Jim Cummings is a film maker everyone should have eyes on. His 2 previous features are a must watch, and I’ll always check out anything he does. This time he’s sharing the directing and writers chair with first time feature writer and director PJ McCabe. The Beta Test is about a Hollywood agent called Jordan who receives an anonymous letter for a no strings attached encounter. This encounter leads Jordan into a new darker world filled with lies, infidelity and digital data. The film was made on a low budget, but it looks and feels like any other big budget film out there. That is due to Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe’s excellent directing. What could be a mundane conversation about getting a client becomes an enthralling scene with amazing inserts of information, energetic editing and great acting.
Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe also stared in the film, and they are simply great. The rest of the cast are also good, and I don’t think there is any bad performances. If there’s one thing I could critique, is I think the film is a bit to ambitious in terms of plot beats and due to that not every element really works. There are moments of surrealism which left me more confused than anything else. However even during the moments that didn’t land for me I was never once bored watching it, its engaging from the opening minutes and while it might not be for everyone, I really enjoyed it.
The Beta Test is in cinemas October 15th.
I also had the chance to interview the directors of The Beta Test, Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe. That interview can be found here.
Written By Robert Drever