Do you ever hear ideas that make you go “yes, yes, yes, YES!”? Like, it’s such a perfect concept, and it seems like there’s no way it could fail. Basically that applies to anything Alejandro Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki do together, and boy howdy is their next project a doozy.
Variety has reported that the Oscar-winning duo (winning back-to-back for the collaborations BIRDMAN and THE REVENANT) are working on a virtual reality short film that will take the viewer deep into the fierce, painful experience of a group of immigrants and refugees as they cross the Mexican/American border. Director Iñárritu and cinematographer Lubezki will work on the experiment after having done four years planning,
Not only is this the first project of this kind for the pair (or for anyone coming from the movie world, really) but financiers and producers Legendary Entertainment and Fondazione Prada will also be taking their first steps into the VR market, while Lucasfilm’s new Immersive Entertainment division, ILMxLAB, will work to create and characters and virtual environment.
Okay, okay a VR experience around the harsh environment immigrants face doesn't sound exactly like the most uplifting project for such a piece of technology, specially one that I've seen primarily used to throw people into horror-movie-esque scenarios. But clearly the possibilities of VR are endless, and I think this project between the two geniuses will be a milestone for the format, proving how enriching an experience it has the potential to be. Granted, unless you have a VR headset you probably won't get to see it, but considering how long it may take to roll this thing out that leaves you plenty of time to befriend someone more tech-savvy than you for the sole purpose of bumming their headset.