Xeno

Writer/director Matthew Loren Oates brings Xeno to life as a sci-fi adventure that balances human struggle with an alien mystery. Our tale opens in the desert, where an elderly man and his dog witness a strange crash from the sky. When the pair approaches the crash, a terrifying roar fills the air, and then a gunshot is heard, leaving the dog running off into the darkness.

We then shift to Renee (Lulu Wilson), a teenage girl who loves collecting reptiles. After the cremation of her gecko, tensions rise at home between Renee, her depressed mother Linda (Wrenn Schmidt), and Linda’s rough boyfriend Chase (Paul Schneider). Frustrated after a heated dinner table argument, Renee escapes into the desert on her ATV.

While trying to clear her head, Renee stumbles upon a wrecked car with something chained underneath it—a strange alien creature trapped in a bear trap. At first, the alien lashes out violently, but Renee frees it and flees the scene. Curious about what she saw, Renee asks her friend Gil (Trae Romano) if she can borrow his video camera so she can document what she saw. Back home, Renee steals Chase’s gun and decides to approach the creature.

Renee gets exactly what she wants…and then some. Along with the video, Renee finds herself face-to-face with the alien. Instead of a fierce face-off, a beam of light shines from the alien’s mouth and “zaps” Renee. As the intensity of the light increases, Renee is somehow bonded with the creature. Not wanting the creature to be out alone, she lures it back to her home. The two become instant soulmates, but how long can Renee hide the creature from the government agents looking for it…let alone her mom?

Renee (Lulu Wilson) is distracted during class, her thoughts elsewhere.

“A beam of light shines from the alien’s mouth and ‘zaps’ Renee.”

Before you think Xeno is a copy of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the similarities are in broad strokes only. What I appreciate about Matthew Loren Oates’ tale is that the story is definitely for the younger set, but it does everything but dumb down the story for them. For example, the alien design is far from cute and cuddly. It’s scary-looking with sharp teeth and a bone-chilling screech. The alien design comes directly from the Jim Henson Creature Shop. The story is nowhere close to the sanitized Dora the Explorer. Renee’s life is far from perfect. Her mother suffers from debilitating depression, and boyfriend Chase is not a nice guy, especially to Renee. Speaking of the government, Agent Keyes (Omari Hardwick) makes Chase look like Mr. Rogers.

I’m a massive proponent of telling dark tales of aliens and monsters to older children. Mainly because these stories tend to feel more authentic and therefore more engaging. Dumbing down stories for kids, quite frankly, treats them as, well, dumb. This is a great primer for kids to get them into more hardcore stories, like Alien (parental discretion advised).

Lastly, Xeno works primarily because of Lulu Wilson’s performance as the teen alien wrangler Renee. She carries the entire film, and the natural performance of the actor comes off as genuine. Her best moments are those acting against Trae Romano as Gil, and they are given a solid script to work with.

Xeno blends human drama with sci-fi mystery, grounding the extraordinary in Renee’s struggle with loss and survival. As the government closes in and the alien’s powers deepen, their bond becomes both a lifeline and a dangerous secret. What makes the film stand out is its refusal to sugarcoat the story for younger audiences. Thanks to Lulu Wilson’s heartfelt and gritty performance, along with the chilling alien design from the Jim Henson Creature Shop, the film delivers a bold, engaging story of loss, survival, and an unlikely friendship.

For screening information, visit the Xeno official website.