Claiming to be the first narrative feature shot entirely on an iPhone Uneasy Lies The Mind is a film that requires the viewer to pay extremely close attention at all times. The premise appears to be a very simple one; four friends gather at Peter (Jonas Fisch who also co-wrote the piece) and Julie’s luxurious home for a dinner party. After the consumption of quite impressive amounts of drink and drugs secrets begin to emerge but the question is: whose secrets are they?
There is a very distinct point at the end of the first act when the tone of Uneasy Lies The Mind changes. Initially this would appear to be a tale of one happy couple reluctantly becoming involved with, and occasionally counselling, another under great strain. The performances are intense, containing an exaggerated realism that lends itself to the awkwardness of the situation, and insults are thrown and accusations dealt like cards as relationships disintegrate.
As the story develops though you begin to realise there is much more going on; an undercurrent of suspicion that prompts questions yet to be answered. This developing mood is so dramatic you can almost feel the atmosphere on screen change tangibly but it is both the film’s strength and its weakness. To reveal too much would be to potentially spoil what is a complicated and carefully constructed psychological drama that demands the viewer to use their brain more than most genre fillers, but in weaving such an intricate web of deceit and intrigue the film risks losing some of its audience.
Uneasy Lies The Mind becomes an assault on your reasoning skills as an overload of information, some real, some not, is forced cerebrally upon you. How you reason with this will entirely determine your enjoyment of the film. One thing that is certain though is the skill with which director Ricky Fosheim has filmed his production. There are clear scenes when the camera’s limitations are evident as the framing becomes confused and the focus switches uncontrollably but this film can be taken as a turning point.
Clearly talent is required (which Fosheim has) to produce anything visually appealing from what is essentially a mobile phone but in doing the director has delivered indisputable proof that filmmaking is open to anyone. Issues do exist though beyond the confusing plot. The script at times is so preposterously unrealistic that it is impressive that the cast do not fall into fits of laughter. Words are used and dialogue delivered that no-one outside of a comedy sketch would ever consider, as if the writers challenged each other to come up with lines never before heard in film, each armed to the teeth with a thesaurus and a dictionary. What starts as dismissible quickly becomes irritating and could cause the viewer to disengage with the story.
OVERALL SUMMARY
This is a film that should be seen though. There is a style and grace to the performances that, dialogue aside, are as impressive as you will see this year and the limited nature of the equipment in no way detracts from how Fosheim has constructed his film. Like it or loathe it, you’ll certainly want to discuss it.
