Let's talk about the film Zoom. Have you heard of it? It’s this international co-production film that sounds like the hybrid lovechild of Stranger than Fiction and Adaptation, a third of which is animated, starring a 2D-animated Gael García Bernal. I caught the film earlier this year so I was fascinated (read: bemused) by the latest poster that puts the Mexican actor front and center alongside undersung actress Alison Pill. And yet, compared to the earlier poster that had been revealed for the film, this new floating heads one is pretty… uninspiring to say the least. It loses all the specificity of what makes the film worth seeking out.
But you should be excited for this unique movie. Here are 5 things that the new poster for Zoom isn’t telling you...
1. Jason Priestley is in the film. Remember Priestley? Were the men in 90210 all cursed? Seems like none of them were able to translate their high-paying jobs in that sudsy show into much else. I mean, a third of this film centers on Priestley and Brazilian actress Mariana Ximenes but neither merits a mention in this (let’s face it) generic new poster.
2. Alison Pill works in a sex doll factory. Again, this newer poster tells you nothing, right? The earlier one at least gave you a clue to what Pill’s character does in the film which is not something you see every day on film. Also, Pill is hilarious in it so I'm bummed the new postwer gives her a generic staring off into the distance pose.
3. The film is about artmaking: not just films but also graphic novels. Sure, “zoom” tells you that the project at hand is interested in filmmaking but would you also know that the animation has a formal as well as thematic through line by looking at this new poster? No, you're just left wondering why the hell Gael has blue hair.
4. It’s rather steamy. Animated sexual desire! Because Gael can get it even when he’s two-dimensional: just look at that red-hot panel. Also, mark "sex in animated films" as something 2016 will be known for what with this, Anomalisa having gone wide back in January, Belladonna of Sadness having gotten a re-release, and Sausage Party making headlines just this past month.
5. Gael’s character is obsessed with a certain measurement. Yes, that particular measurement. (See: above.) It may all look hand-drawn but that’s Gael in all his scenes (all the animation was drawn on top of actual shot footage) and it’s one of his best performances. He’s always better when he’s loose, mining the light comedy while also reminding us that he’s super sexy.
Zoom comes out September 2nd and you can check out the trailer for it below.