Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed U.S. city, the horror film “Companion” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with one Latino, one African American and one Asian) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: A female robot companion fights for independence from the man who wants to control her.
Culture Audience: “Companion” will appeal mainly to people who are interested in watching twist-filled horror movies that have a lot to say about power dynamics between males and females.
Lukas Gage, Harvey Guillén and Jack Quaid in “Companion” (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Companion” is a twist-filled sci-fi horror film that offers a darkly comedic depiction of conflicts over gender roles and how much a human-looking robot powered by artificial intelligence should have free-thinking independence from its owner. There’s a lot of bloody gore in “Companion,” which also has many overt messages about the type of toxic masculinity that deliberately exploits females. The movie’s ending is predictable, but “Companion” is still a fairly wild and suspenseful ride to get there.
Written and directed by Drew Hancock, “Companion” is his feature-film directorial debut. “Companion” producers Roy Lee and J.D. Lifshitz previously collaborated on the 2022 horror film “Barbarian.” “Companion” takes place in an unnamed U.S. city. (“Companion” was actually filmed in New York state.) Although “Companion” has plenty of horror clichés—such as the main characters being in a remote area with a killer on the loose—there’s still enough originality in the movie to make up for the formulaic plot points.
In “Companion,” an unmarried couple named Josh Beeman (played by Jack Quaid) and Iris (played by Sophie Thatcher) take a car trip to a remote lake house for what is supposed to be a relaxing getaway trip. Josh and Iris have been together for an unspecified period of time. They have been invited to the house by Josh’s materialistic friend Kat (played by Megan Suri), who is dating the house’s sleazy owner Sergey (played by Rupert Friend), who is a wealthy Russian-immigrant businessman.
Two other guests at the house are another couple: Eli (played by Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (played by Lukas Gage), who uses cooking skills to be the chef for everyone in the house. Eli and Patrick—just like Josh and Iris—seem to be blissfully in love and in a happy relationship. Observant viewers will notice that Josh and Eli are the dominant partners in their respective relationships.
As already revealed in the trailer for “Companion,” Iris is really a companion robot controlled by Josh. A flashback in the movie shows that when Josh received Iris (Josh rented her from a company called Empathix), he was told by the Empathix delivery people that Iris can be programmed by Josh to do many things, but she cannot lie, and she cannot kill people and animals. Josh controls Iris’ levels of intelligence and emotions. He also gets to choose Iris’ memories, such as their “meet cute”/”love synch” moment at a grocery store, where Josh accidentally tipped over a container of oranges in front of Iris.
Without revealing too much of the movie’s plot, it’s enough to say that Sergey ends up dead after he sexually harassed Iris when they were alone together. A lot of chaos ensues when Iris tries to escape. And not everyone else makes it out alive. If Iris ends up killing anyone, the movie has an explanation for it. “Companion” has some “inside joke” pop culture references, such as a scene where the Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 hit “Iris” is played; the song’s lyrics apply to the situation at hand.
“Companion” is the type of movie that does a lot with a small number of people in the cast and the limited number of locations. (Almost the entire movie takes place in the lake house and within a few miles from the lake house.) Thatcher gives a standout and convincing performance as a robot who discovers her humanity and fights for her independence. The other cast members also do well in their roles, but some of the supporting characters are intentionally shallow.
Although some of the technology shown in “Companion” did not exist at the time the movie was released in 2025, companion robots are most definitely a reality and have existed for years. The majority of these companion robots are females that are used by men as sex toys. This “Companion” movie invites viewers to look beyond the “slasher flick” aspect of the story and think about how this type of technology can be used and abused in real life. In many ways, the potential real-life consequences are much more horrific than what’s portrayed in this fictional film.
Warner Bros. Pictures released “Companion” in U.S. cinemas on January 31, 2025.
Culture Representation: Taking place in mostly in the New York City area, the horror film “Smile 2” (a sequel to 2022’s “Smile”) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some Latin people, Asian people and African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.
Culture Clash: Pop music superstar Skye Riley, who is about to start a comeback tour after recovering from a tragic car accident, becomes haunted by a demon that causes her to have nightmarish hallucinations that people are giving her sinister smiles.
Culture Audience: “Smile” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the first “Smile” movie and stylish horror films that are effective in being creepy and gruesome.
Naomi Scott in “Smile 2” (Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)
As flashy as it is gory, Smile 2 is a rare sequel that’s better than the original movie. Naomi Scott gives an impressive performance as a pop diva haunted by a sinister demon spirit. This movie improves from 2022’s “Smile” in almost every way, although it would help if viewers say the first “Smile” movie to understand many of the scenes in “Smile 2,” especially the opening scene.
Parker Finn wrote and directed “Smile” and “Smile 2.” Instead of copying its predecessor, “Smile 2” goes further in character development, production design, visual effects, cinematography and the movie’s overall story. The “Smile” movies are about a demon spirit that gets passed on to a different person after that person goes insane within a week (including hallucinating that people have sinister smiles), and the possessed person commits suicide while smiling, which is the demon’s intention. The demon then possesses the person who was the last one to see the dead person alive in the same room, even if the possessed person dies from something other than suicide.
The first “Smile” movie (which takes place in New Jersey) was mainly about solving the mystery behind these mysterious deaths. A police detective named Joel (played by Kyle Gallner) was investigating. Mild spoiler alert: By the end of “Smile,” Joel became possessed by the demon. This is necessary information to understand the full context of the opening scene of “Smile 2.”
“Smile 2” (which takes mostly in the New York City area) begins six days after the events at the end of the first “Smile” movie. Joel is desperate to find someone who will become posssessed by the demon because Joel knows that he will die soon. He has chosen a ruthless drug dealer/murderer named Yev (played by Roberts Jekabsons), who lives and works with his brother Alexi (played by Zebedee Row). Wearing a hooded mask and armed with a gun, Joel goes to the criminals’ house and does a home invasion that goes horribly wrong.
There’s a shootout that leaves both brothers dead (the demon can only possess people who are alive) in the living room area. Joel is wounded in one of his shoulders. Just as he is about to leave, a drug dealer who buys from Alexi and Yev suddenly appears and startles Joel. The other drug dealer is named Lewis Fregoli (played by Lukas Gage), who understandably gets freaked out by this crime scene that he sees in this room.
Some colleagues of Yev and Alexi also show up shortly afterward. These cohorts see Joel and the bloodbath inside the house, but Joel is in another room. Another shootout ensues, but Joel escapes into the street outside, only to be hit by a car. Lewis was the last person to see Joel alive in the same room. And you know what that means.
“Smile 2” then introduces viewers to the movie’s main character: a pop music superstar named Skye Riley (played by Naomi Scott), who is on the verge of starting a comeback tour. Skye has an image and style that is very similar to Lady Gaga. During a talk show interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show” (Barrymore portrays herself in this cameo role in “Smile 2”), it’s mentioned that this is the first interview that Skye has done since she was in a car accident the previous year. The car crash killed her actor boyfriend Paul Hudson (played by Ray Nicholson), who was driving the car. Skye was the only passenger.
A toxicology report determined that Paul and Skye both had intoxication levels of cocaine and alcohol in their systems at the time of the accident. Skye’s interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show” is a way to redeem herself, promote her upcoming comeback tour, and introduce her new hairstyle. At the time the accident happened, Skye had long black hair. Now, she has a short blonde hairstyle. In some scenes in the movie, it’s shown that Skye has a nervous tic of pulling out strands of her hair when she’s feeling stress or anxiety.
In “The Drew Barrymore Show” interview, Skye admits that she was abusing drugs and alcohol during the period of time when the car accident happened. Skye says that she’s been to rehab and is now clean and sober. She also makes public apologies to her fans, her family and her business team. Skye noticeably leaves out any apologies to Paul’s loved ones. (Paul is prominently featured in marketing materials for “Smile 2,” but he’s not in the movie as much as those marketing materials suggest. Ray Nicholson, a son of Jack Nicholson, will remind some people of Jack Nicholson’s performance in the 1980 horror film “The Shining” in how Ray Nicholson does Paul’s creepy smile.)
The car accident left Skye with long scars on her front torso and on her back. She is very self-conscious about these scars and is still suffering from back pain. Due to her history of substance addiction, Skye cannot get a drug prescription for the pain. And so, out of desperation, Skye secretly goes to the home of her former drug dealer Lewis (who is also her former classmate from high school) to illegally buy Vicodin, after she gets a message from Lewis on her phone.
When Skye arrives at Lewis’ place, she sees him very strung-out on cocaine and babbling about how he’s seeing strange visions. Lewis also tells Skye that whatever is haunting him is in the same room with them. The trailer for “Smile 2” already reveals that Lewis commits suicide in front of Skye by bashing his own head in with a cylinder block from a weightlift. And because Skye was the last person to see Lewis alive in the same room, you know what that means.
The rest of “Smile 2” shows what happens as Skye begins to mentally unravel. With the wrong screenplay, sloppy direction or an untalented cast, “Smile 2” could have been very tedious and badly performed. However, this movie maintains its suspense throughout with good acting and has some truly impactful and memorable scenes that might be too unsettling for sensitive viewers. Some of Skye’s nightmares include flashback memories to what happened in the moments right before the car crash that killed Paul.
In addition to Scott’s standout performance, “Smile 2” has solid performances from supporting characters who are close to Skye. They include her caring and ambitious mother/manager Elizabeth Riley (played by Rosemarie DeWitt); Skye’s sardonic best friend Gemma (played by Dylan Gelula), who reconciles with Skye after they were estranged; Skye’s loyal personal assistant Joshua (played by Miles Gutierrez-Riley); and a record company executive named Darius Bravo (played by Raúl Castillo), who works with Skye and greatly admires her.
The scenes depicting the music industry and concert performances are very realistic. Scott (as Skye) performs some original songs in “Smile 2,” including “New Brain,” “Grieved You,” “Just My Name” and “Blood on White Satin.” At a meet-and-greet backstage with fans, Skye has an encounter with a creep named Alfredo (played by Ivan Carlo), who has to be escorted out by security when he gets too aggressive with Skye. It won’t be the last time that Skye sees Alfredo.
Later in the movie, Skye meets a stranger named Morris (played by Peter Jacobson), who says he’s an emergency room nurse with an idea to help her. This is the most awkward part of the movie because Skye meets Morris at a diner after he randomly texted her messages indicating that he knows her secret. Morris says his brother died of the same curse that he knows that Skye has. He suggests a radical solution to get rid of the demon.
“Smile 2” has enough to satisfy fans of the first “Smile” and win over fans who are new to the “Smile” franchise. There are a few parts of the movie that become repetitive in hammering home the point that Skye is having these terrible hallucinations. What’s realistic is that Skye is not a completely sympathetic character and is prone to having diva tantrums. Even though the odds are stacked against Skye for her to survive the curse, “Smile 2” does a skillful job of keeping viewers guessing about what will happen until the visually stunning last 15 minutes of the movie.
Paramount Pictures will release “Smile 2” in U.S. cinemas on October 18, 2024.
Culture Representation: Taking place in Texas, California, and North Dakota, mostly in December 2023, the dramatic film “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” features a racially diverse cast of characters (African American, white, Latino and Native American) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: A group of eight radical environmentalists go to Texas to carry out their plan to blow up a major oil pipeline.
Culture Audience: “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in environmental causes, but the movie has mixed messages about how violence can play a role in extreme activism, and the story somewhat glosses over racism problems.
Forrest Goodluck, Jake Weary, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Marcus Scribner, Ariel Barer, Jayme Lawson and Sasha Lane in “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” (Photo courtesy of Neon)
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” might as well have the words “made by well-meaning and privileged political liberals” in the description of this movie. It’s a gripping and well-acted drama about a group of extreme environmentalists. However, there are some glaring plot holes, and the film mishandles some racism issues. “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by Daniel Goldhaber, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” was co-written by Goldhaber, Ariela Barer (who’s one of the stars of the film) and Jordan Sjol. The story has plenty of suspense and makes great use of flashbacks to fill in the blanks in most of the characters’ backstories. However, viewers with enough life experience who watch this movie won’t be able to shake the feeling that the “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” filmmakers thought that it would be cool to make a movie about a serious subject matter (committing violence in the name of extreme activism) without really doing enough research into the subculture of violent, radical activists.
It’s the same feeling that came from the 2018 erotic drama “Cam,” Goldhaber’s feature-film directorial debut about a young woman who works as a porn webcam performer. There was a lot of interesting dialogue in “Cam,” but the movie didn’t come across as completely realistic or authentic, even though it wanted to be. “Cam” was also a very “male gaze” film, even though “Cam” was supposed to be told from the perspective of a female protagonist.
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is not a documentary, and the movie’s fictional characters are not based on any particular real people. However, the movie is based on Andreas Malm’s 2020 non-fiction book “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” which advocates for property destruction as a way to get attention for activist causes. The obvious intention of the movie was to have a tone of realism, in order to make this a thought-provoking film. It succeeds in many areas, but it other areas, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” falls very short.
Most of “How to Blow Up Your Pipeline” switches back and forth between two types of scenes: (1) the planned December 2023 bombing of a major oil pipeline, somewhere in west Texas and (2) flashbacks that reveal the lives and motivations of the eight young people who have planned this bombing. The last 15 minutes of the movie show the aftermath of this plan.
The eight people in this racially diverse group of bombers consider themselves to be extreme environmentalists, although at least two of them don’t really seem to care that much about environmental causes and just want to cause some mischief. The bombers’ ages range from mid-20s to early 30s. And they have all agreed in advance that they will rig the bomb so that no one could possibly get killed or physically injured. (And as soon as someone says in the movie that no one will get physically hurt, you just know that at least one person will get physically hurt.)
The bombers’ intent is to disrupt the fossil fuel production that comes from this major pipeline. They don’t have a name for their group. They want this bombing to be an anonymous statement against fossil fuel production. In fact, the way these these eight people found each other to form this loose-knit group looks a little too “only in a movie” rushed. Three of the group members didn’t know anyone else in the group before this plan, so these three people are the ones that are essentially the “strangers” to the other people.
The eight people in this group are:
Xochitl “Xochi” Fuentes (played by Barer) is the mastermind of this bombing. She came up with the idea and is the one most responsible for bringing this group together. Xochi (pronounced “soh-shee”) lives in Long Beach, California, and is grieving over the recent death of her mother, who raised Xochi as a single parent.
Theo (played by Sasha Lane) is Xochi’s best friend since childhood. Theo and Xochi, who both live in Long Beach, consider each other to be almost like sisters, since Theo (who came from a broken home) mentions in the story (after Xochi’s mother has died) that Xochi’s mother was like a mother to Theo.
Alisha (played by Jayme Lawson) is Theo’s girlfriend. They both work as house cleaners. Alisha is initially the one who’s the most reluctant to participate in this bombing plan.
Rowan (played by Kristine Froseth) is a meth-snorting party girl who is homeless and always ready for any type of mischief-making.
Logan (played by Lukas Gage), Rowan’s drug-using boyfriend, is also homeless and is even more reckless than Rowan. They both live in motels and in Logan’s car in the Long Beach area.
Shawn (played by Marcus Scribner) is a former college student who became disillusioned with mainstream environmental activism because he thinks it’s not effective enough. He currently lives in the Long Beach area.
Dwayne (played by Jake Weary) is an unemployed husband who is bitter because he lost his home, is financially broke, and is now living with his wife at her parents’ home in Odessa, Texas.
Michael (played by Forrest Goodluck) is a scowling introvert who is angry about what pipelines have done to his Native American community in Parshall, North Dakota.
Michael is the one who is in charge of planning the chemical concoctions to make the bomb. Michael is a “chemistry nerd” who has done extensive research on how to make bombs. He even films social media videos on how to make homemade bombs. He does videos and livestreams on a YouTube-like channel called Boom Talk.
Michael also gets help from Shawn in making the bomb’s chemical concoctions, although Michael is a control freak who would prefer that no one else get near the chemicals, for their own safety. Shawn (who is African American) and Michael construct the actual bomb. Observant viewers will notice that the people of color in this group are the ones who do most of the work and put themselves in the most physical danger in the bombing plans.
There are overt signs of racism that the movie doesn’t adequately explore. Michael deeply resents the pipeline workers (almost all are white men) who pass through the Native American reservations to do their job or to look for pipeline work. In a flashback scene, Michael gets confrontational with one of these workers (played by Adam Wyatt Tate) and spits on him. It leads to a brawl where Michael gets physically beaten up.
When Michael goes home and his jewelry maker mother Joanna (played by Irene Bedard) sees the injuries on his face, she knows exactly why he got into a fight. Joanna scolds Michael for picking a fight with someone who just wants a job. In response, Michael angrily says that Joanna just wants to let racist white people exploit Native American land in ways that will hurt Native Americans.
It’s later revealed in the movie that other people in the group have been negatively impacted by industrial toxins that caused pollution in the area where they used to live. It was a low-income area mostly populated by people of color. This environmental racism is implied, but no one in the movie specifically says the word “racism,” which is one of the reasons why parts of this movie look very phony.
In real life, environmental racism is a huge talking point for self-described “social justice warriors” who are environmental activists. And to not have any explicit discussion of environmental racism in this movie looks like a huge blind spot from filmmakers who won’t go deep in the trenches and get real about this uncomfortable topic in activism. It’s similar to how some people might make a video of take a photo of themselves wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, but these same “supporters” don’t want to actually do anything about stopping racism.
Because this group of bombers will be planting a bomb for the very first time, they are predictably nervous. And you know what that means: Mistakes are going to happen. This review won’t reveal the things that go wrong with the bombers’ plans, but there is one plot hole that’s too big too overlook. It has to do with a drone. This plot hole doesn’t take into account that data is automatically stored on the type of drone seen in this movie.
The biggest strength in “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is how the movie builds tension and how it weaves together the backstories of these eight people to give the big picture in explaining how and why they ended up with this common goal. Barer and Lawson give the best performances, because Xochi and Alisha seem to be the most complicated and nuanced characters. Lane does an admirable performance for some of the melodrama that her Theo character goes through later in the story.
The movie could have done more with the Michael character, whose sullen brooding is a hint that he’s gone through some trauma that is never mentioned in the film. Shawn’s backstory is adequate, but he is another character that’s a little underdeveloped. Viewers find out nothing meaningful about Shawn’s personal life and only get information about some of his previous experiences in environmental activism.
Dwayne’s backstory shows why he’s against pipelines: It’s in a flashback scene where Dwayne and his wife Katie (played by Olive Jane Lorraine) are being interviewed by a two-person documentary crew. Katie knows in advance that Dwayne is involved in this secret bombing, but she doesn’t participate in carrying out the bombing plans. Because Dwayne is unemployed and doesn’t have his own home, the stakes are lower for Dwayne, compared to most of the other people in the group. These low stakes also apply to Rowan and Logan.
Although the filmmakers will deny that this movie makes bombing look glamorous, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” does have a tone that these are rebel activists who are trying to change the world. In all actuality, most of the bomber characters in this movie have no real direction in their lives and just seem to be using environmentalism as a way to take out their anger about their lives not turning out the way they wanted. (Somewhere, real-life environmental activist Greta Thunberg is shaking her head in disapproval.)
A few of the people in this group (especially Logan and Rowan) seem to think this radical environmentalist activism is just a fad, and they give the impression they’ll eventually ditch it for something else they find more exciting. Logan and Rowan are the only shallow characters in the group. Almost nothing is told about Logan’s and Rowan’s backgrounds to explain how these two lovers became homeless.
It’s good that the movie didn’t portray these bombers as being monolithic. However, this “diversity” comes off a little like “checking off diversity boxes,” instead of giving a meaningful examination of racial and sociopolitical implications for the different identity groups who get involved in this type of violent activism. “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” never wants to admit (even though it’s reality) that there is race-based scapegoating in the United States, when it comes to which races gets punished the worst for extreme acts of violence. It’s why “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is a solid drama as a crime caper, but it’s somewhat weak when it comes to the movie’s intended social commentary.
Neon released “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” in select U.S. cinemas on April 7, 2023.
Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed U.S. city in the mid-1990s, the comedy film “Wyrm” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans, Latinos and Asians) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: In an alternate reality where people have to wear electronic collars until they get their first romantic kiss, a nerdy freshman in high school tries to get rid of the stigma of being the only person in his school who’s still wearing this collar.
Culture Audience: “Wyrm” will appeal primarily to people are interested in watching quirky coming-of-age comedies.
Azure Brandi, Dan Bakkedahl, Theo Taplitz, Natalia Abelleyra and Tommy Dewey in “Wyrm” (Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment)
Amid the overabundance of comedies about nerdy teenage guys who want to be more sexually experienced, “Wyrm” is memorable for its unique story and quirky characters. This movie doesn’t try to have broad appeal because it’s for people who are interested in low-budget, independent films about eccentrics. The comedy in “Wyrm” is also mixed with a touching story about grief and how people choose to remember the deceased.
“Wyrm” (pronounced “worm”) is the feature-film debut of writer/director Christopher Winterbauer, who based the movie on his 2017 short film “Wyrm.” The feature film “Wyrm” (which takes place in an unnamed U.S. city) had its world premiere at the 2019 edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, but the movie wasn’t released until 2022. Most of the comedy is deadpan and almost satirical, so don’t expect the typical formula of teen comedies where a geeky male outcast is trying to date his “dream girl.”
According to the “Wyrm” production notes, the movie is set in an “alternate reality” in the mid-1990s. It’s a reality where people’s sexuality is monitored in terms of levels. To reach Level One sexuality, someone must experience a romantic kiss. People have to wear an electronic collar that can’t come off until they reach Level One sexuality.
Wyrm Whitner (played by Theo Taplitz), who’s about 14 years old, is a freshman in high school with his twin sister Myrcella (played by Azure Brandi), who has a prickly relationship with Wyrm. Wyrm and Myrcella had an older brother named Dylan (played by Lukas Gage, shown briefly in flashbacks), who died in a car accident when Dylan was about 16 or 17. Dylan has been dead for less than a year.
Wyrm and Myrcella’s parents are emotionally absent. Their father Allen (played by Dan Bakkedahl) spends most of his time either at work or in the parents’ bedroom. Wyrm’s mother Margie (played by Rosemarie DeWitt) is on a trail hiking trip for an undetermined period of time. (Paula Pell has a cameo as a park ranger named Tanya.) Although there isn’t much information about the Whitner family dynamics before Dylan died, it’s implied that these parents are avoiding spending time with Wyrm and Myrcella because it’s the parents’ way of grieving.
For now, Myrcella and Wyrm are essentially being raised by their bachelor uncle Chet (played by Tommy Dewey), who met his current girlfriend Flor (played by Natalia Abelleyra) in an Internet chat room. In an early scene in the movie, Chet tells Wyrm: “I just think with the right girlfriend, you’d really be happy.” Chet also paints a portrait of Wyrm.
Wyrm has become preoccupied with interviewing people on his portable tape recorder about their memories of Dylan and about their thoughts on romantic relationships. Experiencing his first romantic kiss (preferably from his first girlfriend) soon becomes another preoccupation for Wyrm. He’s getting pressure to have his collar “popped” (unlocked) for various reasons.
When Wyrm and Myrcella entered high school, they both had Level One sexuality collars. However, Myrcella has recently had her collar “popped” because she’s been dating a Norwegian immigrant student at the school named Mads Nillson (played by Ky Baldwin), who was Myrcella’s first romantic kiss. Wyrm is now the only person at the school who has a Level One sexuality collar.
An early scene in “Wyrm” shows what type of comedy that the movie has about teen sexuality. Wyrm’s friend/classmate Charley (played by Samuel Faraci) tells Wyrm: “Mads Nillson fingered your sister at the cinema yesterday.” Charley then asks Wyrm if Wyrm feels the same things at the same time as Marcella does because they’re twins. Wyrm says about twin telepathy, “I think that’s only [with] identical twins.”
Wyrm and Myrcella, who share the same room, soon clash over how her level of sexual experience will now affect their living situation. Myrcella reads to Wyrm a formal declaration of why she wants to move into Dylan’s former room so that she can have more privacy. Wyrm thinks it’s disrespectful and too soon for anyone else to have Dylan’s former room.
However, Wyrm tells Myrcella that if Mads comes over to visit: “I don’t want Mads Nillson fingering anyone in my room.” Myrcella replies, “I don’t want to be related to the only freak in ninth grade who can’t get his collar popped.”
Wyrm’s level of sexual experience will also affect whether or not he can graduate from ninth grade. He’s called into a meeting with his school’s child development specialist Reginald “Reggie” Corona (played by Davey Johnson), who tells Wyrm: “You are literally the last incoming freshman to complete their Level One sexuality requirement. We’re collecting collars on Picture Day.”
Wyrm asks for an extension on when he can get his collar popped. Reggie agrees to the extension but cautions that time will soon run out for Wyrm. Reggie advises Wyrm to play on people’s sympathy to find a girlfriend: “A death in the family should work in your favor.” Wyrm gets even more pressure from the school’s vice-principal Cynthia Lister (played by Natasha Rothwell), who has a separate meeting with Wyrm in her office and ominously says to him: “Lonely people are dangerous, especially lonely boys.”
Wyrm doesn’t get any sex education from his parents, who avoid talking to him about it. There’s an intentionally amusing scene were Wyrm asks his parents: “How do kiss a person? And how do you finger them?” Each parent tells Wyrm to ask the other parent. Myrcella, now feeling sexually superior to Wyrm, wants to distance herself from him and treats him like an outcast at school.
Teen movie cliché alert: A student has recently transferred to the school from Florida. Her name is Izzy (played by Lulu Wilson), who is a sassy non-conformist. Wyrm is immediately attracted to Izzy, and wants to date her, but there’s a problem: Izzy has a boyfriend named Kyle, who’s in Florida, and Izzy wants to stay loyal to Kyle. Izzy doesn’t care about Wyrm being an unpopular student and school, because she’s not part of the popular crowd either, not does she want to be part of the crowd.
Thus begins the “will they or won’t they get together” part of the Wyrm/Izzy relationship. Along the way, Wyrm spends time with two other teenage girls who give him more insight into male/female relationships. Lindsey (played by Sosie Bacon) is a 17-year-old sarcastic student, who uses a wheelchair and who knew Dylan very well. Wyrm’s friend Charley introduces Wyrm to his sister Becky (played by Cece Abbey), who’s about 15 or 16, and is kind-hearted and appreciates Wyrm’s quirkiness.
“Wyrm” has some familiar story arcs found in many teen comedies, but they’re slightly off-center enough to avoid being completely predictable. The Level One sexuality collar is a symbol of the pressure that is put on teens to have certain sexual experiences by they time they’re a certain age. Whether or not people agree with this pressure, it exists, and those who are deemed sexually inexperienced are often unfairly labeled as social failures.
“Wyrm” doesn’t pass judgment on its title character, nor does it assign blame to any particular person for why Wyrm desperately tries to get his first romantic kiss, or risk getting the stigma of “being left behind.” Instead, the movie’s “alternate reality” is used as a mirror to show people how much it reflects what many teens experience in real life to a different degree.
The movie also has a meaningful depiction of how people cope with death and how their memories of someone who’s deceased can be altered for various reasons. The interviews that Wyrm conducts about Dylan are ostensibly so that Wyrm can make a tribute to Dylan. But as time goes on, viewers can see that these Wyrm is using these interviews to deal with his grief and to get to know Dylan better, since Wyrm and Dylan weren’t very close to each other.
As social misfit Wyrm, Taplitz gives a commendable performance that solidly carries most of the emotional wright in the movie. The rest of the cast members are perfectly fine, but the movie lives or dies on whether or not viewers will be interested in Wyrm. Some of the movie tries too hard to be offbeat, but there are enough moments of genuine humanity that can make “Wyrm” resonate with viewers who might not have much in common with the characters.
Vertical Entertainment released “Wyrm” in select U.S. cinemas, on digital and VOD on June 10, 2022.
