Arrow Video, out now

 

A venture capitalist invests in an extreme VR startup called Empathy Inc., whose proposed technology will allow wealthy people to spend time in the shoes of the less fortunate.

If the credits had revealed that director Yedidya Gorsetman’s black and white neo-noir thriller was based on a short story by Phillip K Dick, you’d totally buy it, such is the familiar fusion of paranoia, extreme technology and questioning of what’s actually real. It’s an original screenplay by Mark Leidner, but it wears its influences on its sleeve.

You have to pity Joel (Zack Robdis, Succession), who is forced to take the fall for a major financial scandal, loses everything and has to move with his actress wife Jessica (Kathy Searle, The Good Guy) back to staying with the in-laws. When he’s given the opportunity to get out of the rut by investing in a ‘it can’t fail’ scheme, he has no qualms in channelling his in-laws’ cash, and that’s where it starts to go wrong.

While the themes of body swapping, identity crisis and poverty tourism are not new, it’s the way they’re packaged up that impresses, constantly begging of you ‘What should he do now?’ as he heads further down the rabbit hole, far past the point of no return.

Arrow’s release features an audio commentary with director Yedidya Gorsetman and writer Mark Leidner, a behind-the-scenes look, deleted scenes and trailers.

Verdict: A tight, clever Black Mirror-style low budget indie treat. We’re never more then one step ahead of the players, and the twists will keep you guessing the outcome, right up to the closing moments. 8/10

Nick Joy

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