With mainstream films such as Tangerine and Unsane using the same technique out of Hollywood, this Midlands film has utilised the flexibility, speed and high quality of modern smartphones to capture their drama about hacking and obsession.
Cyberlante begins with our lead Matt (played by Gavin Gordon) who is down on his luck and takes a boring job at a local hotel to earn his living. With support from his friend Ozzy (played by Domenic Tiberius Russo) he undertakes the menial work under the eye of obnoxious boss Clayton (Mark Peachey).
Discussing his previous work, we uncover Matt has utilised his internet expertise in less than honourable ways by hacking and scamming in the past. Has he moved beyond this? Well, the film shows how this skill can be put to use in another way, which helps uncover even worse deeds.
The first half an hour sets up the above, but in a weird way the film reverses the old adage 'show don't tell' so much that I was itching for more "tell". Especially the lack of dialogue to create drama and conflict in each scene. Instead there's lots of contemplative walking. A faster pace could have really helped as there wasn't a great deal of content here at the beginning. Most of the story by that point could have been set up in a third of the time.
However, my wish for a bit more narrative oomph does come in the second half though. Mark Peachey's excellent role as the work bully develops into darker territory, as themes of cyber-stalking and tailing his ex-partners begin to bubble up in the story.
