EMR film review

certificate_15

EMR

A plot-driven British indie thriller, the mysteriously titled EMR shows just what can be done with a low-budget if imagination and creative vision are allowed to the fore. There's plenty to be enjoyed in this zippy conspiracy theory effort by James Erskine and Danny McCullough even if the story is both familiar and at times formulaic.

Adam (Adam Leese) is a regular guy who works nine to five and lives away from his needy mother. He's a bit of a geek and has a cyber-relationship on the go with a San Franciscan named Lily. Adam's very ordinary existence is thrown into confusion, however, by a series of unsettling events, which may be dreams or which may actually be happening to him.

Much of the enjoyment of the film is guessing just where the inspiration has come from: it practically namechecks every paranoid conspiracy thriller in the genre from The Matrix to The Truman Show to Cypher, but what it lacks in terms of budget it makes up for with its relentless zeal which gives the film a good pace.

This is aided by a convincing lead performance by Adam Leese, who manages to encompass geek and hero and shows some promise. He would have benefited from some dramatic opposition though, as most of the other parts are very minor or lack credibility.

Nevertheless the redeeming features win the day, with some stylish cinematography and some genuinely unexpected shifts in the story which are extremely well portrayed: a scene on an aircraft carrier being one, but not the only, example. Despite its occasionally lazy dialogue, the Alex Garland feel cannot be denied as Adam's search for the truth becomes more and more difficult and fortunately his quest doesn't outstay its welcome.

Paul Hurley