'Et Tu' Is a Bloody Love Letter to Theatre and Madness

Lou Diamond Phillips delivers one of his strongest performances in years in Et Tu, a stylish psychological thriller laced with slasher intrigue and biting satire.

For fans who remember him from La Bamba or Stand and Deliver, this is a welcome return to form, with Phillips playing Brent, a frazzled theatre director whose production of Julius Caesar is spiraling into chaos — both onstage and off.

From the opening scene, it’s clear Brent is at a breaking point. Seated silently in the darkened theatre, watching rehearsals with visible disdain, he’s surrounded by incompetence and thinly veiled tensions. Chief among his frustrations is Marcus (Brennan Keel Cook, in a purposefully grating performance), the unqualified Brutus — and, inconveniently, the son of the theatre’s owner. Add in complaints about prop knives from Vicky the prop master (Jaclyn Mofid), and an understudy (Trevor James) pestering him nonstop for a bigger role, and Brent’s barely holding it together.

At home, things are just as bleak. His wife Nadine (Rachel Alig), who also happens to be producing the show, may be cheating on him. The only flicker of hope seems to be Terrence (Antwone Barnes), a driven understudy whom Brent believes might actually have what it takes.

First-time feature director Max Tzannes impresses with his confidence behind the camera. Though his mockumentary Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project was released first, Et Tu feels like the more fully realized debut. Tzannes grounds most of the film in the enclosed, pressure-cooker environment of the theatre, and he uses that claustrophobic setting to mirror Brent’s unraveling psyche. As Brent loses grip on the production — and his own sanity — the tension ratchets up, until the narrative takes a darker, bloodier turn.

When a murder occurs midway through the story, Et Tu pivots into a macabre, genre-bending mix of backstage drama and slasher send-up. There's a surprising amount of pitch-black comedy in the way Brent responds to the situation, and the phrase "the show must go on" is treated less like a cliché and more like a dangerous personal mantra. Soon, bodies are stacking up — though the film frustratingly keeps most of the kills offscreen.

Halfway in, Malcolm McDowell appears as a mysterious janitor who seems to know far more than he lets on. While the film doesn't explore his character as deeply as it could, McDowell’s menacing presence gives the film an eerie edge that complements Phillips’ unraveling lead.

Despite its flaws — including some undercooked mystery elements and off-screen violence that misses opportunities for suspense — Et Tu remains a gripping, darkly funny thriller with a compelling lead performance. Antwone Barnes is a standout in the supporting cast, and Tzannes shows promise with his dynamic camerawork and sharp tonal control.

Available on VOD from July 25, Et Tu is worth a watch for fans of psychological thrillers, theatre-set dramas, or anyone curious to see Lou Diamond Phillips at his intense best.