We all have to make ends meet, even in the future. This future, however, is really just around the corner. It’s cable. That’s it. Everyone needs it, but cabling the world requires lots of people just running daily routes of cable across the countryside. Is it worth it? Is it safe? No time to think about it, you get paid for doing so if you’re too slow a robot might just gain the advantage. You’re not authorized to rest until they say you can.
Lapsis was written and directed by Noah Hutton. Ray Tincelli (Dean Imperial) works sketchy jobs to get his brother Jamie (Babe Howard) the medical attention he needs. To pay the bills, he’s forced to get in as a cabler. However, something has gone awry. His username is lifting a few eyebrows, he’s got all this points in his account and he’s getting longer and more compensating routes than an entry level employee should have. He also has to worry about robots outrunning him and taking his route.
Ray ends up in a trap and gets rescued by Anna (Madeline Wise) who’s quick to realize that Ray didn’t get into the business by legal means. Ray is using a username that belonged to a notorious cabler, one that could have the key that a rebellious movement of cablers needs to organize a full uprising. Although Ray is definitely not a model citizen, breaking the law has always been something he’s done to get ahead. Getting involved in a rebellion is a completely different thing.
This is a film about both our present and our future in an alternative but still pretty familiar economy. Big corporations depending on the hard work of independent workers is a reality that we live in now. The cablers are fighting for a better life and benefits such as health care which have been glossed over with the promise of potential greater gain in the long run. The only way they can get the big umbrella conglomerate to listen is to interrupt their steady flow of income.
Recommended with slight reservations. It’s not your typical science-fiction story but it’s a lot more relevant to our times. The ending is sort of the beginning of a story with a bigger picture, which might disappoint some viewers. I commend the filmmakers for using an unconventional protagonist with more of a self-serving focus which made it more entertaining and convincing. With a very solid take on alternative world-building and a more focused approach on the economical and political climate, this film is more than worth your time.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 