US-Australian actress Barbara Bingham will star opposite a younger version of herself in a new multiverse time travel film from writer/director Enzo Tedeschi which has completed production in Sydney.
Resonance explores what happens when archaeologist Amelia Hartley (Bingham) discovers her family’s century-old secret to manipulate time, leading to a confrontation with her estranged past and an interdimensional threat to save her daughter Clara’s future and the fabric of reality itself. Digital de-aging technology will be used to create the offspring of Bingham’s character.
The supporting cast includes Simon Watts, Lauren Grimson, Paul Michael Ayre, Rosie Lourde, and newcomers Andrea Tan and Aleisha Benfield-Smith. Screen veteran Nicholas Hope voices smart-home assistant Marcus.
Tedeschi is producing for Deadhouse Films alongside Moonlight Fox Productions’ Helen Tuck, with Bingham executive producing. Also contributing are cinematographer Chris Bland, production designer/costume designer Cat de Lound, editor Dan Berghofer, and visual effects supervisor Ryan McCalla.
The writer/director said the “cutting-edge” machine learning technology used to de-age Bingham had enabled production to move “very fast”.
“I’ve always loved playing with new toys, but that’s no use without a fabulous cast to really sell the characters and story,” he said.
“Working with Barbara is just pure joy on every level, and getting to tell this kind of story that is very different from anything I’ve done before has just made this a very special experience. I can’t wait to share this with people – I think it is going to amaze”.
Bingham described stepping into the dual roles as a “surreal and thrilling experience”.
“Exploring the contrasts and connections between these two women across generations allowed me to reflect on how the past shapes the future,” she said.
“Working with Enzo and the entire crew was truly special, and watching the visual effects rewind my face 30 years is mind-blowing.”
Tuck said the project had started with Tedeschi’s vision to create a sci-fi that blended “both a compelling narrative with the kind of cutting-edge visual effects typically reserved for major studio productions”.
“While we’re not a studio, we’re nothing if not ambitious, and it’s a testament to our amazing team that we’ve created a film that is visually beautiful while still drawing you into the story,” she said.
“It’s been an incredible journey to bring Resonance to life, and I couldn’t be prouder of the entire cast and crew.”
The producers are currently in talks with distributors and plan to submit Resonance to international film festivals.