Streamer (2017)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Jared Bratt, Tanya Lee, Brennan Pedde
Directed by Jared Bratt and Vincent Pun
Obsession can be a very slippery slope, especially when the particular subject that one could be obsessing over is the opposite sex, and with the advent of social media, there really isn’t a way to keep oneself out of eyeshot, unless you abandon the notion of cyber-footprints completely. Streamer, the latest film from co-directing team Jared Bratt and Vincent Pun, gives an intimate and ultimately disturbing glimpse into the life of one man who takes simple fascination way too far.
Bratt (pulling double-duty here), plays 28 year old Jared, a man who for many of his adult years, has never been able to maintain a relationship of any firmness – nice fella, I’m sure, but when it comes to the ladies, he’s got a way of making the gals feel a bit uncomfortable…and that’s me being kind about the subject. During his many hours of downtime, he latches onto the webcams of online girls and their revealing channels – exactly what this guy does not need, but it’s where he first becomes acquainted with “Ivy” – even more unsettling is that Jared finds out that she resides in his very apartment building…Houston, we’ve got a problem. Just when Jared’s somewhat fringed psyche begins to believe that he could potentially have a chance with the girl, reality sets in and he’s relegated to just another soul that’s been encountered online.
This is where a damaged mind begins to stray off of the reservation even further, and Jared at times is simply unwilling to accept this unfavorable decision. Bratt uses a solemn yet restrained tactic to keep his character from fully blowing a gasket, yet we feel his pain at points, regardless of whether or not his character is in the right frame of mind. The pacing here is what acts as a very heavy anchor in this film, as far too many instances are dragged down by little or no dialogue, and this technically cannot be filed under the scope of horror, or even thriller for that matter. This presentation is a solid character study that relies on heavily dosed scenes of dramatic overtones – you don’t have to hack and slash to prove you’re of a warped mind, but I have the feeling that some horror fans won’t want to follow along with this one for too stretched out of a spell. Overall, the film is adequately constructed (aside from the drag-points), well acted from all players, and a fantastic admonition to opening yourself up online, strictly because you never know who is watching.
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Film
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