Viking (2022, Stéphane Lafleur) (Patreon)

52/100

Similar absurdist conceit to that of Alps—in this case, people assume others' identities in order to replicate emotional turmoil occurring millions of miles away, among the crew of a Mars expedition—and I had the same frustrated feeling that none of these bizarrely mediated interpersonal dynamics quite make sense, even in the most abstract and symbolic way. Early on, for example, we learn that Marie-Josée (if I've correctly remembered her real name) wasn't actually an ideal match for Steven, the astronaut she "plays," and got the job only because two better matches dropped out at the last minute; since we'd previously seen mock-Steven rebel against "his" scripted actions (i.e. what the real Steven on Mars is reported to have done, which in theory should likewise have been Marie-Josée's instinctive reaction), this incongruity would seem to be the fulcrum upon which future dissension and conflict will pivot. In fact, nothing else ever specifically comes of that, and the film just moves on to other, unrelated issues. Each new development seems entirely independent of those before, so nothing ever builds, and the most extreme complications are either predictable (I immediately knew what was going on with David's wife's cancer diagnosis, and felt insulted that he never even momentarily questions whether it's merely part of the mission) or kinda dumb (the whole pregnancy thing). Lafleur still has a way with dry comedy, foregrounded here in bureaucratic platitudes ("I'm glad we had this conversation") but I can see now how much Tu dors Nicole benefits from its monochromatic flatness, which visually reinforces a sense of quizzical detachment. Anyway, intriguing and potentially rich idea, far too muddled in execution for my taste. Someone'll figure out how to make it work one day.