“God’s Time is zany, disorganized, irreverent, pretentious, and none of it should work, but that’s kind of why it’s perfect,” shares Anna, fresh off a viewing of filmmaker Daniel Antebi’s acidic feature debut and, most certainly, soon-to-be calling card for the new generation of talent behind it.

The film premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival at the tail-end of widely accessible virtual fests, and nearly a year later, masked-up films of its ilk seem few and far between. Conceived and shot in mid-to-late 2020, God’s Time captures the temperature of the pre-vaccine lockdown period as New Yorkers yearn for a sense of community, demonstrated here in drug addict meetups. 

We follow Dev (Ben Groh) alongside best friend Luca (Dion Costelloe) on a panic-stricken mission across NYC to track down fellow recovering addict Regina (Liz Caribel Sierra) in order to prevent her from exacting revenge on her sadistic ex-boyfriend—all because it was the one occasion Regina didn’t clarify in a meeting that her ex will face his comeuppance only “in God’s time.”

Full of stylistic flourishes and cheeky self-awareness, the film hinges on the magnetic charisma of its cast, complete with frequent fourth-wall breaks egging the audience to watch on, if we dare. That intoxicating, gun-touting energy creates a cinematic high evocative of post-Pulp Fiction-era thrillers, mixed with grainy Safdies flair and a dash of Ferris Bueller charm.

“Holy shit,” exclaims Josh, “fresh, vibrant, oozing with style and authenticity. Just so fun and exhilarating. Ben Groh, Dion Costelloe and Liz Caribel Sierra are fucking fantastic and stars-in-the-making”. Anthony name-checks certifiable cinematic influences in their review: “Now this is how you honor After Hours and Good Time but make it your own.” 

As he takes on our life in film questions, God’s Time writer, director and Letterboxd member of nine years Daniel Antebi writes about nocturnal odysseys, goofy crowd-pleasers and the amazing movies that do it all in 80 minutes or less.

What film made you want to become a filmmaker?
Daniel Antebi: A mixture of Ricky Martin music videos, The Mask of Zorro—my go-to elementary school Hallowe’en costume—The Master of Disguise and David Copperfield’s magic specials. Some that have deeply touched me and shaped my point-of-view as a filmmaker are Wanda, Nights of Cabiria, All That Jazz, Falling Leaves, The Social Network and The Ice Storm. All of them capture real magic. 

What movies do you find healing?
Ikiru and Good Will Hunting have a special place in my heart. Good Will Hunting’s camera has this strange circular motion throughout the film—and at the end, we are finally moving forward just like Will. Ikiru is about waking up to what really matters. I watched it soon after my cousin passed away from cancer.

What are your go-to goofy movies that are guaranteed crowd-pleasers? Are there any you watched with the cast and crew of God’s Time?
Yo! When developing God’s Time, Ben Groh told me to watch Safe. Every time Julianne Moore kept going back for more treatment I was losing my mind. And those colors and blocking! Also, when they pricked her skin with all those bubbles! Wild. For something a bit more ‘goofy’, I highly suggest Jacques Tati’s PlayTime. Enjoy all the smushy furniture. And for a truly goofy movie, Friday. Growing up one of my martial arts coaches showed it to me. “You got knocked the fuck out, man!” will always ring in my ears. 

What are the most memorable fourth-wall breaks in movies in your opinion?
Fleabag’s “What was that? Where’d you just go?!” I fell in love with [Andrew Scott’s Priest character] even more. Look at how he understands her! On the total opposite end of the spectrum is F for Fake. Hyper-meta. One of my fave moments is just a few minutes in when the folks in the train station wipe frame and we punch in to “Almost any story is almost certainly some kind of lie. But not this time.” That’s the beauty of magicians. We tell you we will lie to you, and then we do. What an honest exchange. 

You have to admit, God’s Time had mediocre Covid mask discipline. I’m curious, what Covid-era movies stick out to you where it’s clear the characters lived through the same pandemic as we did?
The film was shot in the fall of 2020 so we were all certainly masked, tested and distanced! However, we realized that watching folks covered with masks the whole movie would be a drag and taint the film, so we settled for the C-mask discipline. It seems like everyone is trying to forget Covid and move into post-pandemic times, but the one thing that comes to mind is that last scene in Drive My Car.

I watched God’s Time once because it sounded fun. I watched it twice because of Ben Groh. What’s a film you fell for due to its breakout lead in their debut role?
I want to shout out two women. Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza and Salma Hayek in El Callejón de los Milagros [Midaq Alley]. I often talk with my mentor and actors about letting a scene move through you, rather than moving through a scene. Both of these women have a particular capability of letting the scene move through them while exploding through their respective worlds.