Finding a hidden gem, you’d otherwise never stumble across, buried on a streaming service is surprisingly gratifying. There is so much content available right now and such heavy focus on what’s trending, finding some obscure Australian film from 2017 brings a unique kind of joy…maybe it’s just me. If you can imagine a mixture of Total Recall, Inception, and an episode of Black Mirror, then you’re in the neighborhood of Otherlife.
This was yet another sci-fi film that investigates how technology could be used to manage grief, but it came on the front end of the curve. A young programmer has created revolutionary biological software that offers fully-immersive synthetic memories and her company is about to go live. However, she’s still working on a secret project to use the tech to help her brother while her business partner tries to broaden the technology’s applications and secure funding.
Ben C. Lucas directed and co-wrote the screenplay that takes an unexpected narrative turn midway through the 96-minute runtime in order to explore the moral implications of some of the bio-tech’s applications. I didn’t think it was headed there but it drew an interesting parallel to modern tech companies and their responsibility in how their products are used. There’s also some intriguing commentary on corporal punishment woven in. Raising those kinds of questions is one of the key features in good science fiction and I’m glad Lucas, along with Kelley Eskridge and Gregory Widen, decided to make that a focal point of the script.
I didn’t recognize anyone in the cast but we got good performances from Jessica De Guow in the lead as Ren Amari. She’s got a Kate Beckinsale in Underworld thing going on but as a moody programmer rather than a vampire, if that makes sense. Her moral compass isn’t exactly pointing true North, but you don’t doubt her motivation and she’s convincing enough to make it work. T.J. Power plays the dick role exceedingly well as her business partner Sam. He’s not a conventional villain, but he’s just the right amount of smarmy to get under your skin and it goes a long way as the movie reaches the second act.
This movie isn’t heavy on VFX, but the visual effects add subtle depth to the storytelling. Same goes for the sets. There aren’t any crazy, elaborate set pieces but the design team gives you enough to keep it tangible and let your mind do the rest. There wasn’t any moment where budgetary restrictions took me out of the story or put the actors in jeopardy and there’s something to be said for movies that do that effectively.
It was nice to see a movie that aimed to refine the methodology and storytelling rather than reinventing the wheel, which is both difficult and unnecessary more often than not. I found a plethora of low-budget sci-fi options while digging through stuff buried on Netflix, but enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would.
Recommendation: If you want some cerebral low-budget sci-fi, this is a solid choice. Especially when browsing the Netflix library.