The huge success of shows like The Last of Us and Fallout prove that video game adaptations are all the rage right now. People love to escape into digital worlds, even bleak, post-apocalyptic ones. But what happens when that line between reality and fiction begins to blur? What happens when your life becomes as terrifying as what you're playing, when it becomes something you can't escape even after you put down the controller and turn off the console? That's the question posed by Latency, written and directed by James Croke.
Latency is a simple film in terms of cast and setting, revolving around just two main characters: protagonist Hana (Sasha Luss) and her best friend Jen (Alexis Ren), and taking place solely in her apartment. Hanna. The catalyst comes when Hana, an agoraphobic video game tester, receives a fancy new console called the Omnia, which clips to the back of her head. Through this, Omnia promises to be able to record her neurological activity for a seamless gaming experience. Among other things, her reaction time will essentially be reduced to zero.
Director: James CrokeWriter: James CrokeStars: Sasha Luss, Alexis Ren
It seems too good to be true, and it is. Hana quickly becomes paranoid and exhausted, fearful that Omnia may be having a sinister impact on her psyche. But as much as she tries to distance herself from the device, Omnia easily refuses to do so and Hana descends into madness, a confusing and terrifying situation in which she is both victim and potential perpetrator.
Latency's visuals can be fun, and it gets off to a promising start with a sequence where we're completely immersed in the game Hana is playing, watching her physically fight monsters before it's revealed that she's trying out a new game. The style is vaguely reminiscent of the underrated Sucker Punch, in which Emily Browning's character alternates between the real world and an ultra-stylized, steampunk-style alternate reality in her head. Unfortunately, after this opening scene, the technique is rarely used again, with only a few brief returns. This is especially disappointing considering the film is mostly limited to Hana's apartment. Instead of the confined space increasing the tension and feeling of claustrophobia, it simply starts to get a little boring, something that could have helped by allowing us to see the space in a different light throughout the game on more occasions.
The gameplay element, in general, seems to fall more and more by the wayside as we get deeper into the film, which is a shame. Hana's job as a video game tester is an intriguing new idea, but we don't get to see much of that side of her. The concept of a gambling tournament with a big prize pool, one that could give Hana the rent she desperately needs, is filled with tension, but the execution doesn't have you on the edge of your seat. It retreats from its most interesting setups, relying on superficial horror tropes that don't add up to much.
There is a similar problem with the core technology, Omnia. With recent advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality, it seems like Omnia could really exist. And it's great to see him do his thing, like when Hana first writes with her mind. The entire calibration process (11 exercises Hana must do, culminating in her needing to hurt herself while the device records it) adds a nice suspense, slowly raising the stakes while also making us uncomfortable with how realistic it is. . The movie manages to successfully accomplish the task of sticking a knife into her skin so that she doesn't seem so wild or crazy. After all, it is necessary to control when she experiences pain.
The problem is that that is what we are limited to seeing. The specificity of how this device actually works disappears after the initial calibration process, and Omnia simply becomes a few sleek green swirls on Hana's computer screen, a white clip on the back of her head, and a disembodied voice that talks and says vaguely sinister things like “Omnia is with you always” and “Omnia is a tool: it will only do what you ask.” Of course, there needs to be an air of mystery for the psychological thriller elements to work (for Hana question its reality), but it still feels like a huge missed opportunity to not delve into the fascinating intricacies of the technology itself. The film also fails to seriously explore larger themes, barely scratching the surface of topics like the dangers posed by it. AI could bring to our world or the impact of technology on mental health and socialization.
A large part of Latency's success depends on its lead performance, as the majority of the film sees Hana interacting alone with Omnia and her surroundings. Fortunately, Luss's performance is one of the standouts, as she is able to adequately hold the audience's attention even when she is the only one in the scene. Luss possesses the wide range required of her, oscillating quickly between paranoid and menacing, confident and terrifyingly terrified.
The film also does a decent job of showing agoraphobia, something that isn't often mentioned in the media. It's believable that Luss plays someone who suffers from this anxiety disorder, and her fear when there's a delivery man at the door is palpable. The film is also respectful in its depiction of her agoraphobia, taking it seriously and treating it as the crippling condition that she can be. It's heartwarming to watch Jen work to truly understand Hana and be there for her, accepting her limitations, supporting her by coming to cook, and gently nudging her toward healing.
While it's nice to watch, unfortunately, the dynamic between them is often hollow. There's a lot of potential there, especially with the fact that Hana is constantly called "already gone" while it's implied that Jen has more social popularity now, but that's never delved into or explored, nor is her story touched upon. passed significantly. shape. Instead, it sticks to jokes that fall flat and aren't authentic. It doesn't help that Ren isn't a particularly strong actress, something that's painfully and uncomfortably obvious next to Luss, and that she's never able to sell her clichéd one-liners or her stereotypically underdeveloped role as her best friend.
There's a nice twist at the end of the movie that somehow weaves everything together, effectively tying together Hana's past and present. The way the overall plot unfolds is clever, although some of the imagery is never satisfactorily explained. As a result, some of the scares seem to be there simply for shock value or because they look cool without really contributing to the character or story development. An overreliance on nightmares and repetitive flashbacks adds to this notion.
Latency is admirable because it tries to do a lot within budget and location constraints, and sometimes succeeds, especially when it comes to its core performance and some of the technology and visuals. Unfortunately, it focuses on the wrong aspects and seems to be working against her concept rather than for it. The film has the pieces and potential to be a brilliant character study and a glimpse into an exciting new world of technology and gaming. It's a shame it abandons this route to become a lazy and mediocre psychological thriller.
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