Other Halves

2015/NR

Director: Matthew T. Price

Writers: Matthew T. Price & Kelly Morr

Stars: Lauren Lakis, Mercedes Manning, Lianna Liew

The movie starts with a commercial for Other Halves, a dating app that looks at the usage on your phone and uses it to pair you with suitable matches. Sounds like a fascinating idea, right? If you're like me and spend way too much time attached to your smartphone, it would give you a pretty accurate match.

After the commercial, we are introduced to the group of programmers who are testing the app before its release the next day. The majority of the programmers are women, which is a refreshing change from the usual representation of computer gurus. While testing the app, they notice a glitch in the loading screen that causes anyone who uses it to black out and commit violent acts. Instead of finding their other half in another person, they find the darker other half within themselves. 

This movie is especially impressive when you consider that it is a low-budget independent film. It looks like a film that easily could have come from a major studio. It is well-edited and has a soundtrack that adds to the general ambiance of the whole film. It jumps right into the action, yet still manages to leave the viewer guessing for a while, as to what is actually happening. It is refreshing to see a group of programmers consisting of mostly women and the film passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. The acting is great and the actors have a nice chemistry that doesn't feel forced - it actually felt as if they've been acting together for a long time. I'm really excited to see what the director and writers come up with next. 

 - Karen (@karenmarsack)