Sight Extended
A chronic agoraphobic caught in a mindset of failure which stems from the traumatic accident many years before which killed his parents and left him hospitalised for months, Patrick Barish has not left his apartment for forty-two days, his only contact with the outside world his well-meaning but not entirely helpful big sister Angela, his remote cold-calling sales job and his virtual therapy group, also well-meaning but not entirely helpful.
Patrick’s frustration apparent, he is approached outside of the group by one of the members who suggests something more positive which he says helped him greatly, the application called Refresh; initially dubious, Patrick relents and is overwhelmed by the results, gently but insistently encouraged and rewarded to expand his horizons, simple tasks such as tidying and cleaning escalating to outdoors excursions and activities, even considering the formerly unthinkable possibility of attending his high school reunion.
Expanded from the 2012 short film Sight, writers and directors Daniel Lazo and Eran May-Raz make their feature debut with Sight Extended, considering the interface of fallible humanity and apparently life-enhancing technology which can, depending on the circumstances of its unsupervised use, assist or dominate the user, overwhelming them and making them reliant on its support even as it challenges them to improve themselves.
Starring Andrew Riddell as Patrick, initially an object of pity his desire to do better in his life is as genuine as the damage done to him which prompted his situation, and with the visually enticing and joyful enhancement of mundane household chores mediated by Refresh he makes real yet believable strides, though as the surprisingly endearing adaptive program begins to micromanage more personal interactions the question rises of how much of the change in his behaviour is guidance and how much manipulation and misrepresentation.
A cautionary tale of technology and how need can leave even those who would otherwise be considered capable vulnerable to exploitive and subversive software, comparing himself to his former classmates whom happenstance brought a role as a travel blogger with thousands of followers rather than weeks in a coma, Patrick is precisely the kind of target that “Alex” (Phillip Andre Botello) is looking for, its sharp suit and confident attitude the camouflage worn by a scambot seeking a victim.
The production funded by Kickstarter, despite the modest budget Sight Extended effectively creates the enhanced reality of Patrick’s upgraded world with scarcely a frame unaltered by digital addition though the ambition and achievement are not without issues, the final act of Patrick’s badly handled personal crisis somewhat forced and his apparent redemption underserved though at least in keeping with the worldview of clean streets and clean skies where the only crime is virtual, an optimism admirable it not entirely convincing.
Sight Extended will be available on digital download from Monday 12th June
