Xeno (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A lonely teenage girl forms an empathic bond with a mysterious alien creature that crashes in the New Mexico desert.
The story
After a meteor-like object crashes in the New Mexico desert, a 15-year-old girl named Renee discovers the wreckage. While exploring the site, she encounters a monstrous alien creature and frees it from a hunter's trap. After establishing a bond with the creature, which she names Croak, Renee hides it in her basement. However, her secret is soon threatened by a classmate who discovers a recording of the alien and CIA agents who are tracking the creature's arrival. As Renee struggles to protect her new friend from those who wish to capture or study it, she must navigate the dangers posed by her violent boyfriend and government authorities.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A meteor-like object crashes in the New Mexico desert, where a hunter is attacked by a monstrous alien. Renee, a 15-year-old girl living with her depressed mother Linda and violent boyfriend Chase, finds the alien and frees it. They form an empathic bond, and Renee hides the creature, naming it Croak, in her basement. Her classmate Gil discovers the alien on a video camera, and while she promises him secrecy, CIA agents Keyes and Browne overhear them. When Chase becomes violent toward Renee, Croak breaks through the basement wall to intervene. Keyes eventually captures Renee and tries to coerce her into revealing Croak's location. After a plumber is killed finding the creature, Renee takes Croak to the desert to meet Gil, who reveals he is being threatened by Browne. Chase attempts to kill Renee, but Croak intervenes and kills him. The CIA then captures Croak, and Keyes intimidates Renee into helping research their empathic bond. Renee deliberately breaks her own finger to agitate Croak into escaping. In a final confrontation, Keyes shoots at them; Croak kills Keyes to protect Renee before dying from its wounds. The film ends with Renee mourning Croak, though a mid-credits scene shows the corpse unexpectedly reviving.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matthew Loren Oates
- Writers
- Matthew Loren Oates · writer
- Cast and characters
- Lulu Wilson · Renee Rowan; Garrett van der Leun · Croak; Wrenn Schmidt · Linda Rowan; Trae Romano · Gil Lopez; Omari Hardwick · Jonathan Keyes; Paul Schneider · Chase Duvall; Josh Cooke · Agent Browne; Ron Rogge · Lou; MJ Wolfe · Huntsman
- Genres
- science fiction; adventure
- Themes
- loneliness; connection; government surveillance; protection
- Tone and mood
- science fiction; adventure; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- extraterrestrial life; teenager; secret bond; government conspiracy
- Production trivia
- The Henson Company created the film's alien creature.; Filming commenced at Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 8, 2023.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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