Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Rob W. King, Defiant Screen Entertainment.
Cast: Christine Ricci, John Cusack, Vicellous Shannon, Brendan Fletcher.
Regarded as a ‘slick and gripping psychological thriller’, Distorted shows when the threat is real … it is not paranoia.
This is a suspenseful story about a disturbed woman, who moves into a high-tech ‘smart building’, with a history of mental illness and concern from her husband and psychiatrist.
It’s a familiar film intrigue: after an ordinary woman uncovers a plot against her, the question is whether it’s all in her head — or is it real? Can the building be manipulating her?
Lauren and Russell Curran (Ricci, Fletcher) decide to move away from the bustle of the city and into the peaceful oasis of the Pinnacle, a luxury building that boasts ultramodern design, advanced security systems and state-of-the-art features.
It’s not long, however, before Lauren begins to experience alarming and unfathomable occurrences which lead her to believe the building has a dark side.
Once the suspicion sets in that something is not quite right with the building, Lauren seeks help from investigative journalist Vernon Sarsfield (Cusack), who has an interest in cyber conspiracy. Together, they come to believe that the Pinnacle may be ‘brainwashing the unsuspecting residents’.
Lauren does cope with her bipolar disorder with medication until she starts imagining that she’s seeing people ‘coming’ for her. Or is she? Is it really happening? Even words flash across her television screen. Of course, Russell cannot see any of this. So, this is the key to a bit of the anxiety: is the husband complicit in his wife’s exploitation?
Here, King succeeds admirably by demonstrating Lauren’s puzzlement through visual technique for clearness.
Together, Vernon and Lauren set out on a treacherous, ‘mind-bending crusade to uncover a mind control operation that delivers some devastating consequences’.
After all, we should fear the truth — not the lies.
