Broadcast Signal Intrusion - Film Review

Post

Subscribe

James works nights archiving videotapes at a television station in Chicago. When one of the tapes he is watching is interrupted by a strange figure and odd static noises he discovers that the incident was a Broadcast Signal Intrusion (BSI). When he tries to get hold of a tape of a similar incident where a BSI interrupted a science fiction show, he finds that the evidence has been seized by the Federal Communications Commission. James begins dreaming about the figure from the video and catching glimpses of a hooded figure watching him and following him in the street. When he learns that the incidents may be linked with the disappearances of several women, including his late wife, Hannah, he becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth.

Broadcast Signal Intrusion is a horror suspense film directed by Jacob Gentry (director of The Signal and My Super Psycho Sweet 16). It stars Harry Shum Jr. (Mike Chang from Glee) as James, and Kelley Mack (The Walking Dead) as Alice, the mysterious young woman who helps James in his quest. This film is slow-moving and deeply unsettling at times. In particular, the female robot figure, Sal-E-Sparks (James Swanton), is the stuff of nightmares. Jacob Gentry has stated that she was inspired by both the Tara the Android video from the early days of YouTube and the film was the Max Headroom Incident, an event in 1987 when unknown parties hacked the signals of two Chicago television stations.
The film is set in the 90s and has a Noir feel to the lighting and soundtrack. I liked the way not everything was spelled out for the viewer early on. For example, instead of any of the characters explaining Hannah's death in the first five minutes, the viewer is left to infer this from the women's coats hanging in the hall and James' obsessive watching of a video of Hannah. The latter put me in mind of Lenny (Ralph Fiennes) mooning over his ex-girlfriend Faith (Juliette Lewis) in the 1995 cyberpunk/noir thriller Strange Days. It's classic missing lover footage. However, much as I like movies that give the audience some credit, I wish the ending could have been less vague and unsatisfying. The mystery was fascinating, but I wanted to see it properly resolved.

Broadcast Signal Intrusion is a dreamlike, unsettling film that will leave you wondering what the heck you just watched. It is available to rent or own from AppleTV, Microsoft Store and Google Play in Australia & NZ and will also be available on BLU RAY from Amazon UK (Region 2).

#film_reviews
#fun_things_to_do
#misc
#movie_reviews
#pop_culture
%wneverywhere