Nowadays, if you aren’t getting those “likes” on Facebook or those views on YouTube, you ain’t shit. This is, at least, the distorted worldview of Josh (Jeremiah Watkins), the protagonist of Franck Khalfoun’s new film I-Lived. Trying to scrape by as an app critic, Josh posts his frantic reviews on YouTube (complete with zany sound effects) as he desperately hopes to be discovered and have heaps of money thrown at him. His latest app review looks at “I-Lived”, an app that promises to make all of your dreams come true. All you do is punch in your goal and follow the steps I-Lived presents. Want a washboard stomach? I-Lived lays out a workout routine. Want to learn to fly a plane? I-Lived knows what classes to take. Want to talk to that cute girl at the bar? I-Lived knows what her favorite drink is. Wait, how the hell does it know that…
The fast track to fame offered by the Internet and the narcissism it brings are the catalysts of Khalfoun’s film. For the most part it works, but it takes a long time getting there. What makes this build up seem even longer is Josh’s abrasive personality and the unfunny app review videos we have to endure to get to the juicy parts of the film. There’s what feels like a lot of filler in the film (including numerous dream fake-outs) that see-saw the tone between mediocre and wicked dark – like the type of dark genius Khalfoun displayed in his brilliant Maniac remake.
The app begins to manipulate Josh in progressively sinister ways. He only obeys the app because it’s actually delivering results. His number of YouTube channel subscribers is skyrocketing and his love life is exhausting. But the app gets more demanding. There are some mildly funny montages of Josh executing the app’s demands. Sometimes these can feel like segments from a reality prank show but they’re lively enough to be entertaining. It’s the downtime between these moments and the more disturbing ones where I-Lived seriously drags. A balance between them is never struck.
Josh’s arc is hard to believe as well. I didn’t buy the transformation he goes through and while I dug how over-the-top evil things get at the end, it simply doesn’t pack the punch that it should. There have been other movies recently that have a similar premise (Cheap Thrills, 13 Sins) that did a better job with their arcs. It feels like Khalfoun was so hell bent on doing something innovative with the smartphone technology in the film that he neglected to develop an interesting character along the way.
There are some interesting stylistic touches now and then that display Khalfoun’s proficiency behind the camera. Different perspectives are offered, including cellphone cameras, video chats, etc. The mystery of how the app works is intriguing, but the film ultimately fails to really grab the audience and hurl it into Josh’s downward spiral.