Empathy, Inc.

I recently watched Empathy, Inc, directed by Yedidya Gorsetman, about a futuristic world living in the height of technology. I love a good sci-fi film as well as when directors like Gorsetman make the audience take away an educational lesson too. In modern day society, technology is rapidly evolving at our fingertips. Empathy, Inc got me intrigued as I thought of the benefits and dangers of technology. With such well developed technology, virtual reality makes a person feel as if the simulation is realistic. The film made me wonder about the future of technology and how it can evolve in time. The thriller gave an insight, personally, to be more cautious and aware of what technology is capable of. I highly recommend Empathy, Inc as it personally got me intrigued what technology could be in the future. How realistic the simulation is.

Entertaining and mind boggling film Empathy Inc. provides a strong display of the duality of humanity and how it impacts and affects the human mind. After protagonist Joel (Zack Robidas) is laid off after investing in a multi-million-dollar deal, he finds himself at an ultimate low trying to make ends meet for him and his wife Jessica (Kathy Searle). Hopeless and disheartened, Joel agrees to do business with old acquaintance Nick in his new “revolutionary” extreme virtual reality business that gives users the opportunity to experience day in the life of the less fortunate. Although Joel is hopeful about his gamble investment, VXR begins to leave suspicious traces of evidence suggesting that the extreme virtual reality experience may have malicious intentions. Empathy Inc. illustrates the battle between mind and self when main character Joel pushes himself to the limit to gain back the wealth he once obtained. This film causes viewers to reflect internally while providing pure entertainment, I recommend the watch!

Empathy Inc. is a bold film that crosses genre lines to create a hybrid science-fiction neo-noir that is thoughtfully reflected in its aesthetic choices- especially the soundtrack. The film’s score, composed by Omri Anghel, does not distract the audience from the intense events occurring on screen but certainly does not go unnoticed. It has an 80’s synth feel to it but is also very staccato, creating a tension in the audience and a robotic essense that compliments the transcendent technology that plays such an integral role in the film. The music paired with the monochromatic color scheme makes watching the movie feel both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time, a harmonious balance that lends itself to the longevity of this movie in the audience’s memory.

The acting within sci-fi thriller Empathy, Inc. was exceedingly engaging. Casting director, Harley Kaplan, and director, Yedidya Gorsetman, clearly made the right choices when casting the actors for this film. Main protagonists Joel (Zack Robidas) and Jessica (Kathy Searle) have wonderful on-screen chemistry as a seemingly ordinary suburban couple that quickly become not so ordinary. These two actors beautifully acquire the persona of other characters as body-switching takes place unexpectedly throughout this VR, tech plot. Both Gorsetman and the actors cultivate a seamless performance of body and soul transitioning that ultimately acts as a cinematic effect in itself. This thrilling indie with impressive acting is surely not one to be overlooked.

Empathy, Inc. is a suspenseful, neo-noir film that is uniquely shot in a monochromatic style with dark cityscapes. The choice of incorporating tilted dutch angles created an atmosphere of anxiety and gave me a signal that things were about to get intense. Yedidya Gorestman’s thrilling decision to do this made me feel like anything could happen. The protagonist, Joel, is a hungry venture capitalist who will do anything for money, including risking a million dollars of his own father in-law’s retirement money for a start-up company called XVR – meaning “extreme” virtual reality. I originally thought his wife, Jessica, would be the dangerous femme fatale; but instead, it was Joel’s greed that led him into the most ambitious investment of his life. As a neo-noir and thriller fan, I highly recommend this film.

Empathy, Inc. dives deep into the influence that technology can have on a person’s mind. Joel, an entrepreneur who has been beaten down by the failure of a company, is introduced to a new extreme virtual reality technology that can put someone into the mindset of another person. This technology involves all of the human senses, including touch. As the film progresses, the psychological difficulties that the characters experience become more and more critical. When reality is messed with, the line between what is real and fake becomes blurred. As the characters are experiencing confusion, director Yedidya Gorsetman uses clever camera movements and a subjective point of view to make the audience confused right alongside the characters. Empathy, Inc. constantly had me questioning every part of the film, making it easy to be engaged the entire time. I recommend this film not only for its unique plotline, but for how it can have an effect on a viewer’s mind.

What a nice surprise. I can't say enough how much I loved this film. I always comb through iTunes looking for fun stuff, mostly it's bad if not entertaining. But this... What a great find. What a fantastic film. What a great idea and story. Beautifully shot in black and white. This is a great example of not needing a huge budget to tell a great and scary story. It kept me up last night for a while, and I'm watching it again tonight to see if I missed any clues. It's like a movie-length Twilight Zone episode. I have a feeling that the people who made this are headed for bigger things. At least I hope they are. Because I want them to do more. This was my favorite surprise of the year.

I felt that the irony created by director Yedidya Gorsetman in his new thriller Empathy Inc. created a whole new level of origninality within this film. Gorsetman made the choice to film in black and white while the film was based entirely around a new advanced technology, which lends itself to ambiguity in the time period its set in, adding to the eerie tone. Along with the monochromatic filming, the entirety of the film discussed a new, advanced virtual reality technology that would be consistent with technological developments from today or even in the future. I think this use of irony was genius and really added to the confusion and suspense I felt while waiting for the whole story to unravel. Empathy Inc. is definitely a must watch.

Director Yedidya Gorsetman does a fantastic job implementing a horror twist on the traditional sci-fi thriller in Empathy, Inc.,. Throughout the film, Joel (Zack Robidas) questions the disastrous mistakes he’s made in life that have led him to this point-- this is an underlying theme ultimately leading to a continued chain of horrendous events. Due to Mark Lieder’s thought-provoking screenplay, this film left me questioning everything I once thought I knew about myself and the people around me-- Is anyone really who they say they are? This film provided me with causation to question life as I know it with its twists and turns that kept me invigorated from start to finish-- be sure to add this insightful film to your movie-watch list, but be prepared to see the world differently afterward!

Thanks to the talented cinematographer Darin Quan, Empathy Inc. is an electrifying sci-fi thriller that uses advanced filming techniques to immerse you in the story itself. The film focuses on Joel (Zack Robidas), who is investing in a virtual reality startup company in an attempt to establish himself after losing his job, but things take a turn for the worse when he uncovers the true use for the technology. The use of fall off lighting in certain scenes intensifies the already exciting thriller by conveying how ominous and serious the setting is. Darin Quan’s further use of this, and other lighting techniques such as the absence of fill and background lighting, does a great job of conveying to the viewer the unsettling feeling that something is not quite what it seems. As a lover of thrillers, this film was one of the most exhilarating thrillers I have seen in a while, which is why I recommend that you see Empathy Inc.