THE BETA TEST is described as the love child of EYES WIDE SHUT and BLACK MIRROR. This description does in some way capture the essence of the film, a nervous jet black comedy thriller about infidelity and morality. Jim Cummings plays as Jordan Hines, a Hollywood agent with a serious lack of empathy. He is ruthless, manipulative, and self serving. He is also about to marry Caroline Gates (Virginia Newcomb). This idyllic relationship seems lovely on the outside but it might have some flaws. Jordan receives a mysterious letter in a purple shell. It is inviting him to an anonymous sexual encounter in a hotel room. He accepts, but after the hour is up, his joy turns to fear. Can he trust anyone around him? Who knew and who still may know more about it then he does? The paranoia starts to eat away at him as he becomes ensnared in the world of secrets and murder.

The core of THE BETA TEST is the theme of self and morality. Not to spoil anything but it effectively asks some very deep rooted questions. Most pertinently, what it is we are driven by and too, in the world of being a sexual creature in a monogamous social climate. It lampoons self preening, its link to a toxic masculinity that is equally hollow and how all of this is an enabler to Hollywood success.  Though not always able to deliver both laughs and pertinent comments on this, it does feel very revealing. Gauging the lines well. It also seems to fixate on a few points to excess and only really delves into the same side of Jim’s mental state without a balance. Visually it is stunning mind. Realised with lush pallets of green and purple. Digital seems to have paired well to it and the HD has enhanced the delivered Disc. Though I suspect some of the more stylised scenes would benefit from a grander upscale, which may come.

Jim Cummings & PJ McCabe commentary discuss this and the films many little notes, some of which might take a little unpacking, which they do with a smile or two. Alexandra Heller Nicholas is the better of the two visual essays. Exploring male desire, sexuality and the frame of the piece. The second disc serves as a dive into the work of the two film makers behind this. Cummings & McCabe have not been on my radar but I thank Arrow for both finding them and giving us access to a sublime selection their works. Its all here from what I can see, and well worth the 2 and a half hours of digging.

2-Disc Limited Edition Contents

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless 5.1 audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Exclusive bonus disc of short films
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Anton Bitel
• Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options and Limited Edition slipcover

Disc 1 – Feature & Extras

• Audio commentary by directors Jim Cummings & PJ McCabe
• Sex, Lies & Purple Envelopes, a visual essay by author and film scholar Alexandra Heller Nicholas
• Trapped. Hiding. Boom, a visual essay by author and critic Guy Adams
• The Making of The Beta Test
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

Disc 2 – Short Films(Limited Edition Exclusive)

• A two and a half hour collection of short films from the Sundance Award-winning filmmakers behind The Beta Test including: Cory Comes to Christmas, Parent Teacher, The Stop, Marty Loves Katie, Native Stand Up, The Robbery and Us Funny
• Also includes a look behind the scenes and two hilarious short ‘documentaries’ about attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and 2017