WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Passing the time. Not always the most pleasant of experiences, is it? For most of us, we enjoy the company of others, intermixing, sharing, communicating, hopefully being enlivened or bettered by the interactions we participate in. Yet, what might occur when we suddenly find ourselves involuntarily isolated, made to NOT be able to connect in person with anyone, and then have to pass the time WHILE equally involuntarily being subjected to facing your faults–and those of others. What truths might be revealed? Stuck in their respective apartments, Stan (Michael Cuomo), Sally (Caroline Luft), Gladys (Kathryn Danielle), and Christine (Stacie Capone) are discovering the realities of their current situation as well as supposedly hidden past deeds via a computer-based chat, all being overseen by their online “host”–the enigmatic, seemingly omniscient, and deeply unnerving AI known only as GAL (voiced by Shari Berman). Will they come together in their needs for redemption, or fall apart under the weight of their own guilty conscious’?
Next, my Mind:
Please feel free to stop me if you’ve heard this one, folks. So, an accountant, a single mom, an elitist entrepreneur, and an activist walk into a bar—well, actually, find themselves trapped in their own spaces yet ultimately forced to converse and interact, reveal secrets, try to protect (or stringently deny) said facts, while being chided and manipulated by a mysterious AI that reminds us of HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Sound familiar? Well, perhaps not, but what we ARE introduced to in this 72-minute indie feature film from writer/director/editor Shari Berman is something that is anything but conventional and that paints an honestly disturbing and wholly accurate portrait of the state of society in the time of a certain, shall-remained-unnamed, highly infective agent while also creating an atmosphere that is darkly humorous, fully compelling, utterly evocative, in many ways intentionally provocative, and frankly this critic feels, delivers a wake-up call–dare I say a cautionary tale even–TO humanity to boot.
It is not remotely an understatement to say I was greatly surprised by the depth, engaging air, and sheer thematic scope of this effort that sees a small group of individuals representing varying classes, opinions, genders, political and religious views, and calmly or blatantly volatile attitudes stuck at home, throws them into a collective “like-being-in-after-school-detention” virtual soup that is a Zoom-style meeting (at least eventually. Watch the film to understand more!) and made to face their demons, all while being at the whim of a nefarious (or IS it, really??) technological “teacher” that more than has the reasoning and intellect we harbor fears about when it comes to our reliance on said devices in all their ever-growing myriad of forms. Saying this, the film’s relevancy to our contemporary age and the manner by which it is executed in order to so potently (yet, I felt, entertainingly as well) illustrate it to the very effective levels it ventures to is a stroke of indie cinema genius, and that ongoing testament to just how bold, unafraid, and creatively eccentric these filmmakers are.
It is a questioning of what we actually deserve vs. what we want wrapped in an expanding sea of topics that make us, most likely, have to begrudgingly admit how media manipulation, our own avarice, lack of true repentance when our sins our exposed, and the grander, unsettled nature of our existence both externally and internally are controlling us more than we realize. That brings us both a search for solace and meaning while combating discord, cynicism, living fantasy vs. reality, judgement, prejudice, and how easily we’re distracted/drawn away from what’s important yet refuse to fess up to it or face it in order to RIGHT it. Additionally, we are given a perspective of subjects like compromise, conformity, loss, coping, reconciling our childhoods, class gaps, the sacrifice of family for the sake of working, survivor’s guilt, bullying, being self-serving vs. genuinely compassionate to help others, racial division, and just a plethora of other concepts that do showcase just how much we resist change or think outside our proverbial boxes. It’s a necessary, sobering picture of who we are.
BUT, what I also love is that by the film’s final act, I will simply say that there’s an intelligently crafted ending that brings about the sense of hope for the world that we need, and it at least made this critic have to acknowledge just HOW needed films like this actually are, because they are willing to SPEAK at us, cause us to ideally look at ourselves and the condition of the world around us, and perhaps grasp onto a reminder that we CAN make changes, we CAN alter the state of things, but only IF we’re able to put aside so much of what poisons us rather than uplifts us in order to come together and discover those paths to walk as a unified entity that is humanity. Plus, there’s a clever twist thrown in as well involving a particular character that I thought was brilliant. The film’s imagery when breaking away from the four primary characters is both random and quirky, yet in context of what is being explored, ALL actually makes sense. Hard to really describe this without feeling like I won’t do it justice. Therefore, WATCH THE FILM and find out what’s what! AND–watch through the end credits, as it’s a stitch!
Ensemble casts are effective when they cohesively function viably together, and here, I perfectly feel they DID, as each character is in this “detention” for some form of mistake made in life, even when not conceding it. Cuomo lends an appropriately frantic, agitated, yet ultimately open to listen, learn, and change air to his role as Stan, a man reeling from a specific ghost from his recent past that he has not yet found the complete means to be free of. Burying himself in work and hobbies, his journey becomes one of desiring liberation from his fears and loss. Watching him come through it is tangibly believable. Luft is a mix of vulnerability, deep eccentricity, and a seemingly pure heart through her turn as Sally, a single mom who so desperately desires acceptance and to be noticed, sweet yet weighed down by her notion of being unloved. Even as she opens up to the others, it remains a strained road for her to navigate, though she makes attempts to be a more positive voice despite it all.
Danielle, for me, very much channels that hilarious-yet-serious haughtiness and alcohol-imbued attitude reminiscent of Jane Lynch’s character “Sophie” from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” through her role as Gladys, a hyper-wealthy woman who wants nothing to do with being used by GAL, much less suffer the opinions of anyone else. But, her journey has its own skeletons and injustices that get revealed, and watching the character come around is quite interesting, with Danielle eliciting the most overall laughs throughout the film because of the character’s manner. Capone provides us with both self-righteous angst and humbled resolve through her turn as Christine, a die-hard activist who puts forth a demeanor of wanting to do nothing but “support the cause” when it comes to helping others. But, is it really her goal, or are there other factors that drive her to more of a self-serving end? Her awakening is one of the more impactful moments as it is a rather shocking reveal, but it’s wonderfully perfect and Capone acts it with drive and bravado.
Finally, Berman really turns it on full tilt with beautifully influential strength and eerily menacing calmness through her voicework as GAL, the AI whose sole purpose is to moderate, comment on, and drive forward the proceedings with a calculated intent that just makes your skin crawl in many ways. But within this chip-driven world GAL inhabits, the unequivocal truths about each person’s life, bad choices, and the greater condition of the world rings with absolute verity, and it again makes me shudder to believe in such a “being” could actually exist. Think the recent TV show “Next” to get my point! Other appearances are made by Stephanie Bardavid and canine star Ethel Mae. So, in total, “Detention 101” is once more indie film pushing the boundaries, traveling well past mainstream, and depicting a style and form for filmmaking that’s meant to challenge the norm. Yet, as they are so adept at presenting, we’re given an account and viewpoint of what it is to be human–and heavily prompted to consider what REALLY needs a reboot–US. And maybe recognizing yet AGAIN why we should NOT allow AI to gain this kind of ability! Let’s come together instead, learn to agree and disagree civilly, and see a world truly altered for good.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
