Shatter Belt

Through four surreal, hilarious, and mind-warping episodes on the mysteries of the mind, the writer/director of the 2013 sci-fi cult hit “Coherence” regales us with tales of conscious refrigerators, an apple that doesn’t age, a journalist’s actions rippling across time, and the secret truth of high-end restaurants.Broken into four separate episodes' that share the throughline of warping logic, reality, and consciousness, SHATTER BELT is a mind-bending watch that tackles life's biggest questions in a playful and heartfelt way. It feels a bit like “Black Mirror's” friendlier indie film cousin. Episode one, “The Hard Problem of Carl,” follows an AI “contact tracer” on her mission to save a man from his refrigerator. Episode Two, “Immotus,” captures a start-up company and its attempt to livestream the moving of a supposedly immovable apple. Episode Three, “The Specimen,” centers on a writer on his quest for destiny. And Episode Four, “Pearls,” observes an intimate business dinner at the most exclusive restaurant in the city… whose food forces its diners to reveal their inner truths. Each bizarre story in the bundle is delightfully captivating in a completely unique way, in the latest from COHERENCE (CIFF38) director, James Ward Byrkit. —G.S.GUEST(S) IN ATTENDANCE