Free Goody, Ugly Ranting, Disgruntled, Mysterious

A short text on IMDb states that this feature is about a man named Joseph Hahas (Santamato) who pretends that he is living in a virtual world. What the film shows is a man talking to himself and repeatedly walking on and off-screen.

The only other film by Peruvian filmmaker and actor Santamato that the writer of this review has seen (and also reviewed) is the 2021 feature Theoretically, An Even More Paranoid Conspiratorial Phone Call and there are similarities between these two projects of his.

First, both films have long titles that do not fly off the tongue. Then, there is repetition: both features revolve around an individual doing pretty much the same things throughout. In the case of the film reviewed here, Hahas spends the entirety of the feature pretending that he is interacting with other people, (Santamato is the only person in the film) having conversations with them or providing explanations and perspectives about a variety of subjects, including art, business, a book, the film industry and the theory of knowledge.

Watching the film is a bit like watching an actor on a theatre stage. Santamato is wearing a suit and a tie and is filmed primarily from the waist upwards as he talks facing either left or right and as he walks on and off-screen throughout the feature, whith the camera constantly static, making the film seem like one long take. The wall that is behind Santamato changes a couple of times, going from blue to brown and then orange. It is approximately halfway through when there is a significant change to the constant patterns, as the character becomes more physically active, changing positions frequently, moving closer to the camera and acquiring a book and a glass of water.

What positive aspects are there here? One would be Santamato's performance as he convincingly pretends to have conversations and provide explanations to people who are not there. He speaks in a friendly manner, laughs every now and then and makes his character come across as likeable. Another plus would be if the viewer finds the subjects that are addressed interesting.

Going now to the audio, there is music that sounds like an electronic keyboard and it is heard briefly during the opening and closing credits. Throughout the film, there are the constant sounds of cars driving by and planes flying by. The sounds are distracting, making it hard to understand what Hahas is saying.

One hour and seventeen minutes of a man talking and walking around. Only those who have an interest in the subjects that the character mentions are likely to find some enjoyment in this feature. Those who do not are probably in for a dull experience.