By Jan Hamilton
A nice looking teen (Garrett Wareing) awakens to find that he has apparently killed his girlfriend in an alcohol or drug-induced haze. His rich beautiful mother (Abbie Cornish) takes him to the same rehab clinic where she was sent as a youth. It does not seem to be a typical clinic, as it’s located far from the city, in a lush tropical valley. The floor to ceiling windows of his spacious room overlook a fantastic view of mountains, forests, and two waterfalls.
His treatment consists of him choosing among a group of buttons with mostly indecipherable symbols. He chooses a button and his choice causes a device to cut out a square of flesh from his face and replaces it with a piece of skin-covered plastic. These implants are supposed to heal and fixed his disturbed mind, moving him towards perfection. After the treatments, he has strong visions–some of which are beautiful. As he replaces more and more of himself, he seems to get worse, with visions that are dark and sadistic. The audience is never quite sure what is happening and neither is the young teen. What will he become when the treatment is done?
This is a thrilling sci fi film that is visually beautiful, with a haunting, otherworldy feel to it. It is a tragic take on humanity’s pursuit of perfection.
Film Credits:
Director: Eddie Alcazar
Executive Producer: Steven Soderbergh, Flying Lotus,
Marco Vicini, Phil Hoelting, Matthias Koenigswieser,
Adam Silvestri, Rooter Wareing, Nikki Pederson
Producer: Eddie Alcazar, Javier Lovato
Screenwriter: Ted Kupper
Cinematographer: Matthias Koenigswieser
Editor: Gardner Gould
Production Designer: Calder Greenwood, Paul Rice, Greg Lang
Sound Designer: Unbridled Sound
Music: Flying Lotus
Principal Cast: Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto,
Maurice Compte, Abbie Cornish, Martin Sensmeier, Sarah McDaniel,
Chris Santos, Leonardo Nam, Regan ‘Busdriver’ Farquhar
Additional Credits: Costume Designer: Romy Itzigsohn,
Casting Director: AZ Casting Partners