agoraphobic aspirations

Thomas in Love (no reflexive puns intended!) represents another random selection at the public library. Seen on shelf, checked out. This is a French indie film about an agoraphobic, who hasn't stepped out of his house for eight years, doesn't allow anyone into his house, and interacts with the outside world through videophone. He exercises his libido by playing out cybersex storylines. The whole film has a single POV: Thomas's videophone console. What unfolds is predictable: Thomas falls in love (twice), and decides to step out (rightly inferring that his condition may have been aggravated by his insurance company looking for a cash cow). There are other aspects of the film that are more interesting: the fact that everything is run by insurance companies, and the stark desperation of life itself: people hook up at dating sites, and are so tied in to the electro-mechanical nature of life that actual interaction with other people is a big event. Aside from that, the film has little to offer in terms of complexity. But it wasn't too bad overall.