“Knowledge determines destiny,” the
phrase that surrounds the concepts and ideals set in writer-director Darren
Fishers Orwellian love story, “Frequencies.” Formally called “The OXV Manuel,”
this story is set in a world where each individual gives off a certain
frequency that determines his or hers “luck” or probability of success in life.
Those who give off a low frequency are more susceptible to being in the wrong
place at the wrong time, as well as having extreme amounts of empathy and
feeling. However those with high frequencies, operate much as a machine would,
lacking emotion and valuing logic and reason over the ability to feel. The
story’s two main characters, Zak and Marie, are the polar opposites and poster
children for each extreme end of the frequency spectrum. Zak is a low frequency
boy love stricken by the high frequency and emotionless girl, Marie. When around each other for more than a
minute, nature responds to their difference in frequency by exhibiting forms of
chaos, thus rendering them, incompatible. Grief ridden Zak dedicates his life
to finding a way to be with Marie. Consulting the help from his center
frequency aligned friend Theodore, Zak finds various temporary solutions to
stretch the one minute time barrier for he and Maries encounters. In short, Zak
and Theodore create a device that is able to read the frequency of any given
person and convert the data into what they found temporarily balanced two
peoples frequencies, words. Two syllable, often meaningless words that can
bring two frequencies to equality. This gives Marie the chance to feel for the
first time, and the two subsequently fall in love. However, this invention or
solution does not come without a side effect. Coming in groups of three, the
given words generated by the device hold the ability to also control a person’s
actions. This puts the love between Zak and Marie in question, as well as the
entire future of humanity.
“Frequencies,” is a movie that
pushes us to examine the themes of individualism and social acceptance in our
everyday lives. Wherein the movie never explains why the world is the way it
is, what the outcome of World War Two was, or what form of government is in
power at the time. The movie does give us hints. For instance, there is little
to no presence of any other race other than white Caucasian and the government
appears to be a subversive form of totalitarianism. With the existence of a
“Ministry of Partnership” and a social caste system based off of people’s
frequencies, the world seems similar to the dystopian environments found in
novels by Philip K Dick or most notably, George Orwell. The social norm according to Fisher’s script
is one based entirely on luck. A high frequency individual will likely never
wait for a train, knock over a glass, or fall randomly ill, and upon
discovering any threat to this social standard, the government steps in to
subdue it. As best seen when Zak discovers the ability to balance frequencies.
However, once the side effect of motion control surfaces, the government appears
to favor keeping society the way it is rather than utilizing it for their own
benefit. In many ways, this entire ideal mirrors aspects of today’s society.
Our way of life is defined by how much money we have, how many friends we have,
our accomplishments and failures, and our ability to succeed in life. Rather
than having one defining notion (frequency), we have a plethora of ideals to be
subjected to. Herein lays the main difference between our world and the world
of Darren Fisher’s “Frequencies.” Nonetheless, today we still see the push for
defining the soul, free will, and the cause and effects we have towards nature.
After learning of the side effect
to Zak’s solution to human frequency, Marie begins to feel as if Zak used the
generated words to direct her free will and selfishly make her fall in love
with him. In an attempt to alter and set true what was believed to be false,
Marie forces Zak to say a generated word then command her not to love him. He
reluctantly complies, however there is no apparent change with Marie’s emotions
towards him. In search of deeper answers and discovering music’s link to human
frequency, Zak reaches out to Theodore’s father whom is a talented pianist and
music enthusiast. He explains to Zak
that when music is played, it instantly equalizes people’s frequency. The
vibrations of multiple sound waves disrupt the frequencies allowing everyone to
exist on an equal plane. He goes on to explain that music is the ‘reset button’
for our way of life. Theodore later manages to uncover a pattern with music
itself and finds a way to predict when certain events will occur.
Upon reading articles from the New
York Times as well as the website, Film School Rejects.com, I have found that
the ending of the movie can be open for interpretation, where it appears that
Theodore has mastered some form of control over the physical world, perhaps
even time itself. Theodore’s apparent
discovery, Zak and Marie’s love, and the effect of music towards frequency all
seem to contradict or support aspects of the argument of free will. Were Marie
and Zak destined to be together? Are we all just complex machines with no
purpose? Is the world merely a canvas that anyone can manipulate? These are all
very real questions we ask in today’s world. With the use of science and
religion often being at the center of debate, we as a race are in constant
search for the ability to define that which makes us human.
In conclusion, the film
“Frequencies,” is a very raw and rather unique take on addressing questions we ask
each day. It shows us a world where things are far more controlled and masked.
Yet argues that love can transcend any bound or obstacle, it shows us that free
will is possible, and that spontaneity provides the color to an otherwise
mechanical world. Proving that free will does in fact exist, yet the movie
reverts on this and conveys a last minute notion of doubt. The very dreadful
thought that maybe we are all just 0s and 1s in a world based solely off
patterns and defined sequence. The final message I received from viewing this
intellectually rich film, was to analyze my own humanity, my own way of life
and draw a conclusion. That which I have done and can never be happier with the
“data” I myself have collected.
watch the trailer, here.
