“He Thinks He Can Play God”: Joseph Cross On The Dark Logic Of Affection

Director BT Meza and star Joseph Cross dive into the “morally gray” sci-fi world of Affection, discussing that heartbreaking final line and more.

SPOILER WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AFFECTION.

Affection is a haunting exploration of grief, obsession, and the terrifying limits of science. The story follows Ellie, a woman trapped in a disturbing cycle where her memory resets, leaving her unable to recognize her husband, Bruce, or her daughter, Alice.

As she navigates haunting recollections of an unfamiliar life, the film shifts from a domestic mystery into a dark sci-fi thriller. Bruce, a scientist operating off the grid, has been using advanced technology to “reset” versions of his family for decades, desperately trying to recapture the exact moment and personality of the wife he lost. It is a film that challenges the audience to question the morality of playing God in the name of love.

Mama’s Geeky sat down with leading man Joseph Cross, who brings a chilling humanity to Bruce, and writer/director BT Meza to discuss the making of this mind-bending debut film. From the practical “goo” of the sci-fi effects to the emotional toll of the film’s most disturbing scenes, the duo breaks down the complexities of the story and that ending that no one saw coming.

Joseph Cross On Affection

Mama’s Geeky: Bruce does some morally questionable things. Was it difficult to find the humanity in a character who is essentially tormenting his family?

Joseph Cross: It was really simple for me. I think that Bruce is incapable of accepting what’s happened to his family. He is incapable of grieving and moving on. He believes that he has a way to solve this, to correct this, and he’ll stop at nothing to do it. So I think that everything that he does is because of his love and devotion to his wife and his daughter.

Mama’s Geeky: There is a scene where Bruce is screaming in a cornfield. How do you emotionally recover after filming something so intense?

Joseph Cross: Oh, man. That was just a scene where I was like, fuck me. Like, this is gonna be horrible. You know, I have kids. And I think I just, you know, I love Juliana [the actress who plays Alice] and became really close and became friends and she’s so good and so professional… I think I just probably just walked it off. Like I did a lot of the scenes in this movie.

Mama’s Geeky: The very last line of the movie, where Ellie finally says his name, broke me. What was your reaction when you read that?

Joseph Cross: I think eventually, they figured it out that she just calls for him. You know what I mean? And it’s just like blows your mind at the end of this movie. You know what I mean? It just like it breaks your heart and it blows your mind. And in some ways, you know, Bruce was self-sacrificial and got, you know, did what he set out to do, even if he wasn’t around anymore to see it.

BT Meza Talks Affection

Mama’s Geeky: Bruce is killing versions of his family over and over, yet we still feel for him. How did you balance that duality?

BT Meza: That was one of the things that we really wanted to come through was, you know, he’s doing these these horrible things. But in his mind, these are files that he can just save the file and start again. And, you know, he’s he’s a little bit blinded by the fact that he wants to so badly recapture this moment in his life with his family.

Mama’s Geeky: The design of the “cocoon” or “egg” organism is so unique. How did you come up with that look?

BT Meza: I had some early sketches of kind of what I envisioned it to look like. And I was so blessed to have Dan Riebert, who is special effects mastermind, agree to work on this film… The idea is that these are kind of like, synthetic organisms that can kind of, you know, turn into what they need to turn into. And so it’s supposed to feel a little bit alien.

Mama’s Geeky: How did you settle on that final line – Ellie simply saying “Bruce” – to end the film?

BT Meza: It’s interesting. We had a handful of ideas, but that was something that we actually found on set when we were, you know, exploring a lot of the different things. And that’s the idea that stuck, you know, something that’s just simple, but lingers with you.

Watch the full interview with Joseph Cross and BT Meza for more behind-the-scenes secrets of Affection.

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