Sometimes I watch a movie and I am confused, but usually by the end of the movie I have a better understanding. Other times I watch a movie, for example: Lost Highway (1997) by director David Lynch and the by the end of the movie I am still searching for meaning. Sequence Break (2017) whilst artistically closer to a Chroneberg film such as Videodrome with its body horror is perhaps in terms of meaning closer to a Lost Highway, at least it certainly lost me along the way. That said you don't have to fully "understand" something to appreciate it, sometimes not understanding allows you to delve deeper, and look for "hidden" meaning.
Many years ago for a short time I studied English literature at a college. You would be told to give your interpretation of let's say a poem, and you would be told your interpretation is never wrong. Then I would duly oblige by giving my interpretation only to be marked down as it was not correct. As a result I quit. Interpretation of someone's movie (art) should not be a popularity contest, and with that in mind I now give you my interpretation of this movie.
On face value the plot is essentially a love story. Girl meets boy, boy meets girl. The difference between this movie and a more conventional love story is how the love story unfolds. The love story happens in the midst of uncertainty within the life of the male lead. Oz fixes arcade machines, a dying profession as arcades have made way for home gaming. He goes to work one morning to be told by his boss that the business is dying and that it will soon close. Oz has wanted to design video games but is caught in the work, sleep, work type pattern most people get caught in. That same morning a girl by the name of Tess strolls into their shop and instantly shows an interest in Oz. Prior to this a mysterious man leaves a circuit board in the shop. Oz finds it and installs it into a blank arcade machine. The game speaks to Oz in some sense, urging him to play the game, a game that reminded me of asteroids, with changing symmetrical patterns. As Oz spends ever increasing time playing the arcade machine becomes flesh like, and the act of playing becomes one of sexual desire as fluids ooze from the machine. Will the game possess him or will he break the sequence.
There are a couple of different themes running through this movie. One of them is the fear of change, of breaking the pattern, and of sentimentally clinging to the past. He doesn't own a mobile phone and he is working in a dying industry. He has a regular job, and like so many others he is scared to break away. Having worked in various roles I can say with certainty that change is not welcomed. People would rather be miserable than take a risk and do something potentially more rewarding. The other theme is the contrast between his relationship with Tess, it is sweet, cute, romantic but does not appear overly based on sexual desire. They share common interests, soul mates? By means of the body horror of the sexual desire every time he plays the arcade game we are given the contrast between love and sex. I would hazard a guess that in every mans life he comes to the point where moving from woman to woman based on sexual desire gives way to finding your soul mate. Finding some woman to have sex with then move on does not change your life, the pattern remains the same. Finding your soulmate, getting married and having children changes everything. The bulk of this movie revolves around these two themes and the struggle is represented by means of comparison with and contrast to the arcade machine with its symmetrical patterns.
The movie owes a lot to Chroneberg but aspects of the lighting remind me of Argento. This is a micro budget movie but it keeps things focused by using a small cast and limited locations. The acting is generally of a decent standard and the body horror aspect is well executed. One of my main criticisms is that the relationship between the two central characters happens so quickly it seems almost too perfect, and makes it harder to believe in the roles as lovers. The movie also lacks clarity in terms of expressing the themes, particularly in the middle portion of the movie. Of course these are just my interpretations.
The movie is well worth watching but is perhaps more of a sci-fi love story with horror elements as opposed to a straight up horror movie.
6 out of 10.