Play 2: eXiztenZ

This week we take a look at David Cronenberg's eXistenZ (1999), it's important to note that the release of the film was set firmly in the shadow of the Matrix, and even though it was widely considered a financial failure and imitation, it does in fact provide us with just as much stimulating material as the Matrix - Essentially they deal with the same subject, the immersion of the self into a computerized world/program.

When reading Lia Hitchkiss' article "Still in the game: [...]", what struck me was the very beginning Cronenberg quote " he look[s] at each film as sort of a lab experiment". This is very true of eX as the film centres around the release of a new game - an experiment. Furthermore the film features spheres of experimentation (e.g. Gas' station, The Pod surgery room, etc), this follows nicely with the notion of cyberspace; essentially being a sub-genre of experimentation whereby humans use technology to advance themselves for better, and as displayed in eX, can also produce very negative effects on mankind.

One prop in eX that I found rather odd is the use of biological technology, the bone gun (which I came to the conclusion that it represents the true nature of the human race, that we will at every opportunity use technology to do acts of evil - the firearm is a fantastic example of technology being used in acts of violence). The Game Pod is an innovative way to connect the biological with the electronic, it represents a primitive form of nanotechnology as users nervous system is calibrated with this strange ugly fleshy pod. The 'umby' cord that connects symbolizes the real human biological tissue, the idea that we are connected to our mothers - and in fact gain our identities through this medium. Perhaps Cronenberg wanted to make a link between the womb (our unconscious environment, and a VR world; whereby we are 'unconscious' so to speak to the real world). He offers us the idea that once again in order to change our identities (to immerse ourselves in an avatar based game world) we must re-connect to the 'mother', "eXistenZ situates itself within the guardedly optimistic critiques of cyberculture whose excitement over electronic technology's potential to reshape identity [...] not only neurally but ethically". The potential to reshape our identities and live a life we want through our avatars (as explained wonderfully by the character Gas - played by Willem Defoe), brings with it excitement but also vulnerability. This is true of many technologies that leave amazed and advantaged yet in some ways left vulnerable - for example, question yourself, how dependent am I on my cell phone? If every cell phone in the world was taken away suddenly would the western world be able to function the same? imagine what we would lose and vulnerable to?

eX has a somewhat cruder method than what was present in the Matrix whereby a slick neck-spike was utilized, this may be a reason for it's lack of success; the film is creative and controversial but lacks finesse. Technology usage in eX is very masculine and sexualized, for example the penetration of the pod into the back; it's alarmingly true of many cyberspace technologies; whereby users must somehow penetrate themselves with the technology; Demolition Man (1993) does however present an opposing viewpoint; instead of being penetrated, the user must wear a helmet to in fact restrict any form of penetration, S. Bullock then reinforces this with her dialogue on AIDS etc. One could look back at eXistenZ and make a connection between that line and J. Laws' worried dialogue parts on port infection; there is an interesting concern that both films display over infection and mutation regarding penetrative technologies.

I personally found the film difficult to follow in the fact that we were, through the cycle of scenes, being challenged over what is real and what isn't. Even though this was very effective in challenging the viewer through what we deem to be real, narratively it felt disconnected at times. However eX does effectively show the dystopian (in terms of the breakdown of social behavior) impact of living in a continually more dissociated society, the assassins at the end succeed in their plan in an attempt to rid the world of the 'evil' of this alternative game world phenomenon. I found the article by Lia Hitchkiss to be very stimulating and provided many interesting thoughts on Cronenberg's works, which I deem to be a staple diet for the cyberspace junky. Even though eXistenZ was by large a faulted film, it should not be passed up as inferior or lacking in stimulating material, even though the sight of the game pods makes me physically nauseous, I do however consider it to be very clever in the context of birth and the human comprehension of thew real.