Forsake all those who search for “Divinity,” the otherworldly Sundance breakout epic based on the search for immortality.
Eddie Alcazar writes and directs the film, executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and distributed by Utopia and Sumerian.
Set in an otherworldly human existence, scientist Sterling Pierce (Scott Bakula) dedicated his life to the quest for immortality, slowly creating the building blocks of a groundbreaking serum named Divinity. Jaxxon Pierce (Stephen Dorff), his son, now controls and manufactures his father’s once-benevolent dream. Society on this barren planet has been entirely perverted by the supremacy of the drug, whose true origins are shrouded in mystery. Two mysterious brothers (Moises Arias and Jason Genao) arrive with a plan to abduct the mogul, and with the help of a seductive woman named Nikita (Karrueche Tran), they will be set on a path hurtling toward true immortality.
Bella Thorne, Mike O’Hearn, and Emily Willis also star.
The film features black-and-white cinematography by Danny Hiele. Writer-director Alcazar produces with Javier Lovato, Raphael Gindre, and Johnny Starke; the score features music by DJ Muggs and Dean Hurley.
Alcazar previously helmed the 2013 documentary “Tapia” about boxer Johnny Tapia with executive producer 50 Cent for HBO, and made his Sundance debut in 2016 with Flying Lotus collaboration “FUCKKKYOUUU.” Alcazar additionally directed 2018 SXSW film “Perfect,” also executive produced by Soderbergh, who reunites with the filmmaker on “Divinity.”
Soderbergh told Letterboxd that he first connected with Alcazar after actor Chris Santos texted him from the “Perfect” set saying he needed to meet Alcazar.
“The reason I got hooked up with Eddie Alcazar on ‘Perfect,’ the film he made before ‘Divinity,’ was there was an actor, Chris Santos, who was in ‘The Girlfriend Experience,’ who was on Eddie’s set, and he texted me and he goes, ‘I think you need to meet this guy. This guy’s got something going on,’” Soderbergh said. “I got involved in the post-production part of ‘Perfect’ and then we started talking about other stuff.”
He added, “My goal is to facilitate in such a way that I don’t have to do a lot. But I enjoy doing it and it’s fun. It’s especially gratifying when you feel like a thing would not have come to pass had you not helped. That’s a good feeling, as opposed to something that was going to happen anyway.”
Fellow auteur Darren Aronofsky also partnered with Alcazar to executive produce his film “The Vandal,” which launched at 2021 Cannes.
“Divinity” premieres October 13 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
