Film: Creative Control

Written, directed and starring Benjamin Dickinson, Creative Control follows the life of advertising executive David whose grasp on reality begins to unravel as he becomes more and more dependent on a new form of augmented reality. Filmed on location throughout Brooklyn in luscious black-and-white photography, it’s easy to see how Creative Control took home the Special Jury Prize for visual excellence at this year’s SXSW Festival. Split between satire and dystopian epic, the film offers a muted, contemplative study on the way in which contemporary society commodifies our existence. And with the growing popularity of products such as Google Glass and Apple Watch, the film’s near-future setting becomes almost parodic, seemingly indistinguishable from the world we know today.