We could all use a bit of rest, relaxation, and healing now and then. But in the movies, these places are rarely restful and are usually where horrors take place. Such is the case with Pendulum, the directorial debut of Black Swan co-writer and producer Mark Heyman, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor.
Gordon-Levitt and Dynevor play Patrick and Abigail, who go to a new age retreat to recover from a terrible tragedy. While Patrick is suspicious, he does it for Abigail, and things start off fine until she falls under the sway of a charismatic leader played by Jacki Weaver.
Have these people not seen Animal Kingdom? Never trust Jacki Weaver.
Also in the cast are Anna Deavere Smith, Jena Malone, and Norman Reedus. The film reunites Heyman with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky, who serves as a producer.
SYNOPSIS: After a shared tragedy, Patrick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail (Phoebe Dynevor) seek healing at a secluded new-age retreat in New Mexico. But as Abigail falls deeper under the spell of the group’s charismatic leader (Jacki Weaver), Patrick’s fear for his wife spirals into something far more sinister. Is he losing her to a cult, or losing his grip on reality? Trapped between his own unraveling mind and a truth he can’t yet see, Patrick must untangle the truth before it costs him everything.
Vertical will release Pendulum on January 1st 2027.
