When the New York Film Festival unveiled its Currents lineup this year, the most talked-about entry was the Manila-made The Remotes. Directed by multi-disciplinary artist John Torres the film arrived as an exclusive world premiere, accompanied by the first official trailer that immediately set social feeds ablaze. The piece positions itself at the crossroads of neo-noirsci-fi and documentary aesthetics, promising a visual language that feels both familiar and unsettlingly new.
NYFF Currents debut and exclusive trailer
Audiences gathered at the Film at Lincoln Center for the NYFF Currents screening, where the opening minutes plunged viewers into a fog-shrouded metropolis, its neon signs flickering like dying breath. The trailer, released online just after the U.S. premiere, showcases a mournful detective navigating a labyrinthine cityscape while a sinister navigation app whispers from every street corner. The promotional clip emphasizes the film’s mood-driven pacing, with lingering shots of rain-slicked alleys and a haunting score that underscores the protagonist’s isolation. By pairing the trailer with the festival’s high-profile slot, Torres ensured that the conversation would start long before the final credits rolled.
The film’s hybrid language: sci-fi, documentary and neo-noir
The Remotes follows a detective haunted by the death of his wife in an accident involving a driver-app. He teams up with his telepathic sister-in-law, whose recorded voice may hold crucial evidence. Torres described his work as a “original, visually striking form of neo-noir that combines sci-fi and documentary into a new kind of stylistic blueprint.” The narrative unfolds in a non-linear fashion, allowing time to stretch and compress, a technique that mirrors the way surveillance technology blurs the lines between past and present. The film’s aesthetic choices—muted colour palettes, grainy textures, and erratic jump-cuts—reinforce the sense that the city itself is an omnipresent observer.
Grief as infrastructure
In a recent press interview, Torres explained that “longing can become infrastructure” noting how personal loss can be weaponised by digital platforms that promise connection. He argues that grief “stifles us while technology listens in and automates our choices in life.” Within the story, the navigation app becomes a surrogate for the detective’s yearning, guiding him toward truth while simultaneously tightening the city’s grip. This thematic layer reflects a broader commentary on how contemporary societies allow emotional vulnerability to be harvested and repurposed by powerful algorithms.
First impressions from TIFF critics
After its run at the Toronto International Film Festival, critic Jared Mobarak compared the experience to David Lynch’s Lost Highway. He wrote, “It’s no wonder that the film I most thought of was David Lynch’s *Lost Highway*. Between The Remotes’ darkly surreal noir mystery and the unnaturally cyclical nature of its visuals and sound, you wouldn’t need to twist my arm to make me believe everything onscreen is a dream. It’s not—Mijares isn’t the only one desperate for solace—but that doesn’t mean most is. Call it coincidence, fate, or delusion; nothing should be taken at face value.” Mobarak’s assessment highlights the film’s deliberate ambiguity and its capacity to keep viewers questioning the reality of every frame.
Beyond its stylistic bravado, The Remotes functions as a pointed response to the Philippines’ “war on drugs” era under former President Rodrigo Duterte. The director weaves the nation’s heightened surveillance apparatus into the city’s omnipresent monitoring systems, suggesting that the line between state-imposed control and private tech domination is increasingly blurred. By situating personal tragedy within a broader political climate, Torres creates a narrative that is simultaneously intimate and systemic, urging audiences to consider how far they are willing to let technology mediate grief, identity, and freedom.
