Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

There is way too much going on in Hailey Gates’s “Atropia,” from its desire to be a biting satire of the film industry, its take on the military-industrial complex, and the blurred lines between performance and reality. Despite an interesting premise, it stumbles under the weight of its own ambition, delivering a smug, exhausting experience that tries too hard to be clever without ever earning it. Aspiring actress Fayruz (Alia Shawkat), finds herself cast as the star of a bizarre military role-playing facility designed to train soldiers in simulated combat. When soldier-turned-insurgent-for-hire actor Abu Dice (Callum Turner) arrives, sparks fly. The unscripted romance between Fayruz and Abu threatens to disrupt the immersive war games. On paper, it sounds like a sharp and surreal setting ripe for commentary, but the film doesn’t stick the landing. The script is based on real U.S. military training facilities (the most interesting thing about the film is that these fake countries and jobs for actors actually do exist), but the jumbled narrative causes severe tonal whiplash. The darkly funny satirical elements sometimes work but mostly don’t, and the sweeping romance undermines any meaningful critique. Even worse, everything comes across as scattered and self-satisfied, often talking down to its audience with smug inside jokes that rarely land. Despite the film’s attempts to be fresh and original, “Atropia” ends up feeling bloated and tiresome. With sharper editing and a tighter focus, it might have found its voice. What a shame that the film is too enamored with its own cleverness to notice how off-putting it becomes. By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS