Mothership

Synopsis:

MOTHERSHIP
Supernatural / Sci-Fi / Comedy

TAGLINE:
She left without a trace. Now she's texting from space.

LOGLINE:
Twenty years after their mother mysteriously vanished during a childhood camping trip, a conspiracy-obsessed older brother becomes convinced she’s trying to contact him, telepathically, from an alien mothership returning to Earth. His skeptical younger brother wants him to finally let go, but when the signals grow stronger, the two embark on a surreal road trip chasing closure, cosmic weirdness, and the possibility Eli was right all along.

SUMMARY:
In the summer of 2005, brothers Eli (5) and Drew (3) vanished without a trace. A few days later, they were found barefoot and malnourished, wandering the Arizona woods. The world blamed their parents. But Eli told a different story: their mother, Linda, was taken -- by a glowing craft that shot into the stars. No one believed him. Not even Drew.

Twenty years later, Eli’s still searching for answers. Now 25, he’s a charismatic wreck, living in a trailer piled high with UFO memorabilia, co-hosting a fringe podcast for true believers and conspiracy nuts. Drew, 23, took the opposite path: a polished, corporate life built on denial. He’s convinced Linda just walked out, and Eli can’t let it go.

Then Eli starts dreaming.

Coordinates burned into his brain. Glowing trees. Pulsing lights. His nose bleeds at strange frequencies. Electronics fry when he walks by. To Eli, it’s not madness, it’s a message. A sign. Contact. His mother is reaching out.

Drew calls it a breakdown. But when Eli begs him for one road trip, they’re back in the desert where it all began. Alien diners. UFO conventions. Dusty motels. Eccentric locals who might know too much. As the miles tick by, reality begins to fray: time skips, radio static whispers, and the brothers find themselves caught between memory, madness, and something far stranger.

And under a fractured sky lit by meteors and magnetic storms… something lands.

It’s not an alien. It’s their mother, Linda. Aged. Altered. but still very human.

She’s been gone for twenty years. Yet Eli never stopped believing.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
MOTHERSHIP is a character-driven, genre-bending road movie about family, belief, and the thin line between madness and truth. At its core, it’s about two estranged brothers trying to solve the mystery of their past and discovering that sometimes the people labeled “crazy” are the ones holding the last fragile threads of truth.

This isn’t your typical alien movie. It’s a heartfelt comedy that sneaks up on your heart... then abducts it.

WHY IT'S SPECIAL:
🛸 A fresh take on sci-fi – surreal phenomena achieved through practical effects, sound design, and dream-logic visuals.
😂 Hilarious and poignant – absurdist road trip humor collides with deep emotional stakes.
🎯 Built for indie audiences – think Safety Not Guaranteed, The Vast of Night, Little Miss Sunshine.
🎥 Production-ready – Small cast. Limited locations. Minimal CGI. Ideal for a $1M indie budget.

TONE & INFLUENCES:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Little Miss Sunshine with a dash of Men In Black and Repo Man.
Emotionally grounded. Totally unpredictable.

ESTIMATED BUDGET: $750K–$1.25M (sweet spot ~$1M)
This lean, indie production approach emphasizes smart choices:

CAST: Emerging talent
LOCATIONS: Road trip stops consolidated to 2–3 hubs (AZ/NM for tax incentives)
VFX: Minimal – practical lighting + AI-enhanced plates
SCHEDULE: 18–20 days

THE HOOK:
MOTHERSHIP is a festival-ready sci-fi dramedy with mainstream appeal. A story about love, loss, and believing the impossible, even when no one else does.