Find Your Friends may begin as a wild girls’ getaway, but according to director Izabel Pakzad and stars Bella Thorne, Chloe Cherry and Sophia Ali, the film is ultimately about much more than survival. Beneath the horror-thriller framework lies a layered conversation about trauma, friendship, accountability, and the often-overlooked realities of sexual violence.
Ahead of the film’s June 12 streaming debut on Shudder, we sat down with Pakzad and the cast to discuss the deeper themes driving the story, the importance of difficult conversations, and why the film’s unforgettable ending has already sparked debate.
Why Horror Was the Right Genre for This Story
For first-time feature director Izabel Pakzad, horror and thriller storytelling provided the perfect vehicle for tackling difficult subject matter without making it inaccessible.
Pakzad explained that genre films allow filmmakers to push stories to emotional extremes while still creating an entertaining experience for audiences. While Find Your Friends deals with challenging topics, she felt horror provided a way to explore those themes through a lens that remains engaging and emotionally impactful. The film balances fun and energy early on before taking audiences into much darker territory, allowing viewers to fully experience the message rather than simply being told it.
Watch the Full Interview
The Film Explores Trauma Through Real Conversations
One of the central discussions during the interview focused on the film’s portrayal of survivors and the lasting impact of sexual assault.
Sophia Ali emphasized that the film aims to bring awareness to how common abuse and assault remain while also highlighting how easy it can be for people to lose sight of the victim’s experience. She noted that perpetrators do not always fit the stereotypes people often associate with abuse, making these conversations even more important.
Bella Thorne pointed to what she described as the film’s exploration of the “gray areas” surrounding rape culture and consent. Rather than presenting simple answers, she believes the movie encourages audiences, particularly men, to examine behaviors, assumptions and social norms that often go unquestioned. She hopes viewers leave the film having meaningful conversations about those nuances and how frequently people encounter them in everyday life.
The cast also stressed that these conversations should include everyone. Thorne specifically noted that discussions surrounding abuse and assault are not limited to women and should encourage broader reflection across all audiences.
How the Film Uses Party Culture to Lower Your Guard
One of the film’s most effective creative choices is how it initially presents itself as a carefree escape.
With its music, parties, drinking games and vacation atmosphere, Find Your Friends invites viewers into the same mindset as its characters. According to Pakzad, that was entirely intentional. The goal was to create a fun, energetic environment where danger initially feels distant or insignificant before gradually revealing itself.
Pakzad explained that the first portion of the film is designed to feel like a typical girls’ trip filled with fun and excess. Audiences become comfortable, perhaps even exhausted by the endless partying, before the story suddenly pivots into something much darker. The contrast emphasizes how quickly situations can change and how rapidly fun can become danger, particularly for women navigating unfamiliar environments.
That shift becomes one of the film’s strongest thematic statements.
Friendship, Check-Ins and Looking Out for Each Other
Another major topic of discussion centered around friendship and how people can better support those around them.
Ali spoke about the social hierarchies and expectations that often influence relationships, particularly among women. She argued that people are frequently pressured into competing against one another instead of creating their own support systems and standards.
Thorne highlighted the importance of simply checking in on friends. While she jokingly admitted she is a terrible texter, she stressed that asking someone if they’re okay can open the door to conversations that may completely change the course of someone’s day. She emphasized that paying attention to people and recognizing when someone may be struggling is often more important than many realize.
Cherry expanded on that idea by discussing how women are often conditioned to view one another as competitors, particularly when it comes to seeking validation from men. As people mature, she believes they begin to recognize how destructive that mindset can be and how many friendships have been damaged because of unnecessary competition or jealousy.
Together, the cast described Find Your Friends as a film that encourages audiences to be better friends, better listeners and more aware of what others may be experiencing.
Breaking Down the Film’s Powerful Ending
Without diving into spoilers, one of the most fascinating moments of the conversation centered on the film’s final emotional release.
Pakzad revealed that a key scene involving the Jeep near the film’s conclusion was not originally scripted. After filming the planned ending, she felt something was missing. Together with her cinematographer, she developed a new sequence that ultimately became what she calls the true “button” of the movie.
What emerged was a moment filled with ambiguity. The screams and reactions can be interpreted as grief, relief, anger, empowerment or all of those emotions at once. Pakzad explained that the sequence represents the characters reclaiming their power and experiencing a release after everything they have endured. Even if the path to that moment is morally complicated, the emotional truth remains.
As Pakzad put it, the scene embodies a sense of freedom and what she described as “feminine rage.”
More Than a Survival Story
While Find Your Friends certainly delivers the thrills, violence and tension horror fans expect, the conversation with Pakzad, Thorne, Cherry and Ali made it clear that the film’s ambitions extend beyond genre entertainment.
At its core, the film asks audiences to think about accountability, support systems, friendship, trauma and the ways people respond when those systems fail. It invites viewers to question what they might have missed, how they can better support the people around them and how quickly seemingly harmless situations can evolve into something much more dangerous.
Those conversations may ultimately linger long after the credits roll.
Find Your Friends premieres June 12 on Shudder.
#FindYourFriends #BellaThorne #Shudder
Editor-in-Chief | Owner
I’m a dedicated aficionado of all things movies, pop culture, and entertainment. With a passion for storytelling and a love for the silver screen, I’m constantly immersed in the world of cinema, exploring new releases, classics, and hidden gems alike. As a fervent advocate for the power of film to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought, I enjoy sharing my insights, reviews, and recommendations with fellow enthusiasts.
