''A Glitch in the Matrix'' is a 2021 American documentary film directed by

Rodney Ascher Rodney Ascher is an American film director, best known for his 2012 documentary '' Room 237''. Early life His mother is Jewish, and he resides in Hollywood. Awards *''Best Director Award'' at the Austin Fantastic Fest (2012, won for ''Room 237' ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on January 31, 2021, and was released theatrically and on digital platforms on February 5, 2021, by Magnolia Pictures to generally positive reviews.

Premise

Part science fiction mind-scrambler, part horror story, ''A Glitch in the Matrix'' is a multimedia exploration of

simulation hypothesis The simulation hypothesis proposes that all of our existence is a simulated reality, such as a computer simulation. The simulation hypothesis bears a close resemblance to various other skeptical scenarios from throughout the history of philosophy. ...

– an "idea as old as Plato's Republic and as current as Elon Musk's Twitter feed" – through the eyes of those who suspect the world we live in is not real.

Cast

The following cast members feature in the film as themselves: *

Nick Bostrom Nick Bostrom ( ; sv, Niklas Boström ; born 10 March 1973) is a Swedish-born philosopher at the University of Oxford known for his work on existential risk, the anthropic principle, human enhancement ethics, superintelligence risks, and the rev ...

* Joshua Cooke * Erik Davis *

Philip K. Dick Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

* Alex LeVine * Læo Mystwood * Paul Gude * Jesse Orion

Production

The film was first announced on February 4, 2019, as part of the

European Film Market The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

, with Quiver Entertainment, then known as Kew Media Distribution, handling international sales. On December 15, 2020, the film was selected as part of the

2021 Sundance Film Festival The 2021 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 28 to February 3, 2021. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Utah, the festival combined in-person screenings at the Ray ...

lineup. The following day, Magnolia Pictures acquired worldwide rights to the film. Alongside the announcement, a teaser trailer was released.

Release

The film had its world premiere on January 31, 2021, at the

as part of the ''Midnight'' section. The film was then given a limited theatrical release on February 5, 2021, as well as a digital release via

premium video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $3,000 in the United States.

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 68% Fresh rating, with the site's critical consensus reading "Although occasionally muddled, ''A Glitch in the Matrix'' is a thought-provoking portrait of digital culture and its relationship to reality." The film has an average score of 6.2/10 based on 98 critic reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62/100 based on 25 critic reviews. Wendy Ide of ''

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' called the documentary "fascinating, mind-expanding, infuriating, bewildering," and "bracingly ambitious" in a positive review. John DeFore of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that "though it leaves some avenues under-explored and gives a bit too much attention to the sci-fi landmark name-checked in its title, the film makes for engrossing, sometimes unsettling viewing" in another mostly positive review. Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars, stating that "what's missing from this fecund brew, which you could imagine being twice as long, is any kind of judgment or analysis of the subjects." Noel Murray from the Los Angeles Times wrote that "while the doc may be overlong, it's consistently fascinating because of its implications" in a mixed review.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Glitch in the Matrix, A 2021 documentary films 2021 films American animated documentary films American films with live action and animation Documentary films about science Films about death Films about simulated reality Films about the afterlife Films directed by Rodney Ascher Documentary films about conspiracy theories 2020s English-language films 2020s American films