...engaging and discerning culture, as a way of life...

August 14, 2007

eXistenZ - 7

David Cronenberg writes films dripping with meaning beyond the stories they tell, usually making commentary on contemporary culture. He goes deep into human psychology in both Dead Ringers and A History of Violence. Here, he explores the idea of virtual reality and how it changes how we perceive and act in reality. Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a game designer and an attempt is made on her life at a developers meeting. She survives and then invites her security/marketing rep (Jude Law) to get into the game to discover who is after her. As they go deeper into the game the line between reality and virtual reality gets more and more fuzzy. The film also engages in interesting questions about character, identity, and the ethics of the real and the virtual. And the film has a very intriguing and good twist ending. Hat tip to Gregory for the recommendation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Allegra does not invite Ted into the game to discover who is after her. They go into the game to test it is working. You obviously do not understand this film, I suggest you watch it more than once and perhaps look up the theories online before telling others incorrect information.