This six-minute short film plunges you into an augmented reality hellscape

"What if advertising, but too much?" That's often the formula for short films about augmented reality. (Thanks to The Verge's VR expert Adi Robertson for that one-liner.) But this new entry into the genre from artist Keiichi Matsuda still feels compelling, not least because the visuals are so beautifully hectic. Every physical surface in "HYPER-REALITY" has been plastered with holographic images, often to the point of obscuring the underlying world altogether.

I think the film feels so disturbingly familiar, though, not because the protagonist's POV is surrounded by adverts, but more personal messages as well — notifications, to-do lists, even a virtual "inspiration guru" from a temping agency. Fatigue in modern life doesn't just come from adverts, but the often never-ending stream of prods and pokes that remind you that your life is being measured out in ways beyond your control. Maybe a more accurate summary of "HYPER-REALITY" is: what if capitalism, but too much?

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• SourceKeiichi Matsuda (Vimeo)