It’s rare that we get trailers that are filled with intrigue and mystery without giving everything away, and it’s even rarer that we get movies that follow through on the promise of being a captivating mystery sci-fi experience that isn’t steeped in pretension or cop-outs. All that being said, Eric Demeusy’s Proximity seems to be a throwback to classic sci-fi filmmaking, channeling the likes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Fire In The Sky and Starman.

The film follows a man who claims to have encountered extraterrestrials, and ends up on a talk show about his experience, but there are many who doubt him. The film begins to unfold around whether or not he’s telling the truth or not, and the grander conspiracy involving his claims.

You can check out the trailer below courtesy of Movieclips Indie.

The effects and presentation reminds me of a mix of The Signal, Josh Trank’s Chronicle and slight hint of The Adjustment Bureau. However, there’s a grounded sense of curiosity about the way the film is portrayed in the trailer, maintaining a lot of close-ups and fade-aways before anything is revealed.

I have to say that I’m thoroughly impressed with what’s on display so far.

If the marketing for the film sticks to the horse and carrot method of luring people in with just enough without actually giving them everything, then there’s a high possibility that enough people will want to see the film to find out just what’s really going on.

There aren’t a lot of special effects or visual gags used in the trailer. A lot of it is kept minimalist given that it is an indie flick, but if it maintains a solid pace and ramps up the tension through a slow-burn presentation then I could easily see Proximity becoming an instant sleeper hit.

I don’t know how well they’re going to handle the proclaimed limited theatrical run at select theaters given the quarantine in effect across most of America, but you can look for the movie to drop on May 15th.