Running Time: 98 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Grace Van Dien, Daniel Sharman, Keenan Arrison, Tafara Nyatsanza, Nicole Fortuin, Robyn Rossouw, Tina Redman, Clancy Brown, Caleb Payne
After making her feature directorial debut with 2021's award-winning Glasshouse, writer/director Kelsey Egan returns with The Fix. The opening moments lay the groundwork for the ensuing film, while showing that this follow-up has much on its mind. As with many dystopian premises, the horrors are shown through a human right being stripped of its availability. In this instance, breathable air is becoming a dying dream.
The Earth's atmosphere has become too toxic for humanity to survive prolonged exposure, leaving people and even dogs required to constantly wear respiratory masks. Within this bleak future, a corporation named Aethera hold the only combatant drug that, if regularly used, eases breathing to make masks not required. This is shown within an early advert for the product, capturing this world's unfortunate reality of that human right being commodified.
At the forefront of this advert is Ella (Grace Van Dien), a model dissatisfied with her life as she follows in the footsteps of her deceased mother, who was once a famous model. Looking for a change, she finds herself at a party where she ends up taking a new designer drug. Before you can say "be careful what you wish for", the drug is actually an experimental serum devised by a rogue scientist, leaving Ella to undergo a shocking transformation that could have a positive impact upon the world.
Central to this story, Ella has daily struggles with relationships and self-confidence. Following in her late mother's footsteps does little to help things, as she sees herself as a nepo-baby whose usefulness does not extend past her looks. These ideas of herself are tested after taking the drug, causing the model to undergo a metamorphosis which changes her look and gives her unforeseen abilities. Discovering other ways that she can be of use, Ella sees a way to escape her mother's shadow and make a real change against a corporation that dismisses people in need for profit.
Also living in his parent's shadow, Eric O'Connors (Daniel Sharman) is the head of research at Aethera, a position he inherited from his father, the company's chairman (Clancy Brown.) He is the inverse to Ella, desperately trying to prove himself to his dad while focusing on profit over people. His idea is to utilize clean air to help the elite, a decision that goes against hopes of enacting real change for the greater good.
As a battle unfolds for this world's future, Egan has aspirations for how to realise it in cinematic form. There are effective fight scenes throughout, although the film has moments where the execution admittedly could use refining, including a brief car chase and its aftermath. It is also unfortunate during the moments when music plays, as the sound mixing leaves the songs to overpower scenes and drown out dialogue. Yet this does not dampen the residing interest during the closing moments, as hints of further stories to tell are most welcome. The Fix is an exciting tale about fighting for real change, whether you have dragonfly DNA or not.
The Fix is available now on Digital Platforms
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