Review of Creative Control (2016) by Joshua B — 11 May 2016

Google Glass in Manhattan.

These days when we think of Virtual Reality glasses, we think of Google Glass. The premise of Creative Control is that another (smaller) company called Augmenta comes up with a competing pair of VR shades and hires a Manhattan ad agency to get the word out about their product.

About halfway through this film I realized that this was basically a Woody Allen film, except more hip. The parallel between Woody Allen movies and this film is made stronger by the fact that the protagonist David is portrayed by Benjamin Dickinson, who is also the director. Also important is that the movie takes place in Manhattan. These people could exist nowhere else.

The film has a lot to say, and some parts are really funny. It moves at a fast pace- if I blinked I might miss something important. However it was difficult to care about these people- no one seemed likable. Ultimately the science-fiction elements concerning Virtual Reality are subsumed into a story about unrequited love. David falls in love with his best friend's girlfriend. This involves keeping his feelings hidden from his actual girlfriend and his best friend. What to do? He retreats into Virtual Reality and creates an avatar of the woman he is smitten with, Sophie (Alexia Rasmussen).

If you're looking for a movie that explores the impact Virtual Reality glasses will have on society, this isn't the film for you. The Virtual Reality glasses are almost a side issue. What it's really about are these unlikable Manhattanites, their careers, and their loves. If you're interested in these people and/or live in Manhattan, this film might appeal to you. The movie is beautifully shot in Black & White, and it's worth watching just because of the cinematography. Some of the jokes are funny (I especially liked the send-up of Yoga) but towards the end of the film I was wishing it to be over. I had ceased to care about the main character. His life seemed implausible, perhaps because I don't live in Manhattan and/or perhaps he's not portrayed with a lot of depth.

Creative Control does raise an interesting question- Will mature adults get confused about where Virtual Reality ends and where Real Reality begins if Virtual Reality glasses become ubiquitous? The film answers with a resounding "Yes!' and shows how tenuous some people's connection to Reality is even without VR glasses. The main character swallows handfuls of futuristic-looking pills, drinks a lot, and inhales a smokeable anti-anxiety medication called Phalinex. The film makes the salient point that Virtual Reality glasses will push some people over the edge. It would have been a better film if it had not softened this point at the very end!

To sum up, this is an entertaining and well-written film that's beautifully lensed. Will such a Manhattan-centric film play in Peoria? It's Dickenson's first film and a good debut- but I don't think it's going to find a large audience.