I realize that you're likely going to read the description for J.R. Sawyer's low-budget indie A Trip Elsewhere and immediately think to yourself that the last thing you need is yet another pandemic film. 

Trust me. I get it. I'm an indie film critic and I've seen far too many. 

However, hang in there. 

A Trip Elsewhere is a unique yet inspired indie flick set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four increasingly anxious strangers are saddled with all the anxieties that nearly all of us remember during the pandemic. They take a record-breaking dose of LSD, an experience that catapults them into a shared psychedelic dream where they must find solace and redemption before they can return to the "real" world. 

In other words, while A Trip Elsewhere is definitely a pandemic-influenced film it's also so much more. 

What happens, for example, when our definition of reality is shaken? What happens when a trauma occurs that alters that reality? A Trip Elsewhere proposes, or at least explores, the idea that perhaps our subconscious minds can find a way to build the bridges that allow us to survive, thrive, heal, and redeem. While the idea of an LSD trip may seem as if it's going to be played for laughs, Sawyer goes deeper here into both the profound and the surreal. 

Somehow, Sawyer's ensemble cast is up for the task and rises to the challenge. 

While A Trip Elsewhere is for sure a low-budget indie, it's a remarkably ambitious one. The film, which was recently released to major streaming platforms, had its world premiere at The Love and Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona where Andrea Geones picked up a well-deserved Best Actress - Feature Film prize. Geones' work as Sorina is a remarkably nuanced, intuitive performance that is compelling throughout. The film has picked up a handful of other prizes along its festival journey and will hopefully find the audience it very much deserves. 

Lensing  by Lorenzo F. Gonzalez is inventive and manages to weave a tapestry of psychedelic meets honest emotional resonance. When it comes to indie filmmaking, it's often in the areas of lensing and sound where a film most falls short. It's clear that Gonzalez refused to let A Trip Elsewhere fall short. 

It's understandable that the film's ensemble has been oft-praised. It's hard to imagine this film without any single one of these key players. In addition to the wonderful performance from Geones, Maura Mannle is stellar as Amy with an emotional depth that kept me riveted, Hayes Dunlap is tremendous as Lenny, and Sawyers himself becomes so much more than I initially expected as Dale. This truly is a great ensemble. 

While there are moments when A Trip Elsewhere's low-budget is evident, these moments are rare and don't come close to derailing this inspired, engaging story that comes to life on the strength of its ensemble cast and the story itself co-written by Sawyers with Jay Gutierrez. 

The film is currently available via Prime Video, AppleTV, and Vimeo. Watch for it elsewhere as this is definitely a film for those who appreciate compelling, ambitious indie cinema. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic