Come Take A Pill For Science In “The Subjects”

Would you take a pill for science without knowing the side effects? 8 strangers do exactly that in this new film by writer and director Robert Mond. The Subjects is set to hit multiple VOD services globally in October.

Sci-fi thriller The Subjects is the debut feature film from Australian director and writer Robert Mond. Produced with Lioncat Studios and Instinct Entertainment (Charlie & Boots, Strange Bedfellows), the premise follows eight strangers that go into a locked room for clinical trials on a new drug that gives them superpowers.

The conditions of the trial are simple. The group are required to take the pill and be observed for eight hours, and they may not leave the room at any time. The results of the “one-room thriller” see personalities clash as each subject discovers a power and the eight hours draw to a close. Will they be released? Will their powers kill them before the time is up? A choice must be made. If you gained superpowers would you become a superhero or supervillain?

The characters are a mix of nationalities, featuring an Australian ensemble cast of Pip Mushin (Strictly Ballroom), Spencer McLaren (The Secret Life of Us), Emily Wheaton (Rush), Charlotte Nicdao (Please Like Me, NBC’s Camp), Frank Magree (Ned Kelly), Tosh Greenslade (Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell), Paul Henri , Katharine Innes, and Paul O’Brien (Home and Away).

The Subjects blends elements of thriller, comedy and sci-fi genres with the “anti-superhero” theme conceived from Mond’s idea that “superpowers are always seen as something everybody would wish to have, but if we really got them, it stands to reason that actual people with extraordinary powers wouldn’t become superheroes.”

Heavily inspired by his first trip to San Diego Comic-Con in 2012, Mond wanted to explore the dynamics between extraordinary superpowers and regular people, seeking to create “an all new world with a fresh set of characters and an original mythology”.

As a geek himself, he hopes to reach fellow fans of the comic-book and sci-fi genre and said, “The most important thing was to keep the film in line with superhero fans and give them something they could really connect with. The Subjects breaks many of the rules on the desirability of acquiring superpowers and in doing so I think it serves the fans that may be looking for something a bit different.”

The worldwide VOD release will be distributed by Instinct Distribution on multiple digital platforms, iTunes, Amazon, Google and Vimeo on October 8th, 2015.