The Chattanooga Film Festival kicks off this weekend (you can get badges or individual tickets here), and among the slew of exciting titles playing the fest is a new film from Steven Vanderpool by the name of Tearsucker.
You hear a name like Tearsucker and you think, "I bet I know what that movie's about," and you might be right! Here's an official plot synopsis, which creeped this writer right the fuck out:
A stylish, twisted thriller with dynamic performances and dramatic tone shifts that would make even David Lynch squirm, TEARSUCKER tells the dark and surreal story of emotionally vulnerable women who are preyed on by a charming psychopath who wants to suck their tears. The lead character, Lilly (Allison Walter), is an emotionally vulnerable trauma survivor who is desperate to heal and get on with her life. Despite the support of her best friend Deb (Danielle Mcrae Spisso), Lilly is completely isolated. When she crosses paths with a charming stranger, Tom (Sam Brittan), at the park, she feels hope for the first time in months. Tom sweeps Lilly off her feet and invites her on a romantic weekend getaway. However, things take a disturbing turn when Lily discovers that Tom has an unusual appetite for tears… and will stop at nothing to get them.
GAH. Weirdos sucking on tear ducts. Not something we'd ever considered, and now that the idea's rattling around in our heads we are extremely skeeved out. Not so much that we won't check out Vanderpool's film, mind you, but skeeved out nonetheless.
Now let's take a look at the trailer:
This looks solid! We're still profoundly weirded out by all this "sucking on tearducts" business, but this certainly looks effective, and we're curious to see how things turn out for these characters. Here's what writer, producer, and lead actor Sam Brittan has to say about the film:
"Tearsucker is a unique, layered film meant to both entertain and provoke a discussion. While the movie is stylish, super fun, and creepy as hell, it also grapples with the very real subjects of trauma and abuse - so each person who watches it is going to experience the film in their own unique way."
Tearsucker will hold its World Premiere this weekend at the Chattanooga Film Festival (on June 25th, to be exact) before hitting digital and on DVD on July 7th. We look forward to being freaked out by this one as soon as it drops! Stay tuned for more on Tearsucker as further updates become available.