Alteration (Jerome Blanquet, 2017) France

Reviewed by Bryan Austin Gillison. Viewed at the AFI Film Festival 2017.

.The plot of this virtual reality film was very well suited to the experience itself. I was impressed with the all around nature of the construction. It’s a real trip to have things going on at all times 360 degrees around you when one is so used to the picture frame. The premise of the film surrounds an individual that has submitted himself to testing in order to gain money to support his budding family. We are equally immersed into his lived reality and the dream scape that results from the experiments that are performed on his mind.

A lot of the effects in this film feel very low-fi, or amateur when the fabric of the experiment’s illusion begin to fall to pieces. I find that I get why the director would choose such an effect, but am displeased with the resulting art. It makes sense that a malfunctioning computer would begin to look like simple PhotoBooth effects on a Mac laptop, I just wish something more stylized and controlled had been sourced for these scenes.

The plot was beguiling and suspenseful. It’s a timely theme considering many people in our modern society give up their health or wellbeing in an attempt to provide for their family. Each actor did a fabulous job of engaging with the material and convincing the audience of their love, fear, and hopes. I found that the actress that performed the part of the AI was appropriately intrusive, naive, and inquisitive.

The experience of being in a public space with little to no awareness of it was quite concerning to me. I was fearful and on edge because of that vulnerability and I’m not sure how the roll out of such devices might remedy this concern. Maybe they will be for individual sale into homes? Maybe there will be  booths or small locked rooms for individuals in place of large theatre settings.

There is a lot that can be said about the importance of the rotating, vibrating, and shifting plane effects the chair I was seated in created. The seat was also quite stylish: a metal pod with a rich red velvet lined interior. The futuristic nature of the film was highlighted by the fact that the seat appeared to have originated from the world it was created for.

Now, just a short bit on nepotism. I Honestly don’t believe Bill Skarsgård would be receiving rolls like this if it were not for his relation to his older brother. His performance was fine, but I can’t help but wonder if we might all benefit from a variety of voices instead of the same small group of wealthy families consistently gracing the screen, all looking exceptionally wealthy white and thin.

Overall I found it to be really fun. I doubt I could tolerate this experience for an hour. The 20 minute run time did become noticeably long.