The In Between combines love, loss, and the afterlife in its heartwrenching narrative. The Paramount+ original film stars Joey King as Tessa, an emotionally detached high-school student whose upbringing in foster homes has damaged her self-worth. Meeting and falling in love with Skylar (Kyle Allen), an optimistic and kind romantic, changes Tessa's life before a car accident kills Skylar. Tessa's heartbreak turns into hope when she realizes that Skylar is attempting to contact her from a realm of the afterlife known as the "in between," which her friend Shannon (Celeste O'Connor) helps her reach. King is no stranger to romance or the supernatural, as she headlined Netflix's The Kissing Booth trilogy and featured in horror films The Conjuring and Slender Man.
King spoke with Screen Rant about The In Between's love story paired with its ghostly elements, as well as her experience making the Paramount+ film.
Screen Rant: I know that The In Between has been in the works for quite some time now and you not only got to star in the film, but you also produced it. Can you start by telling me about what the process has been like for you getting to this point, finally, right before its release?
Joey King: Oh my God, it feels so good. I've been with this movie since it was just a little embryo. Just knowing all that went in to this movie to make it happen, to film it, filming it during COVID, just finishing it, I cannot be more thrilled that it's coming out very soon and people will finally get to see it. It was the greatest experience making this movie.
Did COVID have any impact on the process of filming it?
Joey King: Yes. We shot in the middle of the pandemic. It was right when the vaccine was starting to come out and I was like, "Are we going to be able to get it? What's going on?" It was really interesting. I was really nervous, actually, because there was very strict COVID rules. I was like, "How am I going to bond with my cast members? How am I going to create chemistry with Kyle? What am I going to do?" I'm so happy that it did not hinder our ability to all love each other and become so close. It presented its challenges, but at the end of the day, we made it through a shoot and everyone was safe, and I made some lifelong friends. So, it was a win.
Considering the movie's supernatural elements, how would you say The In Between differs from a typical love story?
Joey King: It differs from a typical love story in many ways where you have a lot of timeline hopping. Also, the biggest difference is that we keep the love alive after the heartbreak, which is something that is really different. It's a different take. We nurture the fact that you can still keep love alive even after someone in the relationship has died. But the complications of doing that aren't without consequences. This movie is so heartbreaking, and it's stressful, and it's beautiful, and you feel all these things and you're rooting for these people while also knowing the outcome in the end can't be rainbows and smiles. So, I'm really proud of what we accomplished.
I wanted to mention how much of Tessa's conflict revolves around her distant relationship with her adopted family. How does meeting Skylar change her in that way?
Joey King: I think it changes her a lot in that way. I think that's a great question because initially she's healing from a lot of family trauma. Yes, she loves the people that she lives with, but her capacity to love and her idea of love is stunted because she has been so burned in the past and she doesn't know how to open herself up fully and vulnerably. Meeting Skylar scares the bejeezus out of her because she realizes that this guy is going to help her be brave. Ultimately, she allows herself to fall in love with him and it's the best thing that could ever happen for her because she learns to love herself, and more importantly, her family too.
How would you say your experience with this film has affected your view on death and the afterlife?
Joey King: I think that this movie has affected my view in a way where I feel like I believe in the in between already. This movie just shines a really gorgeous light on what we hope to happen after we die. So, I personally feel like this movie makes me a little less afraid of death. None of us can escape it. It's our fate, every one of us. This movie brings me some comfort in that.
The In Between premieres February 11 on Paramount+.