THE STORY – A reclusive young man whose dangerous obsession with a live-streaming influencer increasingly erodes his grip on reality.
THE CAST – Gabriel Basso, Courtney Eaton, Rain Spencer, Noah Centineo & Kiernan Shipka
THE TEAM – Gabriel Basso (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 120 Minutes
We were promised that technology would bring us closer together. These elaborate machines and algorithms would help connect the world. Yet with each passing day, the digital divide only widens as new issues plague us that we never imagined decades ago. The rise of mental health issues, artificial intelligence, and the online red-pillification all seem to be prevalent issues that we are being told to accept as it is merely the cost that comes with progress. What is a bit shocking is that, of all the people piqued by this ongoing change to our lives, it’s actor Gabriel Basso. His directorial debut, “Iconoclast,” which spotlights the isolation fostered by today’s society, is a more-than-confident outing, bringing us this cautionary tale for the social media age.
In “Iconoclast,” Basso plays Connor, a recluse who spends his days obsessing over Courtney Eaton’s Nika, an online influencer, and molding himself in the image of what he believes she would want. When he’s not home watching Nika’s streams, he works at a vacant appliance store all by himself or aggressively lugging weights around his local gym. His compulsively routine life, which shows no promise of improving, is challenged by the arrival of a new hire, Morgan (played by Rain Spencer), who disrupts Connor’s slow descent into obsession and keeps him grounded in reality. It’s all but temporary as “Iconoclast” is but the cinematic equivalent of watching a car crash waiting to happen. Basso’s directorial debut is precise, keeping audiences engaged as Connor, barely in touch with the world around him, slips further into self-destructive habits that push him closer to the edge. Modern technology has only created a rabbit hole for people like Connor to lose themselves in, and each day it only grows worse. Basso’s screenplay brings a degree of empathy to the character of Connor, viewing him as a victim of the powers that be and less of a monster, despite the misogynist tendencies expected of a chronically online man who spends all day spamming comments in an influencer’s Twitch chat.
It’s Basso’s performance that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, tapping into a despondent nature and presenting Connor as a shell of a man, walking through society as if everything is alright, mentally, he’s falling apart. The ability Basso has to sell audiences with his silent demeanor, which is teetering on a volatility unknown to many, is captivating. This aspect is also effectively conveyed by Eaton, who is enlisted to play double duty, presenting herself to audiences not only as the version of this influencer unaware of Connor’s existence but also as the mental manifestation of Nika that haunts his every waking move. Basso cleverly integrates Blu Murray’s editing and Lula Carvalho’s cinematography to show how Niki’s presence essentially infests Connor’s world, as his para-social tendencies only worsen with each waking moment.
While Basso’s screenplay doesn’t add anything new to the conversation about modern masculinity, its structure is tight, keeping audiences engaged with Connor’s new habits, which only perpetuate harm to himself. Any moment he’s forced to engage with others, whether it’s the potential fling with a flirty Kiernan Shipka or with locals from his job, there’s an atmosphere that quickly bastardizes into something unpredictable. This dynamic is perfectly juxtaposed whenever Basso is opposite Spencer, whose eccentric yet personable nature is almost a shock to the system, seeing someone who is relatively functional. It also adds to the tragedy of it all, which Basso doesn’t milk to the point of exhausting the audience’s sympathy for this character.
“Iconoclast,” albeit covering familiar territory, almost sticks the landing if not for a finale that undercuts the film. It’s a narrative decision in the film’s final minutes that will almost certainly ruin the film somewhat, making it less of a clever twist and more of an obvious talking point delivered bluntly to reemphasize the singular point the film is built around. Despite this, Basso shows real promise as a filmmaker and even displays how far he’s come as a performer. If “Iconoclast” is any indication of what Basso’s career as a director could become, it would be worth keeping note of.
