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In February 2003, a 19-year-old named Joshua Cooke gunned down his parents in their Virginia home. Cooke has told his lawyers that he believes he is living in The Matrix, a simulated universe depicted in the 1999 Keanu Reeves blockbuster of the same name. Cooke pleaded guilty and the defense was never used. But years later, it still delivers a creepy, painful tale of when he realized killing another human was nothing like an action movie.
This is arguably a spoiler for A glitch in the matrix, a new documentary on the simulation hypothesis – the idea that our reality is in fact artificial. But it’s essential to explain why the film never comes together. A problem in the matrix is an offbeat glimpse of a popular and intriguing philosophical conundrum: What if we live in a video game? It’s also a film about the people who take this riddle unbelievably seriously. But it never reconciles these elements. It’s like watching a conversation at a dinner party about paranormal activity where one guest shares heartbreaking stories about the spirits of loved ones who have passed away and the other quotes lines from Ghost hunters.
A glitch in the matrix is directed by Rodney Ascher, known for his acclaimed documentaries The nightmare and Room 237. The film is framed by a 1977 lecture by science fiction author Philip K. Dick, who became convinced of the simulation hypothesis after an anesthetic religious experience. His heart is drawn from extended interviews with a few believers today who have had metaphysical epiphanies, appearing through Zoom calls where they are obscured by superimpositions of sci-fi cartoon characters. Gradually, they are exposing their own reasons for believing in a virtual world where other people may or may not actually exist.
As Room 237, which gave obsessive Shiny fan space to present elaborate theories about its meaning, A glitch in the matrix offers a variety of justifications for a simulated universe. You’ll find sober probability estimates by philosopher Nick Bostrom, who popularized simulation theory in a 2001 essay, as well as speeches by well-known promoter Elon Musk and clickbait pseudoscience like the Mandela Effect, which postulates that the largely unrecognized pop culture references are proof of a parallel. realities.
A problem in the matrix unfortunately suffers from having little reality. Zoom talks are understandable during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are frustrating and abstract, offering no clue of what it means to actually live your life convinced the world is wrong. Instead, the movie is mostly put together from low budget animation and plenty of movie and video game clips. The most compelling details only get a fleeting mention – such as one participant who mentions motivating themselves to ‘level up’ in life and try new things, believing that this will make it more interesting to one observer of another. world.
Beyond any factual argument, the simulation hypothesis seems to offer reassuring answers in a frightening and irrational world. Why do celebrities mindlessly empty their bank accounts or burn their reputation? Because they are controlled by a bored player character. Why would a suicidal man fly and crash into an empty plane? Because he knew he could just log out. Why can’t you make friends? Because no one around you is truly human.
As the last question suggests, this path can lead to some very dark places. At least one participant acknowledges that their beliefs could stem from social anxiety. A problem in the matrix briefly refers to the nihilistic 4chan “NPC” meme, which (although the movie never mentions it) far-right supporters have adopted to paint political enemies as literal automatons. And then there’s Cooke – whose murders seem motivated more by mere mental health issues than sci-fi delusions, but who methodically details how The matrix consumed his life.
A glitch in the matrix version of simulation theory is essentially a smart design for sociopaths. The most interesting parts of the movie are about why people believe it, not whether it’s true. But he spends far too much time on scattered and remarkably unconvincing arguments presented in a tone of innocent, wide-eyed fascination – a tone that, as characters like Cooke enter the scene, feels more and more distracting and distracting. downright scary. And if you make think the others are real, A glitch in the matrix probably won’t persuade you otherwise.
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