[SLAMDANCE REVIEW] Computer Room Grunge is My New Favorite Sub-Genre: A Review of CD-Trip
Content Warning: This short contains content that may be upsetting to people with emetophobia.
Featured in Slamdance 2022’s Narrative Shorts category, CD-Trip does exactly as it says on the tin: transports you via CD-Rom to another location…if that’s even the right word for it. In spite of its apt title, however, the film is vastly unpredictable. Like a cybernetic response to cult classic Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), it’s a viscerally uncomfortable experience that won’t appeal to some the way it will to others (in this case, I am “others”). Though, if you’re in the mood for a retro nightmare chiller fueled by angst and foodstuff fury, you won’t want to miss this grotesque little film. I’m grateful I didn’t.
Directed by Michael Briggs and starring Karley Parker and Aaron Kramer, CD-Trip follows tech-enthusiast Tracy as she navigates the gritty realm between reality and cyberspace. Set amidst a landscape of floral walls and clunky gadgets, the film examines the notion of a life dictated by screens. Tracy, a passionate student of Code, pores for hours on end over her computer, only taking breaks to sleep and drink coffee. Meanwhile, her spaghetti-obsessed roommate attempts to bond with her to no avail until the two descend into a virtual world of raw, ungovernable chaos. Beyond that, I don’t want to give too much away, because this film will hit the hardest if you go in blind.
Ultimately, Biggs’ experimental short is a stellar feature but for very specific taste buds. Similar to Solondz’ Dollhouse, it doesn’t shy away from grit and grime and, in fact, relishes in its palpable grossness. Truly, it seems every corner of this film is covered in filth from the vile stains on the apartment door to the sauce-speckled refrigerator in the kitchen. A modern take on a long-gone era, the nostalgia is there but the rose-tint isn’t. The short film assesses the liminal space between Earth and screen and how present it’s been for decades. Still, the film is very disturbing, which I personally love, but will turn some viewers way off. While I’m sentimental to an extreme, I know my sweet 90s memories are not entirely accurate and the short seems to examine this well. There’s a truth in the fiction of this story that’s reminiscent of a purposefully blocked memory. Also important to note is the film’s unique sound design, which consists more of keyboard noise and static hums than of human essence at all and lends even more to the production’s uncanny quality.
All things considered, CD-Trip is an unpleasant film very much worth watching. Mind you, I love “unpleasant,” so my sentiment stands with wholehearted fervor. I would recommend this short to any other subversive media or retro-genre fans out there, but Die-hard Creepypasta or Channel Zero (2016-2018) aficionados (I know there are others) may appreciate it as well, because the cyber-horror influence is massive in this one. As far as the run-time, it’s astounding how much was accomplished in just under 15 minutes and while I may not have expected to describe a film where a man eats waterlogged pasta as “poignant,” here I am. My humble opinion? CD-Trip is weird and profound. It’s disgusting and beautiful and there’s a massive merit in that nuance and duality.