Time Addicts: An interview with Sam Odlum

Time Addicts is the genre and mind-bending feature debut from Aussie writer-director Sam Odlum and the executive producer behind The Babadook, developed from a short film of the same name. The bold and original “fairytale for cunts”, follows the antics of bessie mates, and codependent addicts, Denise (Freya Tingley) and Johnny (Charles Grounds), who find themselves hooked on a whole new type of crystal meth – one that allows them to time travel – after a favour for their drug dealer Kane (Joshua Morton) goes awry.

A dilapidated Melbourne house becomes a labyrinthine maze through different eras in which they are forced to confront future and past selves. The complex connections and dynamics between the central characters slowly reveal themselves, with plenty of curt banter and deadpan black comedy along the way. 

The Upcoming had a chat with Odlum about how the likes of Philip K Dick’s A Scanner Darkly and Twelve Monkeys inspired the offbeat tone and style of his sci-fi story. He also shared the importance of the location, sets and approach to the shoot in pulling off the time travel aspects on a tight budget and working with his small but perfectly formed cast of four through its most darkly humourous, emotionally intense and unhinged moments. We also spoke about how genre can be a tool through which to delve into psychological issues, with Time Addicts exploring how we repress but ultimately must face past traumas, as well as being a trippy sci-fi ride.

Sarah Bradbury

Time Addicts is released in select cinemas on 27^th October 2023.

Watch the trailer for Time Addicts here: