Lapsis

Ok, so it's a scifi, but really it's a commentary on how technology controls humans for work and every day life. Coming from the UK, the country with the highest surveillance in the world, as well as having the situation off being unfairly charged 20,000 dollars for an education course that was supposed to be free, and which contributed to me leaving the UK because I could only ever talk to call center guys that new nothing, it seemed very relevant and powerful.

But back to the film. The characters are great, the story build intrigue and it was an original concept. Glad I watched it. Not great for action and it's not futuristic. Some avenues of the plot seemed unexplored, but I recommend it to educated adults, especially cynical adults. Definitely not for kids and not a fun movie. Could have been dull if the actors had been rubbish, but they weren't.

Watch this if you are interested in the effects modern society has on us, and like scifi which is a commentary on modern times. Original and really quite daring to so such a film which doesn't revolve around holywood cliches nor is arty or avante guarde.

The Writer-Director of Lapsis, Noah Hutton, is the savvy heir to the throne of Tim Hutton and Debra Winger, two of the Hollywood elite of the last generation. Therefore, it should by all means disqualify him from achieving any success as a Writer or Director. I should write a negative review just in the hope of stopping him from taking on a bigger and more influential presence in the film industry.

In this case, however, he is redeemed substantially by providing us with an original concept, a well-written screenplay, unknown cast and a troubling alternative universe. None of this should have happened, but because it did, Noah Hutton deserves praise for a job well done and congratulations for his bright future in this industry.

In another life, Noah might have played his parents' connections to the extent that the result would have been worthless. However, he has exceeded that level of achievement and is the pleasant recipient of an indescribable satisfaction, the kind of result that comes from a deep understanding of the nuances of story and directing, a rare achievement for a young person of any lineage.

Since I had no preconceived notions about the storyline, I went into this blindly, and was amazed that I felt as compelled as I did to follow the main plot to the end. Although none of the actors was recognizable, everyone performed their roles well, and every word that was uttered seems to have been arrived at naturally.

The basis of the story is that there is a technology known as "quantum computing" that is similar in some way to 5G and the population is similarly paranoid about it as many are about 5G towers. The way the Quantum tech is executed is through having ordinary people string cables through miles of wilderness areas to provide the access to the so-called "quantum" technology and it is up to desperate people to run the miles of cable through the wilderness to various cubes of this unknown technology -- again, very similar to 5G, albeit much more insidious.

The central character, RAY, is a chubby schulb who is hired to run cable through miles of forest, and finds out halfway through that he has been given a false name to use on the job which causes everyone to distrust him. Thus, the mystery is born. What is the significance of the name? What is the hidden cost of the technology? He undertakes a mission with a high payout, to run cables for many miles, and is slowly educated by a woman he meets on the trail named Anna, who reveals some part of the mystery what the name he was given really means.

All through the screenplay we are left trying to decode the various clues that are dropped without much success, until we reach the point where several loose threads are tied together near the end. There is a moment of triumph, but in the back of our minds, the triumph is very much a false one. The corporate entities that are the villains of the story are there, and. as in real life, they have a stranglehold on the brave new world of Lapsis.

Lapsis is one of those films that makes you think. One that will be a classic in time due to its quirkiness and story. The normal story of a many named ray who joins a mysterious company that pulls cables for the quantum computer. It starts off normal until he starts to notice things and unravels a mystery that drives you deep. The cast and director both did great. Its a well written and acted film that although strange it makes fun a fun watch.

The concept of the story was really innovative with lots of commentary on gig economy workers. And how they're often taken advantage of. But I think much of the film was supposed to be satire. And if it was, it failed at making that clear. There were so many absurdities and plot holes that would have been fine if it was clear that it was satire. But it was always hard to tell.

Coincidentally, the week before seeing this, I watched Ordinary People (one of my favorite films) from 1980. It starred a young Timothy Hutton, who would go on to be the father of the director of this movie. Small world.

Ultimately, a nice try. But it needs a tone that's a little more clear.

Documentary/short filmmaker Noah Hutton scored, wrote, edited and directed this genius little out-of-the-ordinary minimalist sci-fi gem. It's a weirdly smart, very low-budget alternate universe sci-fi social satire, that was so well directed, shot, scored and cast, you actually feel engaged that you're in this Nolan-esque parallel universe.

Dean Imperial's performance excellently portrayed that (alternate universe) 1980's blue-collar worker struggling to make ends meet, that's willing to take risks to get ahead. The upstate NY forest setting was well used and shot. What really impressed me was how perfect Hutton's score was. It was right up there with the eeriness sound in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Had his score not been that good, the viewer may have been unconvinced of this alternate universe, and that this was a simple cheaply done low budget film in a forest.

What sadly failed this film, was better/faster pacing, and a shorter runtime of its 108 mins, that felt much longer. There just wasn't enough substance to fill the runtime, and the pacing made it that much more aggravating. There were many irrelevant and long dragged out/unnecessary scenes, with plot and technical issues. What made it worse, is that Hutton did such a great job keeping you engaged and in suspense enough to hang on until the end, that ultimately failed to deliver anything satisfying to his audience to make the ending worth waiting for.

Nevertheless, it's a good one-time-viewing film. It may not be for everyone, and really, it wasn't for me, as I'm an adrenaline and action junkie, but I also do appreciate unique and great filmmaking, and Hutton delivered that - on a very low budget.