Phase Variations is a film of two sides. On the one hand, it is a metaphysical science fiction mystery that explores ideas around time, space and alien life, and on the other it is a classic horror-thriller, about five characters alone in nature, facing down an otherworldly antagonist.

 

While the narrative obviously owes a debt to seminal science fiction films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Altered States and Solaris, the tone of the film is very much inspired by independent American drama films such as Dazed and Confused, Slacker and Nowhere. While borrowing heavily from ideas explored in the former, the film also asks what it means to be a young person searching for an identity in a world that is often confusing and chaotic.

 

Thematically, Phase variations is about identity and reality, how they intersect and clash, but also how our lives, with the benefit of hindsight, are remembered in phases – childhood, education, twenties, marriage, children, retirement, old age. These phases are often defined by the world or people around us, and we have to adapt and change to find happiness or contentment within any given phase. As we progress through life the value of experience and knowledge helps us make the transitions, but in our early lives the changes between phases can seem terrifying and daunting, as we have to reformulate our identity to fit a new set of rules or systems.