Control: O Poder da Mente

No pun intended - the movie that some may call a Cube knockoff (I wonder if there was something that inspired Cube back then?) ... and they are not completely wrong if you are honest with yourself. We wake up with the main character and we are as confused as she is. The initial surprise and really tight tension wear off though ... as time goes by.

While the movie seems to be able to add new nuggets (of information and otherwise), is it enough to keep you engaged towards the end? I would think that many will slowly lose interest ... it remains decent! And the ending may very well sway you to vote better than I did ... but is it really? The action is nice but sort of repeats itself towards the end - well no pun intended, right? Life is not a circle ... and we need to have an ending to things ... even if it means we have not moved forward ... at all!

There were good ideas in here, but basically the writer and director were not up to the task of producing a good movie. For example: the subject/lead is quite emotional and animated during the first 2/3 of the movie and during the last 10 minutes. But, during "phase 3" they had the actress walk around deadpan like Bride of Dracula. It was genuinely embarrassing.

The action scenes toward the climax literally repeat. If they did one more close up of her contorting hands, I would have stopped watching. I guess they didn't have the money or creativity to make something progressive and interesting?

To be fair, there are some engaging elements too, but- blah.

A young woman awakens in a stylish prison with no memory except for when she sleeps. Eileen played by Sarah Mitich, sees herself and her daughter in her dreams at a beach singing the same lullaby over and over again. An analog-sounding Alexa-type computer that appears to lack AI has monotone one-way answers to the questions which Sarah Mitich asks.

The computer forces her to complete tasks that become impossible to do without using Sara Mitich's psychokinetic powers, which Sarah learns to control over agony, distress, and fear whilst attempting to achieve the expected result of the test. She's threatened by the dormant Computer with the life of her child.

The cinematography is very good, and Sarah Mitich's acting is very believable. Her husband played by George Tchortov is a bit wooden but he is playing a comatose character.

A creative low budget film misses its marks. If you were to fast-forward Sarah Mitich's dream scenes you wouldn't miss anything. For example, the lullaby repeated often does not tie to anything.

I think that the film is still worth watching. The concept is Interesting.

A very basic story of a woman with memory loss who wakes up in some sort of secret research facility and is forced to use telekinesis.

Obviously very low-budget, but nonetheless reasonably well-produced (it never feels super cheap) that takes place almost entirely in a single room, with just two main actors.

There is surely(?) no way that the title is coincidental with the 2021 Remedy video game "CONTROL" that has a similar premise (about a woman who has to use telekinesis to escape/liberate a facility). The protagonist here even looks a bit like the video game counterpart. Clearly wasn't officially licenced though, since the connection is not in the credits.

The acting is fine for the most part, although there are only three cast members (wife, husband, daughter). The special effects are serviceable and do what is required without being flashy.

It's a take it or leave it type of rating here; for most people there will be much better things to watch than this.

Sometimes these CUBE (2004) knockoffs really work, they engage your curiosity and suddenly you, the viewer find yourself going through the puzzle with the main characters. See also EXAM 2009, another under-rated entry in this genre, which is also a superior example. CONTROL 2022 is a hit and a miss. The torture for the first 60 minutes is just as effective on the audience as it is on the protagonist. Sara Mitch gives it her all, but even effort and good intentions cannot overcome a soggy script and a minimal budget. Not recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))