The Beta Test (2021)

 

"Top notch social satire"

The most recent film from Jim Cummings, director, writer and star of  2018's rather good THUNDER ROAD and 2020's THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW is getting a deserved Blu-ray release from Arrow in a two-disc edition.

Jordan (Cummings) words for a Hollywood talent agency and is due to get married very soon to Caroline (Virginia Newcomb from THE THEATRE BIZARRE's framework story). He received a mysterious card in the mail inviting him to an anonymous sexual encounter with someone who desires him. The card comes complete with sexual preference tick boxes for him to fill in.

Jordan's not sure what to do. We know it's a bad idea because we've seen the giallo-like prologue where a girl who has accepted the invitation, and confessed it to her lover, has met a bloody death at his hands as a result. But Jordan eventually goes ahead, spending an afternoon of blindfolded passion with someone who is also blindfolded. Both remain anonymous to the other. Meanwhile, more people who have accepted such invitations are being murdered by their partners.

A clever commentary on the power of social media, lack of privacy, the nature of relationships and how almost everything you do now might be stored permanently online somewhere, THE BETA TEST is an engrossing off-kilter thriller that almost qualifies as science fiction in its denouement and resolution - there's that sense of all that we see being no more than five minutes into the future. 

It's skilfully written and directed by Cummings and PJ McCabe who also stars as Jordan's best friend, while Cummings himself excels as the increasingly hysterical, almost Patrick Bateman-style agent who begins to lose control of his entire world. It's a great follow-on from THUNDER ROAD and marks Cummings and McCabe as talents to watch.

Arrow's two-disc set has the movie on disc one, along with a commentary track from directors Cummings and McCabe. There's also a Making Of and two visual essays, one from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas which is 11 minutes along and sticks to the film and its themes closely. The other, more freewheeling and more entertaining essay is from Guy Adams which explores the relationship between hotels and film in general. There's also an image gallery and trailer.

Disc two contains a collection of short films from the film-makers, as well as a look behind the scenes of the 2016 and 2017 Sundance Film Festivals, where the film-makers received awards, providing about two and a half hours of bonus material in all. The discs come with a reversible sleeve and a booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel and the whole thing is housed in this lovely slipcase:

THE BETA TEST is out in a special limited two disc Blu-ray edition from Arrow on Monday 8th May 2023