The Beta Test
The more he projects confidence and success, the less Hollywood agent Jordan Hines feels the attributes he strives to convey to others, eager to sign new talent to the books but disparaging associates in the same breath that he praises those he wishes to impress, suffering from ulcers and secretly smoking between meetings where slogans and predatory business practices are the order of business; when something goes wrong, it’s always someone else to blame. Welcome to The Beta Test.
With only weeks to go until his wedding to Caroline Gates, invites need to be issued but Jordan receives his own unexpected invitation in a custom purple envelope for a no-strings anonymous encounter with a stranger in a hotel room; initially torn, through the pressure and circumstances of work a response is sent but the afternoon of delight is swiftly followed by guilt and suspicion: who sent the invitation, who knows about his infidelity and what will the cost be?
Written and directed by Jim Cummings and P J McCabe who also star as Jordan and his best friend and co-worker P J, The Beta Test is a black comedy thriller where the opening scene of the confession of a previous recipient of an identical invitation demonstrates how extreme reactions can be when someone’s life is turned upside down in a moment.
Similar to Cumming’s character in The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Jordan is in a spiralling collapse so intense it is at times difficult to watch even as it is impossible to look away, his life dissolving in a deluge of Pepto Bismol, nicotine and bad decisions which have consequences far beyond what might have been expected as he attempts to identify the reason he was chosen and the individual behind it.
Would it be more distressing to find out he was targeted specifically or that he was an entirely random victim of circumstance? A tale of tangential connections and their disproportionate influence which reminds of The Box, Jordan’s confession to P J leads to a cooler head assessing the data to position the film less as a cautionary tale of the downfall of an arrogant individual but a much broader warning: personal information is power and a doorway to manipulation.
A parade of paranoia and imposter syndrome, attempting to wear a mask of normality for Caroline (Virginia Newcomb) even as his mind is constantly elsewhere and his behaviour becomes more erratic, Jordan’s early mistakes in his investigation may offer lessons but the only thing he learns is how to be a more terrible human being, The Beta Test one he is likely doomed to fail.
The Beta Test will be streaming on Arrow from Thursday 11th March
