Question reality

eXistenZ is the twisted fruit of writer/director David Cronenberg. From the opening title sequence the viewer is exposed to layered images of what looks to be organic matter; a hint of the ambiguity ahead.

The story opens on the first public test of the new game eXistenZ by globally worshipped uber-designer Allegra Geller. We're introduced to Geller and her bodyguard Ted Pykel in a strange assassination attempt which forces the two protagonists to flee into the even stranger countryside.

Nagging Pykel into playing eXistenZ with her creates level after level of false reality, echoed by the game levels. The tension escalates as romantic chemistry between them is revealed and complex double-crossing agents make appearances.

The cinematography is deliberately ambigous, again creating tension as the viewer and the characters become mired in confusion. Violence seems the only resort as their world descends into chaos. The SFX are smooth, clever and endlessly disgusting despite budget constraints.

Overall, I consider this to be a brilliantly constructed companion to The Matrix, expanding on the themes of reality versus virtuality and highlighting the ethical problems of living in such worlds.