When a phone call from out of the blue brings Leo (Joey Millin) back into contact with his sister, Virginia (Madison West), long estranged from her family due to years of drug abuse, he arrives to find her alone in a bare apartment in the midst of an apparent overdose. After the convulsions and nausea subside, Virginia insists to Leo that she has been clean for 8 months due to the help of a mysterious group. She confides to her cynical brother that her edginess and paranoia actually stem from a sinister ritual conducted by the group that took her in at her lowest and eventually revealed themselves to be a cult. This curse bound her emotions and physical sensations to a man she has never met before.
With his marriage on the rocks, Leo has his own demons to face. Nonetheless, he is reluctantly persuaded by Virginia to embark on a cross-country road trip to track down this shadowy stranger under the caveat that if he’s nowhere to be found and it’s all in her head, she’ll go to rehab. However, as their date with destiny draws nearer, Leo begins to suspect his sister’s tall tale might have some substance.
The second feature from director team Piwell Robinson, and Patrick R. Young approaches filmmaking in a style that close to my heart. Entirely improvised over the course of a 12-day road trip, and shot entirely with two iPhone cameras. With a small cast and even smaller crew (three), Threshold is being called a compelling psychological thriller with isn’t of the supernatural elements in the vein of early films from Ben Wheatley and Benson/Moorhead.
Regarding the film’s goal, Powell said, “We set out to make Threshold with two goals: tell a very intimate story which all of us could put a piece of ourselves into, and also to inspire others to do the same. Arrow is the perfect platform to get this in front of the right someone who just needed a small push to hit the road with a tight-knit crew and do the same.”
Are you as excited as I am for this no-budget indie thriller?
Check out the trailer, comment below and stream Threshold starting May 3rd, 2021 on Arrow.
