What were to happen if someone took the concept of losing a loved one, made it a road trip family drama comedy about deprogramming them, and applied it to a suicide cult? Well, for starters, it would be a cringe-inducing comedy because *all* of that is a giant heap of uncomfortable for a plethora of reasons, but if you put in the right beats and have the right cast, it could be the next road trip comedy that works. While Victoria Strouse (Finding Dory; Let it Snow) has some writing under her belt, she tries her hand at directing, as well, with her directorial debut, Seekers of Infinite Love, having its world premiere in the Spotlight section of SXSW Film & TV Festival 2026. Infinite Love asks that exact question and, while the outing is awkward and uncomfortable, there are some great comedic bits that hit and bring the movie back up to par. Unfortunately, they’re too far and few in between to make this 91-minute road trip dramedy something to remember and more a trip that one wishes to not revisit, at least for a very long time.
Seekers of Infinite Love focuses on Kayla (Hannah Einbinder) as the most neurotic author one has ever met, her lawyer brother Zach (John Reynolds), and her problem child brother Wes (Griffin Gluck), as they’re debriefed by Zach that their sister Scarlett (Justine Lupe) has joined a suicide cult in Kentucky. Being given this news is not something they take lightly. Zach and their missing parents hire a cult deprogrammer in the form of Rick (Justin Theroux). When the siblings and Rick try to leave New York to get to Kentucky to save Scarlett before it’s too late, Kayla’s Final Destination-level anxiety about being in *anything* confined forces them to roadtrip this adventure and, of course, this creates a turbulent dynamic that sets off a series of chaotic events.
L-R: John Reynolds as Zach, Hannah Einbinder as Kayla and Justin Theroux as Rick in SEEKERS OF INFINITE LOVE. Photo Credit: Tim Suhrstedt. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
What works here is the cast with the two standouts being Einbinder (North Hollywood) and Theroux (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) as they have the best presence and break the stereotyped roles they’re portraying with their understanding of their characters. While Einbinder is definitely playing the uptight, neurotic character to a tee, she plays her with a humility that brings some levity to the otherwise tense and uncomfortable situation that the audience finds themselves in with the story. While, on the other hand, Theroux’s character is a comedic version of Dog the Bounty Hunter, in a sense; he is so over the top and sort of zany in his belief of what he sells and preaches that it’s truly hard not to laugh at his lunacy. While Gluck (Dinner in America) and Reynolds (Oh, Hi!) are also part of the ensemble, they’re just more or less there. While their characters are important, their performances are not elevated to a point where anything is memorable about how they bring these characters to life.
The biggest issue with Seekers of Infinite Love comes from Victoria Strouse’s script. It’s just lacking that extra something. You take a concept of saving a family member from a suicide cult with a de-programmer and a family that seems to not be able to stand one another but bonds because of the old age idea of “blood is thicker than water,” and something should stick. Seekers of Infinite Love doesn’t stick; it flounders and has just enough energy to try and seek help, but never truly get there and just fades away as the credits roll. There are moments of life in the movie, which may be Theroux and Einbinder just being that good, but, aside from that, there is something left on the table that leaves the audience unsatiated by the time we reach the end.
Seekers of Infinite Love is a big swing and fouls out right past first base. There is a lot of hope and many good ideas presented but, unfortunately, they flounder under the pressure of balancing horror, drama, and comedy. The cast ultimately tries their best, but are only able to do so much with what they’re provided. The end results leave a few moments of hilarity and a lot of awkward, unsettling silence as we watch the events unfold. While there are moments of laugh-out-loud antics, there is not enough to bring audiences past the cringe idea of being stuck with the family you don’t get along with to save the sister you just found out joined a suicide cult.
Screening during SXSW 2026.
For more information, head to the official SXSW Seekers of Infinite Love webpage.
Final Score: 2.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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