A 40-minute interactive documentary arrives on Quest headsets in September to explore ADHD as part of the impactful Playing With Reality collection.
Impulse: Playing With Reality follows 2021 release Goliath in the collection from studio Anagram exploring different perspectives. Goliath offered an “effective, innovative account of psychosis” when it was released, and directors Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla follow the effort with a new trailer premiere for Impulse in connection with it competing in 2024’s Venice Immersive.
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Here’s the official director’s statement explaining the effort:
“Social media would have us believe that we are all on a path of self discovery. Within the piles of information shared, a growing heap is dedicated to ADHD. Some celebrate the creative galaxy brain, but for those without support or easily dismissed as delinquent, lazy, and, to be truthful ‘unproductive’, ADHD can lead to a life of misery. 1 in 4 prisoners in the UK are likely to have ADHD. For many a diagnosis is an epiphany that reveals the invisible barriers they had been fighting. Working with neuroscientists and psychologists we gathered 100+ hours of interviews with people on the severe end of the spectrum. We looked for poetic connections to translate into a rich embodied story. Adrenalin-packed gameplay spoke to the needy dopamine-depleted brain. Mixed reality plays with your own relationship with the familiar and new. Through insight into what might drive these actions we hope to foster a deeper understanding of the lived experience of ADHD.”
The story is told with mixed reality as the background to the stories of four people “whose intense emotions lead them to a life at the edge.”
The work is narrated by actress Tilda Swinton and co-produced by Floréal & France Télévisions. Support for the project came from “Meta VR for Good, France Télévisions, CNC, Agog, City of Paris, and Unity Charitable Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation.”
Impulse: Playing With Reality releases for Quest headsets in September with pre-orders available at the time of writing offering a discount under the expected launch price.
