Screenlife films are known as films were the story is told exclusively through a screen of some sort.
Though the list of screenlife projects is varied, filmmaker-producer Timur Bekmambetov has shepherded some of the best films of the genre, such as 2015’s Unfriended, 2018’s Searching and the 2023 sequel Missing. The newest addition, LifeHack, may be its best yet.
Unfriended slots neatly into the category of horror, while Searching and Missing are thrillers. LifeHack falls alongside those. While there are some elements of horror in these three films, they are certainly more action-based. LifeHack especially, with its heist plot that is not unlike a modern Oceans installment.
It follows the online lives of four teenage friends. In a marvel of modern storytelling, we see them grow up with the internet, and we get to see some amazingly interactive and excellent graphics. It also helps that, unlike Unfriended which took place during a time when all we really had was Skype, it is much more believable that we are following these friends the way we are.
We get to know Kyle (Georgie Farmer), Petey (James Scholz), Syd (Roman Hayeck Green), and Alex (Yasmin Finley). They game online and chat on Discord long into the night (or day). The film gives us time to live with them before the action truly gets in, which is one of its high points. The motives make sense, and that strengthens the tension that comes later.
Kyle’s target is billionaire Don Heard (Charlie Creed-Miles). His daughter, Lindsey Heard (Jessica Reynolds), is their first target to get close enough to steal money from Don’s crypto wallet. They hack their way in and successfully take the money, and that works. For a time, at least.
Greed is always a downfall
Like anybody with newfound riches, the friends spend the money and begin to also invest in crypto. However, it turns out that Lindsey has been onto them all along as she makes contact with Kyle. Rather than report it to the police, though, she wants in. Turns out her father has cut her off, and she wants revenge against him.
They embark on what is their most ambitious–and dangerous–heist yet. The rest of the film is a masterclass in tension-building, and doing it in a way that feels organic rather than forced. When things go south, you can see a reason behind it, rather than something fabricated. It is also where the film’s use of social media really sets it above other Screenlife films, as we get a multi-media use of different mediums.
Director Ronan Corrigan, fresh off a Black List-style program founded by Bekmambetov called Screenlifers and writer Hope Elliott Kemp smash onto the scene with the force of a wrecking ball. The world and the characters they create stick with you in ways you do not often see.
To say that this film will put you on the edge of your seat is an understatement. I don’t think that I have been so anxious during a film in a long time, and that is due to both the directing and the writing of this film. If you like high-stakes action thrillers taken to the next level, don’t discount LifeHack. And, also, maybe change your passwords while you’re at it.
