Fears of Fatherhood and Expectations of Masculinity Collide with Alien Abduction in Descendent (SXSW)

Title: Descendent

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Peter Cilella

Writer: Peter Ciella

Runtime: 92 Minutes

Starring: Ross Marquand, Susan Wilder, Sarah Bolger

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2025.

The horrors of fatherhood are not nearly as committed to screen as those of motherhood, which means that there is plenty to mine from its many topics of interest. This isn’t to say motherhood is more important or scarier in a vacuum, but this fact is an extension of the points Descendent wants to make on male loneliness and depression.

Working as a security guard for a local school, Sean (Ross Marquand) is struck by lightning when adjusting an antenna. While in a coma, Sean sees visions of himself undergoing a series of terrifying experiments from faceless captors. When he awakens, Sean has trouble discerning between what is real and what is not, slowly beginning to believe that he might have been abducted by aliens. As the imminence of fatherhood grows nearer, his doubts, fears, and clouded judgment begin take over, threatening the life he’s built for himself.

Thoroughly affecting yet grounded, alien abduction horror Descendent offers up a fresh take on the sub-genre.

A character study at its heart, Descendent dives into Sean’s unhealed wounds that inform his own fears of being a dad. It’s clear that Sean has made well enough for himself before his encounter. A promise of upward mobility if he proves himself at work and the joy of his growing family demonstrate his life is going in the right direction. When accounting for his upbringing – raised by a friend’s mother after his mother’s death and father’s suicide – he’s clearly doing better than expected considering the trauma. It’s throughout the story we learn that Sean’s life is rockier than he lets on. While his loved ones may know about his past, they clearly aren’t clued into how much he is hurt by the abandonment. Wanting desperately to move on from his past, Sean is stuck in the crossroads of the promise of the new life he built for himself with the unresolved hurt from childhood. This makes him question if he’ll end up just like his father, further destroying the lives of those he loves dearly. Descendent seeks to understand how he can save himself from himself.

Sean serves as a stand-in for the anxieties newfound fathers face and how that extrapolates on the greater issue of men’s mental health. Desperate to find answers for the ache within him and protect his family, he resorts to increasingly bizarre behavior to prove his manhood. Initially, Sean’s choices make sense. Seeking out therapy after his accident and trying to find answers for his problems inward by using art are both healthy responses to trauma. This warps into obsession when he doesn’t get the quick answers he wants. Demanding pills that will fix him and get rid of the uncomfortable feelings he has rather than work through his issues, Sean’s desperation works against him. Bending over backwards for the dead-end job that put him in this situation, lying about the severity of his hallucinations, and even buying a gun before admitting he might need greater help, Sean spirals as his loved ones watch helplessly while also holding judgment.

His actions are his own but are also borne from a society that sees men as weak for admitting fear, confusion, and uncertainty. Nothing exemplifies this further than a comment from his wife about wanting to sink into his arms, relying on him to handle everything. “I got it.” It might be a comforting and even understandable thought, but is it a solid foundation for a healthy partnership? Who is Sean supposed to turn to if he doesn’t “got it” and needs support?

Descendent approaches its story with a hazy, hallucinatory aesthetic mimicking Sean’s clear depression. Nothing feels real or safe here. From empty city streets to their quaint apartment and even his workplace, Sean is tormented by the unpredictable intrusions in a way that makes it difficult for him, and the audience, to know what’s real. Descendent mimics this feeling by making its creeping horror as disorienting as possible. Through the fog and quick cuts, the specters haunting Sean blur in and out of his consciousness in frustrating and unsettling ways. The danger is present even if it isn’t as clear as one might expect from an abduction film. Instead, his surreal journey of acceptance and assurance is punctuated with slight disturbing variations on reality. Enough to make him question his sanity while terrifying him all the same, Descendent puts audiences in the middle of Sean’s predicament by refusing to spell out when he sees something real or not.  

All of this wouldn’t be as impactful if it weren’t for Ross Marquand’s excellent performance. Imbuing a quiet vulnerability despite his stoic exterior, Marquand never betrays Sean’s sense of self. Both a protector and a lost man, Marquand is tasked with making Sean’s journey one relatable yet grand. It’s beautiful to watch him wrestle with these demons in such an empathetic way. Marquand has great understanding of what makes Sean, and men like him, hesitant to admit weakness or be vulnerable, while demonstrating why they so desperately need, and deserve, it.

Another example of the limits of sci-fi horror being tested every year, Descendent is a harrowing psychological take on alien abduction. Fans of more muted approaches to horror that focus on character’s journeys rather than outright terror will delight in the approach Descendent takes. Stunning visuals and a brilliant performance by Marquand truly elevate the already exceptional storytelling of men’s self-inflicted wounds and potential for healing. Not typical for the sub-genre, Descendent will abduct your heart all the same.

Overall Score? 8/10