Now Available on Netflix
Director: Ben C. Lucas
Starring: Jessica De Gouw, T.J. Power, and Thomas Cocquerel
De Guow is sufficient in this mostly trite sci-fi experience. While the plot is certainly a trip, despite its familiarity, it’s hard to recommend with nothing else really going for it.
The story follows Ren Amari (Jessica De Gouw), cofounder of OtherLife, the titular corporation responsible for selling day long “perfect experiences.” Ren helps develop a nanotech goo that, when dropped into the eye, places the user into a tailored day. The product implants a day long memory of you rock climbing, snowboarding, or snorkeling in mere seconds. But Ren is more interested in its application to help the comatose and brain damaged, specifically her injured boyfriend. The “biological software” has glitches and it gets her in trouble with the law. I am not going to spoil too much more, but lets just say that the comparison to the Matrix is apt.
The acting is decent. Jessica De Gouw is capable as the lead but unremarkable. There are some bright spots in her performance, but generally she’s not exciting. Her costars also fail to sizzle despite the subject matter.
Speaking of the subject matter, the way that the drug and its glitches are represented are quite clever. The black goo melts into the sclera causing the test subject to fade away into an over saturated dream state. Also, the “glitching” in the biological software was interesting, creating fractals out of ordinary backdrops, much like Doctor Strange. I don’t think the interesting plot and visuals redeem this movie though.
I don’t think its bad, I just think its going to be forgotten. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about any of it, but it does manage to cross the 50% mark. If you liked this year’s Rememory or What Happened to Monday, you’ll enjoy OtherLife. For those who avoid sci-fi, I’d skip it (if it appears on your radar at all).
Is it Watchlist-worthy? Sure…