I enjoyed the general absurdity of “Losing Game,” and open-mouthed cackled at the generalizations “Player” (Kate Hamilton) made during her interactions with people she’d pass during her neighborhood walk. But reimagining daily mundanities framed as a video game player isn’t a totally original idea (see “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World“). While I could relate to some of the main character’s tangential thinking, I found the “…white guilt” and “perceived racism” interactions odd, comical yet clunky, but not enough to take me out of the film completely.

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After the “perceived racism” interaction, I did wonder, “what if the ‘Tall Guy’ (who presented as Black) was the player?” …and then, that was an option!  The finale of the film included a “Choose your Player” screen, with options including people of different races and genders.

But, just like in most fantasy, I did not immediately square in on any Black or other woman of color as options. 🤔 🤔 Maybe I just missed it. 👀 🧐

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In all, it’s a cool film. I did appreciate the specific focus on a woman encountering obstacles, perceived and experienced, while doing absolutely nothing except walking down the street. The main character’s POV emphasized a spectrum of risk even when performing a regular-degular task, like walking or just existing.

I’d love to see a follow up of this film that includes other folks walking the exact same path and encountering the same folks to see how the screenplay and/or editing might change.

I also loved the closing credits nod to classic Nintendo font—it probably would’ve been a missed opportunity otherwise. Not a super polished film, but that’s what I think I enjoyed most.