Share?
Directed by Ira Rosensweig
Written by Benjamin Sutor
Starring: Melvin Gregg, Bradley Whitford, Alice Braga
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour, 18 minutes
In select theaters and on digital/VOD November 10

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Director Ira Rosensweig uses a fixed camera for the duration of Share?, an absorbing, intriguing drama that questions our social need to be online all the time.

The film opens with a man identified as #000000014 (Melvin Gregg) who awakens in a sterile room. How he got there, who is responsible, and why are unknown. (The film deliberately never reveals anything.) He soon learns he can “buy” amenities like water, clothes, and food using a computer that responds to some but not all of his commands.

Share? invites audiences to play along with #000000014 and discover how this new reality works. As the man soon realizes, amusing others get him points (much like tipping streamers on Twitch or other online accounts) that he can use to purchase what he needs. So 000000014 farts and tumbles to get enough credit to “buy” an air mattress and other amenities.

After about 15 minutes, Share? has #000000014 connect with another person in a different room, #006395873 (Bradley Whitford), a motormouth who helps #000000014 adjust to things and learn more about the system at play. Before long, another contact, #052605011 (Alice Braga), also connects with the men, and together they try to figure out an escape plan. One option ends badly.

Share? escalates the drama from this point on as the characters bond, rage, play, philosophize, and love. While there are a few moments where #000000014 and #052605011 get a little frisky, the film thankfully does not stoop to exploiting the characters or their sexuality like an online peep show. Instead, the idea, which #006395873 promotes, is about creating an online persona. While #000000014 has success as a jester of sorts, another woman #038491828 is an upbeat yogi who espouses messages about happiness. She interests #000000014, but irritates #052605011, who raises questions about social rules and respect.

Share? may be topical as it explores this new “online community,” but it misses the opportunity to address issues of cyberbullying, and the points it makes about activism and the ability of social media to mobilize could be more powerful. In addition, the characters could have had some “confessional” moments, which would provide some background about who they were before they found themselves in this new reality.

Visually, Rosensweig uses a fixed camera perspective to help viewers to engage as they would on social media. The editing is designed to shift between the “rooms,” while also keeping “eyes” on the character at all times using video screens. This approach is very Big Brother but is it also very reminiscent of lockdown. The production design is largely monochromatic, but viewers can spend time watching yellow text (in reverse) on the screen as #000000014 and others type commands, earn credits, and interact.

The film is certainly an actor’s showcase. Gregg, who is on-screen the entire time, gives a very energetic performance. The charismatic actor rises to the challenge of carrying the film even when the script gets a bit simplistic, as when #000000014 considers if he is a “good” or “bad” person. In support, both Bradley Whitford and Alice Braga give engaging performances, despite limited screen time.

Share? sustains interest throughout its 80-minutes as it invites audiences to consider what they would do in the same situation, as well as what they would need to survive and thrive.