STACK242

MOVIE FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

In a world where the line between reality and simulation blurs, director James Croke invites us to explore the darkest realms of immersive video game technology in Latency . Words Glenn Cochrane

T he film follows Hana, a reclusive gamer chosen to test cutting-edge technology that interprets her brain activity to create the

conclusion to that would be that it’s applied to gaming.” In the film, the lead character loses all sense of

“She really embraced the role,” Croke says. “We were lucky to have her onboard and she threw everything she had at it.” Despite its modest budget, this impressive independent film features digital effects and creature creations that rival those of

time as she becomes immersed in the game world - a feeling many viewers may find relatable.

ultimate gaming experience. As the lines between reality and fantasy blur, she becomes trapped in a dangerous struggle for survival. James Croke sat down with STACK to discuss the film and recalled when the idea first came to him. “I was reading a New Scientist magazine many years ago and there was an article about brain-computer interface technology that they were developing to use with epilepsy patients, and they talked about the possibility of using those devices to control computers. And I thought that the inevitable

“Actually, in the film, there are a lot of references to Tetris, and I was one of those people who just got terribly terribly hooked on Tetris ,” he says with amusement. “It’s actually a syndrome,” he explains, referring to the Tetris Effect. “Where you start seeing Tetris in the world around you, and I definitely suffered from that.” The film stars Sasha Luss ( Anna ), who is put through the wringer, both physically and mentally, giving a commanding performance.

Director James Croke

Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. “I come from a production design

background. I was able to bring my skills and communicate to the VFX team what it should look like. And I would Photoshop some pictures and say, ‘Can we make it look like this?’ You know, earlier I said it was a very fast shoot, well, it was a very long post-production to get all of the effects up to scratch.”

• Latency is out Dec 4

XX XXXXXXXX 2024

jbhifi.com.au