Science fiction presents a theoretically infinite campus. When asked to imagine the future, a million people might develop a million different predictions. Science fiction authors frequently choose to settle in on the myriad ways evolving technology could revolutionize torture.Controloffers a sci-fi take on a classic torture horror scenario.
Choosing a common word for the title of a new work of fiction invites problems, especially when the first Google search result has some similar themes.Remedy’s outstanding 2018 gameControlhas nothing to do with James Mark’s film of the same name, despite both centering on a woman with psychokinetic powers. The stories have almost nothing in common, but this should serve as a reminder to always run a quick search before locking down a title.
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What isControlabout?
In astark, harshly-lit room, a woman named Eileen wakes up tied to a chair. Memories of a sunny beach and her daughter Eve fade to visions of dozens of armed men firing assault rifles. As she opens her eyes, a disembodied voice asks her to move a pencil. The task is relatively simple. The pencil sits on a table a few feet from where Eileen is restrained. The voice assures her that her young daughter will die if she fails. Eileen drags herself over to the table and moves the pencil. She’s swiftly incapacitated, waking up in the same chair a few moments later. She’s now chained to her seat and given the same challenge. She manages to escape the ties on her wrist, but she’s rendered unconscious again after succeeding. Her next challenge requires her to move a pencil on the other side of an impenetrable glass wall. As she panics and flails, the pencilseems to move on its own.
Eileen must undergo increasingly challenging tasks that swiftly seem impossible. Each time she’s rendered unconscious, she dreams of the same day at the beach with her daughter. After several tests, she finds her estranged husband, Roger. Trapped together, Roger discovers that Eileenpossesses incredible psychokinetic powers. She can’t control them, but the intensity of the moment and the threat of losing her daughter pushes her to succeed. Before long, Eileen pulls off impossible feats with her newfound psychic abilities. Eileen and Roger don’t know why they’re trapped, but their relationship remains volatile. It’s up to Eileen to find a way out of this nightmare with her family intact.
How doesControlend?
Spoilers follow forControl. The film is available for free on Tubi, Freevee,and YouTube for anyoneinterested. Eileen is distracted by Roger, who is quickly revealed as a terrible husband. Eileen’s flashbacks now include Roger, whose drinking problem and insecurity caused constant strife. A test requires Eileen to assemble, load, and fire a gun. During the task, Eileen and Roger fight viciously. Eileen’s newfound power alters her. She nearly kills Roger with the firearm but crushes the bullet in midair before it hits him. Eileen’s next task requires her to save Roger from a glass case as it quickly fills with sand. Her powers falter, and she desperately attempts to shatter the glass with a chair, but she can’t do it. Roger suffocates, and Eileen fails her task.
Eileen realizes that Eve’s life is now at risk. A group of armed men marches into the room to take Eileen away, but her rage and fear grant her an immense boost in strength. Eileen destroys the soldiers, easily deflecting their bullets and shattering their bodies. Eileen finally escapes the cell she’s been trapped in. Wandering through the mysterious establishment, she finds her husband, Roger. When she questions him, he revealsseveral identical clones justlike him, waiting to be used in Eileen’s tests. Eileen ventures forth into a blank room with a single spotlight. The voice echoes again, informing her that she’s passed every challenge. When she demands to see Eve, the voice explains that the entire game was a ruse. Eileen remembers Roger physically assaulting her that day at the beach. Her powers arrived suddenly, killing her husband and daughter. Devastated, Eileen can’t fathom going on without Eve. She refuses to leave. She demands to be tested again.The voice is happy to oblige. Her memories of the tests, the facility, and her daughter’s death are erased. She wakes up in the chair, and the process begins anew.
Controlis far from the most original film ever made. It borrows a lot fromCube, Saw,and a variety of old sci-fi classics. It’s not perfect, but it’s carried by a strong lead performancebyStar Trek: Discoveryregular Sara Mitich.Controlis about the shifting nature of power, the faults in memories, and the simple humanity of a failing relationship. It’s a grim experience that buries its catharsis in the bitter pill of surrender. Fans of claustrophobic, contained sci-fi horror films will loveControl.
