Join director Evan Boehm on a kaleidoscopic journey through the unsettling childhood story of a boy trapped in a frightening spiral of addiction in interactive short Solace.
Half think-piece, half click-piece, this spritely adaptation of a short story by revered sci-fi writer Jeff Noon (one of my personal favourites) is a fun and engaging experience that raises questions about the roles of technology and marketing in our everyday lives.
Described as a real-time, interactive, liquid simulation for the web the audience involvement here is more about adding fun to an already bubbly narrative, instead of actually being used to drive that story forwards, or provide the viewer with multiple branches.
With Boehm revealing the aim of Solace was to “push the limits of interactive storytelling, whilst encouraging debate about the social, cultural, and ethical consequences of future genetic technologies”, it obvious the director and his team intended this to be more than just a fun click-along adventure.
With the film following a traditional linear structure, it’s really the polish of the piece and the hook of the narrative that keeps you gripped – the interactivity feels more like an entertaining bonus than an essential part of the storytelling.
Though fans of Noon will find traces of the author’s distinct perspective of modern-life coursing through the animated, coded veins of Solace, it’s also hard not to watch the film and think of that classic childhood tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
And like with Dahl’s work, underneath the sweet, fizzy exterior of Solace there are some dark undertones destined to get you thinking about the society in which we live.