Family can make us feel safest, but it can also reopen wounds we thought had long since healed. That tension sits at the heart of River, the nerve-shredding feature debut from writer-director Joshua Giuliano, which celebrated its world premiere at Midnight Madness at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe and Max Mattern play three siblings who reunite to scatter their late father’s ashes, only to find themselves stranded on a rural waterway and stalked by a mysterious figure (Dane DiLiegro). Ahead of the film’s TIFF premiere, our Peter Gray spoke with Giuliano, Levy, Rothe and DiLiegro about grief, family dynamics, finding terror in silence, and who they’d most – and least – want beside them when survival is on the line.
The film puts these characters somewhere where they can’t escape each other. If you had to be trapped somewhere with one person from your own life, who would you trust to get you through it – and who would make it worse?
Jane Levy: I mean, I for sure would want to be trapped with my husband. I really like him, I really trust him. I feel like he knows how to calm me down. I feel safe with him. But who would be the worst? Oh, Dane DiLiegro.
Is that purely off what he does to you in this movie?
Jane Levy: No comment (laughs). I’m not going to comment any further (laughs).
I feel like there’s something interesting about grief in these movies: the siblings are dealing with their father, whist simultaneously fighting for their lives. Did that change the way you thought about grief?
Jane Levy: Grief has been a theme in a lot of my work. I think it’s a very big theme in life. I think that you don’t have grief without love, and it has so much to do with the human condition. I don’t think I had grief at the top of my mind with this project in particular. But, of course, with horror there’s going to be grief. There’s a lot of death!
You have a perfect resume for it.
Jane Levy: Oh, thank you.
Dane, how much of the terror in this movie comes from what you do, and how much comes from what you deliberately don’t do?
Dane DiLiegro: That’s interesting. I suppose with (my character) there’s a lot of questions that come with him. There’s something terrifying in doing less. I went to mime school. Not for this movie, but it was something I had done, and there’s something so interesting in the art of non-verbal communication. And telling a story without the luxury of words. And my character is the poster child for that. Less is more.
I asked Jane before about the film being set around characters who can’t escape each other. If you had to be trapped somewhere with one person from your own life, who would you trust to get you through it – and who would make it worse?
Dane DiLiegro: Oh, my brother and my sister. They’re both pretty tough, pretty smart people. Who would I not want to be trapped with? I don’t know. I definitely don’t want to be alone.
Joshua, why did you feel a family story was the best vehicle to use here to tell this horror story?
Joshua Giuliano: Honestly, a few years ago, every time I would go home I would have these horrible visions of my family getting into accidents. For example, we would be carpooling and I would see my family splayed out on the tarmac. What it taught me is that despite how complicated family relationships can get, I know that if anything happened to them, my life would be torn to shreds. It’s taking that feeling of anxiety and merging it with genre convention.
What do you feel is the emotional argument you’re making with River when you strip back all the blood and suspense?
Joshua Giuliano: If you leave this screening with the inkling to call someone from your family, I think I’ve done my job.
Jessica, before getting to River I have to say I’m very happy that Happy Death Day 3 is…
Jessica Rothe: It’s in the ether, yes!
I spoke to Chris (Landon) a few years ago and mentioned that it had to be done, and I’d like to think that that conversation between two gay men had something to do with it…
Jessica Rothe: That’s manifesting. I believe it (laughs).
I’ve asked your fellow co-stars this scenario, so I’ll put it to you: the film puts these characters somewhere where they can’t escape each other. If you had to be trapped somewhere with one person from your own life, who would you trust to get you through it – and who would make it worse?
Jessica Rothe: Oh, man. That’s such a good question. I think my husband could get me out of anything. Not only is he resourceful, kind, and just a badass, but he knows how to make things out of wood…like he builds his own bows, and he knows a lot of things about rope (laughs). Tying knots? That’s a good survival skill. The person I would trust to not get me out would probably be…my sister. I love her so much, and I think she would fight like hell, but at some point she’d be like, “We’re dead. I’m just not going to fight it.”
A realist?
Jessica Rothe: Yeah, she’s a realist. She’s also thinking, “Well, the zombies can just eat me now. I’m not going to run for a while and get all sweaty and look all shitty.”
Die looking your best.
Jessica Rothe: Exactly!
And if you stripped away the horror of this story, what do you think River is actually about?
Jessica Rothe: It’s such a beautiful family drama and an exploration of grappling with who you are when you’re with your family, and that insane feeling of when you come home and suddenly you’re sixteen again. My character has moved away from home and has started this whole other life for herself, but she’s really forced to confront parts of herself that are really difficult to look at when she comes home. She sees her siblings and she’s right in that rhythm again.
River is screening as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, running between September 10th and 20th, 2026. For more information, head to the official site here.
