on a smaller production.
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Release status: 4 X 4: The Event does not have a release date. It Ends is scheduled for a US theatrical release on 21 August.
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