IN SOME WAYS, the plot of Selfless, the new release
from Portland director Jacob Pander, pales in comparison to the
polished ambition of the film’s crystal-clear cinematography and the
dedicated performances of its cast. The premise is serviceable enough:
A hotshot eco-architect, Dylan Gray (Josh Rengert), becomes the victim
of identity theft at the hands of a two-dimensional villain, Wesley
Stone (Matt Gallini). As his blissfully yuppified existence with his
girlfriend Janine (October Moore) unravels, Gray is simultaneously
caught up—in a truly weird development—with a flight
attendant (Jennifer Hong) and her twin sister, a victim of human
trafficking.
If that sounds a bit random, it is, although the parallel between
Gray and the twin having been stripped of their identities by nefarious
forces is fairly obviously drawn. The film is spotted with moments of
incredulity, such as when Gray does what no one even halfway savvy with
the internet would do, and types his banking information into a dodgy
pop-up window. Likewise, Stone’s fondness for violent videogames and
thrash metal is borderline caricature.
If you can relax past the ragged ends of the script (co-written with
Pander’s brother, Arnold), you’re still left with an enjoyable if
formulaic thriller whose images are more sophisticated than the story
they represent. The brothers’ background in animation comes in handy
during a particularly appealing near-dream sequence scene toward the
film’s close, but throughout, there’s a penetrating sense of gray
serenity in its beautiful but somber angles. The cast—an indie
crew with limited credentials—pulls off some surprisingly smooth
and consistent performances, bravely shouldering the script with an
adaptivity that belies their relative inexperience.
With filming split between Portland and Seattle, Selfless was
a production that relied heavily on local talent—you’ll even
recognize the voice of Storm Large doing arias on the soundtrack. While
in some respects flimsy, the film is an exciting indicator that the
Panders might be the next greatest thing out of Portland’s movie-making
scene—if, that is, they just set their sights a smidge higher
next time.