'Lapsis' follows the story of Ray, a blue collar worker that is trying to make ends meet and help support his ailing younger brother Jamie. The film opens with showing Ray running a hustle as a worker for the airport - returning lost luggage. He keeps the current occupation, as the flexibility of the hours allows him to spend time with Jamie.
Ray soon learns of the opportunity of becoming a cabler for a large corporation that is slowly implementing a new mode of communications, establishing a new quantum trading market. The job seems simple - cabling as you hike, linking together large quantum processors. The work is straight forward, promising great returns. Ray soon learns that the medallion, a GPS device used to track the workers progress, that has been assigned to him used to belong to an individual, nicknamed Lapsis Beeftech, who implemented changes in the system that effectively pushed the labourers to work harder. As automated robots are running in parallel to the workers, the labourers have to ensure that they complete their routes before the robots, and Lapsis designed a system through which the robots could not be slowed down or stopped.
Over the course of Rays' first weekend out cabling, her learns of the hardship that the workers have to endure and that the workers are being exploited, as they receive no benefits or healthcare cover. By having been issued the medallion that used to belong to Lapsis, Ray inadvertently uncovers a trigger that stops the automatons from cabling, giving the workers leverage to strike and demand basic rights and benefits for their work.
'Lapsis' is a satirical take on the gig-economy and illustrates the shortcomings of how temporary workers can be exploited through on-demand contracts and on-call services. With a unique premise, the story promises to be captivating and distinctive on the outset.
Ray's journey and motivation is clear, - to make money to help take care of his brother. His experiences as a cabler quickly inform us of the nature of the job - it is worth while if you are able to keep up an aggressive pace, to abide by the restrictions that are placed on you regarding taking breaks and if you can adjust to the temporary nature of living at campsites.
The film goes to lengths to show us the time it takes for Ray to adjust to the new occupation, and how his interactions with the other workers help uncover the dark aspects of the occupation. Ray comes across Anna, a cabler that seemingly has figured out a routine of beating the system - sleeping at odd intervals and trapping the automatons without being detected. Together the two work on helping bring down the system by sabotaging the automatons and eventually helping give voice to the workers.
The film is clear in setting out its message - the gig-economy can be unjust, and we must come together to achieve a balance between the fair treatment of workers and a continuous successful running of the corporations and the economy.
Even though the film is extraordinary in its premise, the story fails to provide a sense of real danger or a threat to the major players. Ray is starting out and learning of the job, yet we cannot fully appreciate his strife, as he is shown struggling, but not to an excessive degree. The routes Ray is traversing seem more of a minor inconvenience rather that a real challenge. Additionally, Ray is shown expressing concern for Jamie, however the general nature of his condition does not allow one to connect to his trouble and sympathise with him. Furthermore, Jamie's ailment does not seem to pose a serious and immediate threat to him, thereby creating little effect by way of evoking sympathy for him.
Later on in the film, we also come across the other workers as they plan their move towards going on strike, however without seeing any physical manifestation of a threat from the corporate side, their journey seems largely unopposed, thereby not giving rise to a sense of danger, and ultimately diminishing the sense of achievement for the workers at the end of their journey.
'Lapsis' is a film that wants to address the conflict of the workers going against a giant corporation, demanding basic rights for their efforts. The film does move the point across, yet a lack of depiction of the actual hardship i.e. absence of providing workers with healthcare in the film, reduces their problems to a purely theoretical level, thereby not creating a strong connection with the viewer and leaving no impression towards their alleged deprivation of basic necessities.
With an exciting premise, 'Lapsis' is an intriguing and comical look at the on-demand contract worker economy, but seems to be a let-down when it comes to executing the idea with providing no sense of urgency or evoking feelings of suspense or uncertainty for the labourers. Even though the film is shot beautifully and the characters are quirky, the film leaves the viewer with a bland impression and having already answered any and all questions it may have posed on the outset.
Score: 2/4
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