Grief makes people vulnerable, and cults know it. That’s the queasy premise behind Pendulum, the feature directorial debut of Mark Heyman, co-writer of Black Swan, and the newly released official trailer suggests a slow-burn descent into paranoia that might keep you checking whether your own grip on reality is slipping. Vertical will release the film in theaters nationwide on new year’s day January 1, 2027.
Written and directed by Heyman and produced by Darren Aronofsky, the film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor as Patrick and Abigail, a married couple reeling from a shared tragedy. Looking for a way to heal, they retreat to a secluded new-age compound in the New Mexico desert. But as Abigail falls deeper under the spell of the group’s charismatic leader, played by Jacki Weaver, Patrick’s fear for his wife begins to grow. Is he losing her to a cult, or simply losing his mind?
Weaver, who earned an Oscar nomination for playing a quietly monstrous matriarch in Animal Kingdom, is joined by Anna Deavere Smith, Jena Malone and The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus who round out the commune.
Pendulum is rated R and runs 109 minutes. Watch the official trailer below, and catch up on the earlier teaser if you missed it.
