Transient

Superbly-paced sci-fi thriller/suspense. Transient hits right at the intersection of human experience and technology.

Even while dancing on the cutting edge of innovation, this film remains grounded as it explores the importance of self, love, grief, and memory. Well-written and excellently performed, it held my full attention through every moment.

A showcase of Pennsylvania talent both onscreen and off, with everything tied together through practical and visual effects. The original music is evocative. So much more to explore in this Transient world, would go to the theater again in a heartbeat to see a sequel.

Ever wondered what Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was like if it were a horror film? Well, Transient fits the bill.

Full disclosure, I was a backer for this, and I know some of the people involved, so I might be a little biased, but then again, who isn't? That said, they didn't disappoint. But if there's one critique I could give, it's that it could've gone harder and more visceral, such as with the blood, gore, sex, and nudity, which could be boiled down to budget, among other things, yet this is a good start, and I'm in for whatever's next.

Also, nice placement of the book UBIK on the desk. I'm ashamed to say I've yet to read it, but it's on the list. I share the same first name as Philip K. Dick. And you can't spell "philosophical" without PHIL.

What I loved most about this movie was its general accuracy as far as movie fantasy goes, and how it escalates the suspense over time.

The accuracy was pretty good for neural networks, AI, and I liked the nod to Karl Friston's "active inferencing" they drew out for the characters on the dry erase board.

The ending caught me by surprise a little, so that is always good!

Generally believable performances, solid supporting actors and the leads did "bro-tech" pretty well.

The movie itself is a mix between Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and a kind of Flatliners. I kind of dig how they mashed it together.

I wish there was a sequel.

The storyline was brilliant, the cinematography was amazing! I was especially happy to hear that they Take pride in hiring from their local state of Pennsylvania for these projects!!

I love the sci-fi genre and this film had me guessing and wanting to watch it again to see what I might've missed. You can tell they took time to research the science behind the concepts that they use to tell the story. As a tech nerd, I loved how thru in math and real tech (Arduino), VSCode, whiteboard diagrams, TPUs and adjusting parameters while they are training the model all showed little technical details that added to setting up the storyline and making it feel authentic even to my domain level expert scrutiny.

I wait to see What these filmmakers come up with next! Bravo.

I can't wait to watch them again!!

Transient is nothing short of dynamic. It's lofty, dark and brooding. Well-paced and written with depth, Chris Ruppert's vision shines and glitches through inventive storytelling. A stellar cast with chops, it stars Greg Poppa, Sugey Cruz, and Eric Frances Melaragni as each deliver gripping performances offering edge of your seat character studies juxtaposed against the backdrop of the perils of technology used for dire purposes. The work is easily reminiscent of other science fiction classics that push boundaries, such as Flatliners and Dead Ringers. Do yourself a favor and view this film now!