Review: Experimental Peruvian drama ‘Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes)’ blurs the lines of reality

Peru’s foreign language Academy Award submission “Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes)” troubles the line between our idea of reality and the realities of networked, online relationships. Junior (Terom), a porn-obsessed gamer, has a lot of conspiracy theories about the Mayan apocalypse and computer-simulated realities, but the film questions if perhaps we’ve already walked into a sim with eyes open, bathed in the blue light of a screen.

In “Videophilia,” writer-director Juan Daniel Fernandez has created an experimental aesthetic; a pixelated, paranoid pastiche of World Wide Web ephemera, television and other digital detritus. Against this backdrop, Internet-obsessed teen Luz (Muki Sabogal) and aspiring porn dealer Junior connect online. Their courtship starts backward (he’s masturbating during their first meeting), but as they experiment sexually in real life, the film descends into a psychedelic and surreal madness where the line between digital and real is obliterated.

Anonymous conspiracy theorists in Guy Fawkes masks urge “spectator, strike back,” menacing Furby dolls come to life at night, imparting dark prophecies and projecting videos with their glowing red eyes, while anime costume parties devolve into out-of-control bacchanals.

Junior’s porn mentor advises him that “reality is like this screen, pixelated and fragmented.” “Videophilia” imparts that message repeatedly, and in its loose, hallucinatory narrative, we gain a sense of the nightmares caused by a loss of spirituality and physical connection. It may leave you questioning if the Mayans were right all along.

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‘Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes)’

In Spanish and English with English subtitles

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes

Playing: Arena Cinelounge, Hollywood

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