Broadcast Signal Intrusion, well-directed by Jacob Gentry, tells the story of lonely video archivist James (Glee’s Harry Shum Jr.) and his obsession with finding the origin of a disturbing clip embedded in one of the shows he is logging.
The film is set in Chicago, 1999. The videos James spends his nights archiving are set in the mid-to-late 1980’s. Gentry has said that he was inspired by a still unsolved signal hijacking from 1987, a case that has always fascinated me. The premise of Broadcast Signal Intrusion had me hooked.
The film starts out strongly. The imagery in the clip that James discovers features a truly disturbing masked/android creature that mirrors some of his recent nightmares. His nightmares are about his beloved dancer wife Hannah who went missing three years prior. Since then, he has been depressed and lonely, his primary contact with the outside world being a grief support group for people who have lost their loved ones.
After discovering that there is a second tape with the same hack, and possibly a missing third, James devotes his life (and sanity) to figuring out the source and purpose of the signal intrusions. Especially when it appears the hacks are related to the disappearances of women, possibly even Hannah. He encounters several people along the way who warn him to stop investigating the tapes. The word “rabbit-hole” is frequently used. No one will give a solid reason as to WHY he should stop though.
He is aided in his mission by Alice (Kelley Mack), a drifter who watches the hacked tapes and has an uncanny knack for finding hidden meaning in them. Is she part of the conspiracy of the “creepiest unsolved mystery hack of all time”? Why did she actually insert herself in James’ life? Unfortunately, these questions, and many more, are left unanswered. Not in a draw-your-own-conclusion way either. The script and story simply are not strong enough to support the film’s great premise and production.
Broadcast Signal Intrusion is very frustrating in that aspect. There are many red herrings in the film, and a lot of loose ends that remain unaddressed. The mystery is captivating, but the resolution is disappointing. Even after multiple viewings.
Despite that, there are many things I enjoyed about Broadcast Signal Intrusion. Shum Jr. is utterly convincing as James, his performance as an obsessed and grief-stricken man chasing a slight ray of hope is spot on. All supporting actors were also strong. Ben Lovett’s score is wonderful, its modern detective-noire tone perfectly suits the story of a man on a mission to solve a mystery at any cost. The signal intrusion hacks are genuinely creepy and have a distinct David Lynch feel to them. The atmosphere of the film is consistently creepy and dark.
I really wanted to love Broadcast Signal Intrusion, but it fell flat……just barely. The performances, atmosphere, premise, and score were incredibly strong. Unfortunately, they were not enough to overcome the opaque storyline and weak script.
RN review of Broadcast Signal Intrusion
Score
Score
I really wanted to love Broadcast Signal Intrusion, but it fell flat……just barely. The performances, atmosphere, premise, and score were incredibly strong. Unfortunately, they were not enough to overcome the opaque storyline and weak script.