BRUT FORCE: XYZ Launches Poster Debut And Release Date For Eve Symington’s Neo-Noir Feature Debut Thriller
XYZ Films has acquired Brut Force, for an April 21 release on VOD, further signaling moviegoers with an official poster as of Tuesday. The new film marks a feature debut for writer/director Eve Symington, with a cast headed by Lelia Symington (Street Survivors, The Fight Within), Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf, Truth Or Dare), Vico Escorcia (Texas Rising, Coyote Hills), and Patricia Velásquez (The Mummy, The Curse of La Llorona).
Brut Force centers on newly-fired reporter Sloane Sawyer (Lelia Symington), who hears that someone has been harassing vineyard workers in her hometown. She starts investigating, and when haunting beauty Dulce goes missing and the alluring Tico Reyes shows up looking for her, Sloane is drawn down a twisting trail of violence and crime, determined to help those she’s come to care about in this town before it’s too late.
The film is produced by Nikit Doshi, Jordan Michaud-Scorza, and Eve Symington, alongside Executive Producer Neel Gandhi.
“Beneath the surface of California’s ‘wine country’ bubble complex histories, racism, class struggles, and moral grey areas, all of which makes this world ripe for a modern noir story.” says Symington. “Noir films show society’s dualism, often exposing the underbelly of society’s shiny façade. The lead character in Brut Force is a young woman who lives between the two worlds, fluent in both Spanish and ‘wine lingo’: a modern, female take on a classic noir detective. I have a long and abiding love for noir films, both classics and reinventions of the genre, from Double Indemnity to Chinatown.
“I directed the film in a very specific, noir-inspired style. This includes a sense of heightened realism, leaning into noir techniques like deliberate indoor lighting, artistically constructed frames, creative blocking, and slightly stylized dialogue. Together with my Director of Photography Emilie Silvestri, we crafted a sun-soaked world, both beautiful and ominous, and made great use of our gorgeous locations. As a cinephile with a strong interest in social equity, I wanted to make Brut Force to bring these two passions together. I have been directing short films since I was eleven years old, so it is truly a dream come true to bring my first feature into the world.”
