Making Its World Premiere at Whistler Film Festival on Nov 30. For tickets, please visit the link here.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Zoe.mp4 is the title. Most digital videos are encoded in either the mp4 container format or MKV; and to put anything into a digital document can be unsettling, since anyone can look at it in order to deconstruct whatever gets recorded by the device’s lens. Some say a camera can capture your soul, but what else can it do?
Zoe’s life isn’t picture-perfect. She has doubts about where her career is going, and Julia Sarah Stone excellently plays those fears up. We witness her journey and, when she gets kidnapped, also feel her discomfort. Although the choice to make the title character young is curious, perhaps that’s to make this film relatable for today’s generation. Not everyone knows what they want to do with their growth or find themselves capable of doing.
Her tormentor is Alina (Emily Tennant), a neighbourhood socialite who probably read Stephen King’s Misery far too many times. She’s not Annie Wilkes yet, but the signs are all there! And when considering what her life is like, all the joys and sadness expressed in flashbacks, I wonder just how broken she is, before becoming this film’s villain. Also, I can see this actress play a young version of Maleficent along with Angelina Jolie.
Here, writers Jesse Boyko and Ryan Bright developed a rich character biography. Whether the performers read that or came up with their own ideas, what jumps out is that we’ve all been there too. They’re not just simple skeletons that one can shove into the closet.
And Jeremy Lutter’s task as director may well have been to show the writers and performers the ins and outs of what makes an unfolding drama when a crime takes place. I’ve followed his career and am glad he’s not limiting himself to just one genre. From the paranormal to crime thriller (interview), I just have to wonder if he’ll do anything light-hearted (i.e. a comedy) next?
All that time and effort he’s done in the past all nicely comes together in this work. Also, what’s presented includes an auditory ambience to keep the film feeling tense throughout.
Even fan favourite Osric Chau (he’s appeared in a few animated series I’ve been watching) gets a moment as Matt, the boyfriend who is afraid for everyone’s life. I know him because of his time in The CW’s Supernatural and have been geeking out ever since. Although that young face has aged, he’s a fixture in the Vancouver scene, and I’m glad he’s active.
While Zoe.mp4 is a slow burn that takes place mostly in one set, I can’t help but wonder how many days they spent to maintain the sense of everyone is in a torture chamber. What we know as a key plot point is that Zoe wants to be free, Alina needs to kill and Matt … he doesn’t know what to do other than witness these two ladies’ curious bonding ritual. This film leaves viewers guessing. And as for where the surprise lies, well, that would be telling!
Following this film’s world debut, there will be an encore performance Dec 1st, and online to stream for Canadian residents Dec 4. For full information, please visit https://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/films/2023/zoe-mp4
