Review copy provided by Arrow Video.
Empathy, Inc really shocked me. Heading into this film I had no expectations. All I knew about the film was that It was about VR (virtual reality) in someway. So when pressing play I had no idea what the journey ahead looked like. Upon finishing it I was was honestly surprised and shocked about how much I enjoyed this film.
Empathy, inc is about venture capitalist Joel, who after a deal gone wrong, wants to be back on top. He is given an opportunity when an old friend asks him to invest in his new company Empathy, Inc. Which is a XVR (Extreme Virtual Reality) company who are offering a service which allows people to experience being in the life of someone less fortunate.
The plot may seem simple at first but as the film progress, the twist and turns the story takes are genuinely engaging and well written. I thought I had an idea where the story might go but as the film progressed all my ideas were thrown out the window. Honestly the best part of Empathy, Inc is its story, which for a sci-fi film is important. The film was presented in black and white which I felt gave the film a very nostalgic feel in the veins of old sci-fi films and shows like lost in space or the day the earth stood still. Even though the film is decently shot and presented, the black and white cinematography won’t blow you away.
The film is really solid overall and to be honest there was only one time I felt that the presentation was bad and that was at a dinner scene early on. At this dinner scene I felt it was hard to tell where all the characters were sitting at the table, for a long time I thought the dad was at the head of the table when in actuality he was next to his wife. But this dinner scene also highlighted how good the acting was. While yes it is debatable how good the parents in this film are. The main cast is really solid and their performances allow you to be sucked up into this world and be enthralled by its story.
Empathy, Inc to me felt like when you discover a newly released game which is flying under the radar, which hasn’t really been talked or heard about it but once you finished playing it, you realised you found something really special. To me this film is a diamond in the rough.
