WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What is it to alter reality? More specifically, how much do we find ourselves longing for any possible chance to erase a mistake, or rework events to our ultimate benefit? Yet, if this opportunity would actually exist, does it become the solution to life’s issues or lead to inexorable shifts in our path that might never be finite, but ever unfolding? App programmer Brian (Kieran Mulcare) experiences current stormy seas in his relationship with Amanda (Alison Barton). Having seen their fire die, Brian chooses to utilize a physical and digitally-based tool called Olfactory which allows its user to re-create memories. Apparently turning to this “crutch” more often than is intended, Brian consistently goes back to the start of he and Amanda’s relationship when it was fresh and new.
However, having also discovered a way to hack the system Olfactory is hosted through, Brian’s use of the reality-warping capability it presents starts to have unanticipated effects. As he continues to press on in a desperate bid to change he and Amanda’s actuality, Brian then begins to be tormented by visions of his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Molly Camp), therefore dealing with being reminded of all the errors he made with her, while now trying to shut her out of his head forever. But, the further he delves into the past via Olfactory, the more Brian’s present circumstances commence to twist and fray until soon there is no sense of time or reality, all leading to a startling revelation.
Next, my Mind:
Get ready to have your entire notion of time–the past, present, and questionable future–turned inside out, upside down, and every other direction when scrutinizing co-writer/director/executive producer/editor Christopher Piazza’s 25-minute short film effort that will certainly appeal to fans of deeper, stimulating, mind-bending sci-fi explorations. For this reviewer, on certain levels, it reminded me of a smaller scale “Inception” via the focus on keeping the viewer constantly on edge as to what exactly is real and what is Olfactory-induced illusion while likewise being utterly engaged in trying to ascertain the ultimate fate of Brian’s eccentric, harrowing, disturbed journey to “fix” what he feels is wrong with his present state of affairs.
Additionally, beyond all this surface craziness, it’s a narrative that speaks with profound clarity about the potency of choice and addiction, the ramifications of attempting to amend the past by revisiting it over and over, thinking it will improve a given situation, which ends up causing an even more damaging impact on not just our own present, but that of any others caught up in its wake. Soon, all sense of the present is shot, replaced with a chasm of chaotic occurrence, fractured “truth”, and potentially permanent emotional emptiness with no tangible resolution to grasp onto. This may be fiction, folks, but there’s very feasible, applicable validity to what’s portrayed here.
Mulcare is excellent in his role as Brian, an everyman pushed to particular limits when it comes to happiness in his relationship with the woman he loves. The stalling of anything new and exciting between them drives him routinely back to his means of “escape”, each time aiming to re-experience the joy of their first days together, getting that dose of an almost utopian ideal he desires to keep. Yet, as is often the case with addiction, his sense of what’s real gets completely undermined by the dependency on Olfactory and its effects, even despite previous warnings about misusing it. In his growing distress to correct and transform his world, it becomes a rabbit hole of further mental isolation, which Mulcare showcases with poise and effective, emotive delivery.
Barton presents a strong enactment of Brian’s girlfriend Amanda, a beautiful young woman who’s captured Brian’s heart fully, making a mutual promise with him that they will never let things become stale between them. Feeling her understandably volatile reactions to Brian’s increasingly erratic behavior is a palpable force, thanks to the realism and believability Barton brings to the character. Likewise, Camp brings to bear an equally affecting performance as Brian’s ex, Rachel, whose jilted and angry demeanor towards him is demonstrated with fervor each time she “appears” to him during an Olfactory-triggered episode. It provides the viewer with more insight into what had occurred between them before his leaving her while also projecting her very direct thoughts about Amanda. Yet, it is the hallucinogenic nature of her presence that lends weight to events, and Camp just nails it.
Supporting turns are made here by Eric Rizk as a YouTube-based “reference guide” Brian turns to when it comes to knowing just how far he can push the Olfactory system, even if it means more risk to him, and Sara Ruth Blake as Mya, the initial individual we also see via Brian’s computer screen, who introduces us to the more safe means to use Olfactory. With it’s intelligently written story, smoothly executed visual presentation, skilled acting, wicked twists, and sobering message highlighting the consequences of trying to make everything perfect by less than perfect means and the high price paid for it, “Olfactory” is a fantastic piece of indie sci-fi filmmaking that very much deserves consideration by the masses in order to be another showcasing of what indie filmmakers are up to and the worthwhile material they are gifted to provide us with.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Thanks for the kind words, Brian. Really well written.
Kirk *** Sorry my brain must be Olfactorying