Invention
In the aftermath of a conspiracy-minded man’s death, his daughter (Callie Hernandez, La La Land, Alien: Covenant) inherits his patent for an experimental healing device. She has a few days to decide whether or not she accepts this inheritance.
A highly enjoyable hybrid film, Invention follows Callie as she meets the people who knew her late father and contribute opinions about both the scientific value and commercial potential of the 'invention'. American indie cinema is very much alive and Courtney Stephens can proudly wave its flag: her intuitive feel for beauty and sense of humour work wonders in revealing some of American society's current traits and oddities.
The beautiful Super 16mm cinematography infuses a soft melancholy, which is sporadically shaken by the appearance of strange, almost dream-like old TV clips clips featuring a man who is presenting his futuristic inventions to a willing show host and for attentive homemakers to purchase. This is in fact lead actor Callie Hernandez's actual late father, who was the proud owner of a machine called 'Quantum Pulse Vibe Machine'. Callie tells us more in this Instagram post.
Callie's achievement in weaving her own story and feelings into Stephens' inventive fiction was awarded with the Best Performance prize upon the film’s world premiere in the Filmmakers of the Present strand of the Locarno Film Festival.