WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Kin, in theaters now.
Directed by Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker, Kin is a sci-fi crime thriller that follows teen Eli (Myles Truitt), who discovers a powerful, otherworldly weapon and flees with ex-con adoptive brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) from pursuing criminals who want the money they're owed.
RELATED: Exclusive Images From the New Sci-Fi Crime Thriller Kin
However, they're also trailed by two mysterious, faceless soldiers who seek to recover the weapon. The film's credits identify them as Cleaners, which adds some context to their purpose -- they're cleaning after a shootout between rogue soldiers that left the gun on Earth -- but who they truly are remains vague.
Aliens From An Ice Planet
In the finale, the Cleaners reassure Eli they're not there to hurt him as they reclaim the gun from the scared teen. Played Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan, one of the film's executive producers, the male Cleaner saves the brothers from the criminals, and tells Eli he's able to wield gun because he's one of them. He says they're "from another world," hinted at by his unique glowing tattoo, and they're embroiled in a war to save it.
He reveals Eli was hidden on Earth, and it's their duty to protect him. They eventually leave with the gun, with the female Cleaner (Lily Gao) opening a portal to take them back to an icy dimension, which explains their Halo-like battle suits. Viewers don't peer inside the portal but the swirling snow and the ice that crystallizes around the opening would indicate a frozen world.
Time-Traveling Aliens
Despite offering insight into his origin, the Cleaner doesn't say too much. He does, however, show Eli they both have the same scar on their right hands, which the boy's mother also possessed. What's more striking is that in being so secretive, we get the impression the male may be trying to preserve the timeline.
Given their resemblance, there's a possibility this soldier could be Eli from the future, protecting his younger self. The Cleaner becomes emotional when talking about family, particularly when he speaks of Eli's mother, who died when the boy was young, and his mysterious father, who's barely mentioned and doesn't have a place in the family's history. His disposition is similar to whenever Eli speaks of his parents. Seeing as the Cleaners have an array of next-level technology, time travel doesn't seem beyond their reach.
Humans From The Future
We know the Cleaners possess advanced technology, but are they actually aliens? "Another world" could mean Earth from a different time. As such, these soldiers could be humans who have evolved to help save the planet in a future when all hope seems lost. When the Cleaners unmask, they certainly look and speak like humans, and try not to kill innocents during their hunt.
Sure, they speak a cryptic language when they're suited up, but that could merely be part of their battle mode. What drives home this human theory is how we see Eli becoming bruised and battered during his journey with Jimmy. If he, and, by extension, the Cleaners, possessed alien physiology, there surely would have been some sign of this over the course of Kin. But there's nothing to indicate as such in the film. Eli comes off as nothing more than a normal kid with a lethal ray-gun.
Directed by brothers Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker, Kin stars Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Zoë Kravitz (The Divergent Series), Carrie Coon (Avengers: Infinity War), Dennis Quaid (Frequency), James Franco (The Disaster Artist) and Myles Truitt (Black Lightning). The film opens Friday nationwide.