Maria Bakalova and 'The Moodys' star team up for comedy horror 'Get Off Your Phone'
Chelsea Frei, known for 'The Moodys' and 'The Paper,' has completed principal photography on 'Get Off Your Phone,' a satirical horror comedy marking her feature directorial debut. Frei wrote the screenplay and stars in the film alongside Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova and 'Saturday Night Live' alum Jon Rudnitsky.
The story follows Daniela, played by Frei, a canceled influencer who moves to rural Wisconsin with her boyfriend, Jackson, played by Rudnitsky, hoping to escape the pressures of online life. Their attempt to disconnect takes an unsettling turn when a mysterious stranger enters their lives. The film blends psychological horror, dark comedy, and social satire to examine the increasingly blurred boundaries between people's digital identities and their true selves when no one is watching. Its premise pushes the familiar experience of phone addiction into unsettling territory, using Daniela's retreat from the internet as the starting point for a story about digital identity.
Frei said she began writing 'Get Off Your Phone' during the pandemic, when her own screen time had reached what she described as "truly alarming" levels. She wanted to take the widespread dependence on smartphones to an extreme and turn it into a story. "I think we’re all a little addicted to our phones, and I wanted to take that obsession to the extreme," Frei continued.
'Get Off Your Phone' is produced by Phiphen Pictures, Framehound and Doom and Gloom. Producers include Molly Conners, Amanda Bowers, Andi Matichak, Emma Thorne, Gillian Williams and Frei. Bakalova, known for 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' and 'The Apprentice,' is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, Insight Management & Production, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman. Rudnitsky has appeared in film and television comedy roles.
The film’s release date and distribution plans have not yet been announced.
