Watch CREATIVE CONTROL [Ultra HD]

CREATIVE CONTROL is a visually stunning film from writer-director Benjamin Dickinson that explores the blurred lines between technology, reality, and relationships in a near-future version of Brooklyn. The film follows David, a tech executive who is tasked with creating a cutting-edge augmented reality system called Augmenta. However, David's personal life is falling apart as he becomes obsessed with his ex-girlfriend Juliette, who is a successful artist that he's trying to win back. When David starts to use the Augmenta system in his personal life, things start to get even more complicated.

The film is set in a world where technology is even more intertwined with everyday life than it is today. Almost everyone wears special glasses called Augmenta Specs that allow them to see digital images projected onto the real world. These specs are used for everything from work to communication to entertainment, and they're so ubiquitous that people hardly seem to notice them anymore. As David becomes increasingly obsessed with Juliette, he starts to use the Augmenta system to create a digital clone of her that he can interact with in virtual reality. This clone, named Sofia, quickly becomes an addiction for David as he seeks to escape the mundane reality of his life.

The film's stunning cinematography, which mixes sleek modernist architecture with gritty New York streetscapes, sets the stage for the story's exploration of themes like desire, identity, and the boundaries between real and virtual experience. The Augmenta system is a perfect representation of the film's central theme, which is the way technology can both enhance and distort our perceptions of reality.

In addition to exploring these heady themes, the film is also a smart and engaging romantic comedy. David's attempts to win back Juliette are both heartfelt and painfully awkward, and the way their relationship evolves over the course of the film is both surprising and satisfying. Nora Zehetner shines as Juliette, an artist who is struggling to balance her creative impulses with the demands of the commercial art world. Her chemistry with Benjamin Dickinson, who also stars as David, is one of the film's true highlights.

The film's other standout performance comes from Reggie Watts, who plays David's colleague and friend Wim. Watts brings his trademark deadpan humor to the role, turning what could have been a one-note character into a memorable and hilarious supporting player.

Despite its fantastical premise, CREATIVE CONTROL feels grounded in a recognizable reality. The film's vision of the future is not some dystopian nightmare, but rather a world that is both familiar and slightly unfamiliar. The way the film explores the way we use technology to navigate our personal and professional lives is both incisive and entertaining.

Overall, CREATIVE CONTROL is a visually stunning, thought-provoking film that manages to be both sexy and smart. Benjamin Dickinson has crafted a unique and compelling vision of the near future, one that will stick with viewers long after the credits have rolled.