Modern times have seen rise to all sort of conspiracies that questions whether Al Qaeda was actually behind 9/11, where exactly was the origin of covid-19 and of course, Why would anyone believe that Brooklyn Beckham is a chef? We’re being manipulated and that’s what’s at the heart of writer-director David Balda’s new film Manipulation.
Set in an unspecified part of the 21st century it sees Matteo (Radolsav Gavlas ) attend covert Illuminati like meeting of men that includes his father and is headed up by the Master (Pawel Lawtynowicz) and assigns him task of finding Father Vitus (Heino Ferch) who is intrinsic to the Lodges grand plan. Unfortunately anyone who defies an order cannot go unpunished in a manner not dissimilar to trying to cancel your membership of the AA. It prompts Matteo to question just what he has got himself into and sets out to take down the Lodge and its Master.
Behind the Manipulation….
All of this sets off a series of events and revelation not all of which is entirely coherent with the plot going off at tangents and yet still remains pedestrian in its plotting. Manipulation is not without ambition taking in semiotics, freemasonery, theological iconography and far more but it’s rarely coherent and often jumbled. It’s a pity because a film that explores the meeting of politics and huge wealth is perhaps more relevant today than it has ever been but it’s something of a chore to get through this that’s hardly helped by a co-European cast of which several cast members struggle to make sense of their lines in English and a clunky scene of exposition towards the end is jarringly dumped into the mix before the climax which in fairness does lead to a neat twist. It misses any real intrigue and a decent set piece or two is desperately needed. Though it’s all competently made there’s no unexpected thrills, no gut punch revelations and no rug being pulled from underneath you that would justify calling a film Manipulation.
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The director and cast talk about the film at the London premiere….
Here’s the trailer…..
