The intensity is cranked up to the max as director Timur Bekmambetov’s signature Screenlife style evolves in his dystopian action thriller “Mercy.” Known for his work in “Unfriended” and “Searching,” his fusion of traditional cinematography and onscreen filming pulls the audience into the story.
Bekmambetov’s goal has always been to let moviegoers have the most immersive experience possible. ‘The Screenlife genre requires believable performances and very grounded storytelling,’ says Bekmambetov.
‘When I began ‘Mercy,’ I thought, ‘In real life I live in two realities at once – the physical world, and a world of windows, buttons, clicks, messages. I work, I fight with people, forgive people, all not in the physical world. So why are we not telling stories about that?”
In “Mercy,” detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is on trial for the murder of his wife. Face-to-face with A.I. Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), a technology he once championed, he has 90 minutes to prove his innocence before he gets punished with the death penalty.
To have his vision fully realized, Bekmambetov worked with visual design firm Experimental / Design. The company is known for their work on Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” as well as working for clients such as Nike and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
‘Experimental / Design is a world-building studio, and world-building is a really holistic process,’ says the company’s Lead Designer Jen Stein. ‘We take a deep dive into all aspects of a narrative world – in this case, the world of ‘Mercy’ is a dystopian-ish Los Angeles set in 2029. We started to look at what the impacts of quantum computing might be on AI’s development.’
Producer Robert Amidon is in awe with the direction that “Mercy” has taken, and the state-of-the-art process in which the film was made. “‘This was quite an experimental movie to be making at this scale, using these emerging filmmaking technologies in ways I don’t think anyone’s tried before,’ says Amidon.
With all the bells and whistles of modern filmmaking and the added flair of science fiction, “Mercy” actually keeps the film’s feet firmly on the ground with Screenlife.
‘The Screenlife storytelling style is very personal – like you’re actually seeing through the eyes of a character,’ says Stein. ‘It feels like an extension of our everyday life now with computer screens and phones. Yet Timur’s vision was grounded in reality.’
Actor Kali Reis, who plays Det. Chris Raven’s work partner Det. Jacqueline Diallo, shares how the filmmaking process worked in her favor when shooting her scenes.
‘I love Timur’s vision,’ says Reis. ‘And even with all the multiple screens and the incredible fast pace of the film, audiences can identify with the characters. In the same way, while making the movie, we were all so immersed not just in our characters, but also in the filmmaking process around us.’
“Mercy” rose to the top of the American box office in its debut, the futuristic action thriller dethroning “Avatar: Fire and Ash’s” five-week reign.
The cast also talked about how the film makes use of the current rise of AI, with Pratt explaining the progression of Judge Maddox’s character.
‘Chris Raven’s story is his attempt to establish he’s not guilty while being forced to come to terms with his demons,’ says Pratt, ‘but an equally incredible arc is the character of Judge Maddox, who feels like a cold, calculating computer program but through the course of the film actually becomes more sentient. She’s a character who essentially is trying to hide the humanity creeping up inside of her programming.’
‘In a way, the film could be seen as offering a sort of Bill of Rights about how AI should be controlled, if it ever finds its way into the justice system,’ Pratt continues. ‘Who knows what advances will be made between now and 2029? Maybe in a few years, someone will watch this film and say, ‘Wow, they got that right!”
“Mercy” has since received positive reviews from US critics, with Variety calling it a ‘Well-executed future-shock thriller.’ ComicBookMovie.com wrote that it’s a ‘Great popcorn entertainment with some wild twists!’
There’s also great feedback from the UK, where Press Association UK described watching the film as ‘A thought-provoking and thrilling 90 minutes.’ VT UK mirrored the sentiment, writing ‘Hugely original plot. Gripped from start to finish.’