Bursting onto the scene in 2018 with the brilliant indie film Thunder Road, Jim Cummings returns with his brand new film that he stars, writes and directs in. The Beta Test is another dark comedy that follows Jordan, a Hollywood agent that receives a mysterious letter that invites him to a hotel to participate in an anonymous sexual encounter with a stranger. Once Jordan arrives at the hotel and completes the deed, his life, as he knows it, begins to crumble. Jordan then spends the rest of the film trying to find out where this letter came from and why it was sent to him. With his wedding, business and reputation put on the line, Jordan takes every necessary step to ensure he finds the answer before he loses the will to live.
Following along the same lines as some of his previous films, Cummings delivers what is his best piece of work yet, and might we add, one of the best, if not the best film of 2021. His ability to write and deliver a story that covers life in the modern world and all the stresses that it pulls is phenomenal. Cummings has this very unique ability to switch from comedy gold moments to reenacting his character's mental breakdown and deliver it in such a way that it makes you forget just what you were laughing about moments ago! Not only does it cover the modern world with all of its pressures and expectations, but The Beta Test also brilliantly highlights the toxicity around Hollywood and its action towards staff over the many years in the industry.
2021 has been an odd year for film. It's been a year of uncertainty around cinema, especially around independent film. Movies from a few years ago have finally found their feet in cinemas around the globe but we quickly forget about our precious indie films that continue to innovate and surprise us. The Beta Test is the greatest example of indie cinema doing good. Although we may be carried away by the latest superhero or spy movie in our cinemas, it's important to shine a light on what is easily one of the best movies you will see this year. The Beta Test grips you from the first minute and doesn't let go until those credits stop rolling at around that 90 minute mark. Jim Cummings is a masterclass in this and is destined to continue his impressive vein of form on and off screen.
The Beta Test is now in cinemas in the UK
