“Supernatural” isn’t usually a word you would associate with romance, but Paramount Plus’ new movie “The In Between” puts the two together for an emotional watch that will be hard to forget when it hits the screen on Feb. 11.
Starring Joey King (most known for her role in “The Kissing Booth”) and Kyle Allen (known for his role in “West Side Story”), “The In Between” follows the story of Tessa, a teenage girl who has been in and out of the foster care system her whole life. After the tragic death of her boyfriend Skylar, she starts having supernatural experiences, leading her to believe it could be him trying to reach her from the other side.
The author of the book the film is based on and the mastermind behind the screenplay is Marc Klein, whose story is based on a personal emotional experience. Klein went through an extensive process to find a director who best fit his collaborative vision. After this process, which he compared to dating, he found Arie Posin, his perfect match. During a roundtable interview hosted by Paramount Plus, Klein described seeing his work come to life as “better than he could have ever hoped for.”
“I felt from the first time I read the script, the story was completely unpredictable, I wanted to make sure I retained that through the whole process up to the finished movie,” Posin said, describing the excitement of bringing Klein’s script to life.
Posin explained one of the most challenging parts about directing this movie was making sure the audience never felt lost, as the film switches between two different timelines.
Tessa’s best friend Shannon, a personable and friendly ball of energy who helps her throughout her journey, is played by Celeste O’Connor. Self-discovery is a huge theme in this emotional film, which is precisely what drew them to play the role.
“This film absolutely touches around themes of self-discovery, and I think we see that most with Tessa and her character,” O’Connor said. “I think throughout this process of meeting Skylar and opening up, she finds that being loved is something she wants deeply. How she responds to the grief of losing Skylar and how she finds resilience within her to continue to love after what happened is a beautiful part of the story.”
Because of the unlikely timing of filming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic last April, Allen explained their meeting routine was a bit different than he was used to. Despite the awkward change in routine, Allen and King said they immediately got along after uniting for the first time on set.
“We usually would have to go into a room and do chemistry read multiple times, but none of that happened. They kind of watched my tape and trusted me for some reason.” Allen said.
King has grown up in the industry and has recently taken on the producer title in many of her films, including “The In Between.” She said this process helped her as an actor and allowed her to have more of a say in decision-making throughout filming.
“You don’t always have the benefit of being friends,” King said. She also mentioned how getting along with your castmates isn’t always guaranteed, but it was her and Allen’s companionship and shared vulnerability that made even the toughest moments easy to film.
“Having an incredible scene partner — I just completely adopted her process and let that go. It was shockingly simple,” Allen said.
The unique perspective “The In Between” gives on grief and life after death is a breath of fresh air for the audience and more than a good enough reason to give this supernatural romance a watch.
“The In Between” will be available to watch on Paramount Plus starting on Feb. 11.
