Empathy, Inc.

Empathy, Inc. is a 2018 American science fiction thriller film directed by Yedidya Gorsetman, written by Mark Leidner, and produced by Josh Itzkowitz, starring Zack Robidas, Kathy Searle, and Jay Klaitz. It premiered at Cinepocalypse on June 24, 2018, and was released theatrically on September 6, 2019.

Empathy, Inc.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYedidya Gorsetman
Produced by
  • Yedidya Gorsetman
  • Josh Itzkowitz
  • Mark Leidner
Written byMark Leidner
Starring
Music byOmri Anghel
CinematographyDarin Quan
Edited byShira Arad
Production
company
Rigel Films
Distributed by
  • Dark Star Pictures
  • Oration Films
Release date
  • June 24, 2018 (2018-06-24) (Cinepocalypse)
  • September 6, 2019 (2019-09-06) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30,000[1]

Plot

The film tells the story of Joel, a struggling tech venture capitalist who invests his and his in-laws money in an extreme virtual reality company called Empathy Inc., whose proposed technology will allow wealthy people to spend time in the shoes of the less fortunate.[2][3]

Cast
  • Zack Robidas as Joel
  • Kathy Searle as Jessica
  • Jay Klaitz as Lester
  • Eric Berryman as Nicolaus
  • AJ Cedeno as Sonny
  • Charmaine Reedy as Vicky
  • Fenton Lawless as Ward
  • Anthony Mangano as Officer Cortona
  • Karen Lynn Gorney as Miss Miriam

Production

The film was written by Mark Leidner, directed by Yedidya Gorsetman, and produced by Josh Itzkowitz; the three previously worked together on the 2014 romantic comedy Jammed.[4][5] It was shot over the course of six weeks in New York City in 2017.[3][4]

Release

Empathy, Inc. premiered at Cinepocalypse on June 24, 2018.[6] It went on to screen at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival,[7] Austin Film Festival,[8] Philadelphia Film Festival,[9] and Panic Fest.[10] In May 2019, it was announced that Dark Star Pictures had acquired North American rights to the film, and that it had been picked up by Oration Films for international distribution.[2] It was released theatrically on September 6, 2019, followed by a VOD release on September 24, 2019.[11]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Empathy, Inc. holds an approval rating of 85%, based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10.[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

Alex McLevy in The A.V. Club wrote that the film "seethes with low-level menace and anxiety, and features a protagonist navigating a technological marvel that spins off the rails… it tells a solid story with verve and deft pacing."[14] Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle called it "an intricate and incisive dissection of greed, vicarious living, guilt, and the precariousness of the American middle class."[8] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called the film's concept "brilliant".[6] Dennis Harvey of Variety called it "a clever indie suspense that draws on fantasy-tinged notions of virtual reality and identity exchange to create an ingenious tale more in the realm of an intimately-scaled thriller than sci-fi."[11]

References
  1. "Empathy Inc. (2019) – movie review". Horror World & Reviews. 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2020-10-26. This is the second feature-length movie by Yedidya Gorsetman: it was made for only $30,000 dollars, it’s in black and white, it revolves around the concept of virtual reality.
  2. Kay, Jeremy (7 May 2019). "Oration Films, Dark Star find 'Empathy, Inc'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. Kikta, Lorry (16 October 2018). "Empathy Inc". Film Threat. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  4. Filer, Joey (19 June 2018). "'Empathy, Inc.' to premiere at Music Box Cinepocalypse". Reel Chicago. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  5. Allen, Tracy. "BHFF 2018: 'Empathy Inc.' Movie Review". Pop Horror. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  6. Tallerico, Brian (20 June 2018). "CINEPOCALYPSE 2018 PREVIEW". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  7. Kurland, Daniel (23 October 2018). "5 Indie Horror Gems From 2018's Brooklyn Horror Film Fest That You Need to See!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  8. Whittaker, Richard (2 November 2018). "Austin Film Festival Review: Empathy, Inc". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. Rasmussen, Tracy (25 October 2018). "Reading actor to star in feature length thriller, 'Empathy, Inc.'". Reading Eagle. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  10. Storc, Matt (5 February 2019). "Panic Fest 2019 Coverage – The Features And Events". Horror Society. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  11. Harvey, Dennis (4 September 2019). "Film Review: 'Empathy, Inc.'". Variety. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  12. "Empathy, Inc. (2019) – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  13. "Empathy, Inc. reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  14. McLevy, Alex (2 July 2018). "Our scary-good favorites from this year's Cinepocalypse genre film festival". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
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