Sam McConnell’s new film The Test stars Brock Urich as Eddie, a competitive bodybuilder who suddenly falls for a new coach (Mike Edwards).
In the exclusive first look at the movie’s teaser trailer, Eddie can be seen pumping, primping and posing on the bodybuilding circuit. However, there is a darker side to the showmanship that occurs in this story, including performance-enhancing drugs, substance abuse, and violence.
As Eddie storms out of the house, he hears Tammy Blanchard, who plays his ultra-religious mother and manager, yell, “God doesn’t want this to happen to you.”
At another moment, Blanchard can be seen bending over the bathtub and yelling into the phone, “Son, I need an ambulance.” Eddie’s old girlfriend (Paloma Garcia-Lee) catches Eddie and Mike making love to each other when she thinks no one is watching.
Glee star Matthew Morrison plays a local pastor.
“Convinced that perfecting his God-given body is the way to go, Eddie pursues bodybuilding with relentless dedication, ultimately leading him to confront questions of identity, masculinity, and faith,” McConnell said. “I’ve always been fascinated by bodybuilding and the particular culture that surrounds it. We designed ‘The Test’ to feel like a real peek behind the curtain. I thought the character of Eddie was very convincing. He’s on a mission to perfect his exterior while his interior crumbles around him.”
“Test,” which Urich wrote, will have its world premiere on June 3 at SXSW in London, followed by the Provincetown International Film Festival in the United States. “Test” is also an official selection at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco. The film marks McConnell’s feature directorial debut, written by McConnell.
“For the past 10 years, all I wanted to do was tell Eddie’s story through my screenplay, The Test. Making an independent film is a long and painful process, but I knew the pain of giving up on it would be far greater,” Urich said. “I am so grateful that I was able to not only make such a deeply personal film with such a great team, but also share it at such a prestigious film festival.”
Producers include Julie Christie, Darryl Freimark and Urich, along with executive producers Jim McCauley, McConnell and Derek Strom.
“Test” is being sold by Bill Straus of Bridge Independent.
You can watch the trailer below.
