ANESTHESIA | Omeleto

A mother and son talk. Michael is a Manhattan business executive who is undergoing open-heart surgery. He goes under anesthesia with the aid of an app that lets him enter a VR simulation with his mother, both enjoying a bucolic, restful day at the beach. Young Michael's mother is beautiful and kind, offering comfort and love to her son. But as they spend time together, Michael wonders if his mother is there to guide him or trap him. Directed by Jeff Osborne and written by John Harden, this short sci-fi drama immerses viewers in a liminal, dreamlike space of the mind, as a business exec undergoing surgery is guided into sedation with the aid of an anesthesia app that works as much on the mental level as the physical one. Cleverly written and beautifully shot, the narrative feels much like a soothing, beautiful dream at first, but it masterfully weaves a chord of disquiet into its soothing, peaceful atmosphere, building suspense and surprise into a subversive, even chilling intellectual thriller. The film is visually beautiful, its oceanside scenes sun-soaked and idyllic, with the light glinting on the water. There's an old-fashioned appeal to the senses and the mother evokes a kind of retro glamour, and the bond is relatably warm and loving between young Michael and his mom; it's hard not to be drawn into the filmmaking's spell. But there's something almost too perfect about it all, and it makes sense that such an idealized vision is actually courtesy of an app. The storytelling slowly weaves in more disquieting notes, not just as an act of world-building but also in service of building out Michael's character and circumstances in the present. What emerges is the sneaky presence of another agenda, deployed through the mother, who asks for Michael's password to his work account. The writing and performances navigate this shift beautifully; as the mother, actor Marianne Noscheze plays her role with both a poised affection for her son and a cold canniness that peeks out in certain moments. Those moments build up doubt in the minds of both viewers and Michael. Played by MAD MEN actor Aaron Staton, Michael confronts the fact that something has infiltrated his app while he's vulnerable and unconscious, and he must figure out what's happening, appealing to the mother A.I. to help him. But he doesn't know if she will stay true to her programming to care for him, bringing a chilling new twist on the idea of "mother knows best." ANESTHESIA is a fascinating scenario, exploring the porousness of the mind and drawing parallels between dreams, the subconscious and an all-encompassing virtual reality. We watch as essentially one man's subconscious and memories are weaponized against him. But as the film approaches its dark, tense conclusion, it also forces Michael to confront himself and what he's buried deep within as he has grown into adulthood and begun his ascent in the business world. It brings the tangle of his actions into the brightness of day, though it might be something he'd rather not examine. It also leaves us with questions of just how much we want to let A.I. know about us, especially as its relationship with us becomes more intimate over time. ANESTHESIA. Courtesy of Jeff Osborne at https://instagram.com/anesthesiashort.