Wilson plays Greg Wittle, a daydreaming office worker dealing with a recent divorce and a possible pain pill addiction. On the day he\u2019s fired from his dreary job, Greg meets the enigmatic Isabel (Hayek) at a dive bar across the street from his former office. Isabel informs Greg that they are two of roughly a handful of \u201creal people” trapped in a Matrix<\/em>-style simulation. By consuming the bright yellow crystals contained in Isabel\u2019s amulet necklace (the amulet is the size and shape of a prescription bottle), the pair exhibit telekinetic powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Greg hangs out with Isabel in her camp on the banks of the L.A. river, Greg\u2019s daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper) is trying to find him. Emily is concerned that Greg\u2019s losing his grip on reality, not only because of the cool new abilities he thinks he has, but because his dropping out of her life is consistent with an apparent history of addiction. Greg\u2019s growing confusion about the state of the world is complicated further when Isabel takes him out of the simulation and shows him the \u201creal world,\u201d a sun-drenched intellectual paradise that reflects Greg\u2019s own dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea at the heart of Cahill\u2019s script is interesting enough, even if it isn\u2019t new. The way it intertwines with an addiction metaphor is a concept that, if done properly, is worth pursuing. However, Bliss<\/em> becomes so enamored with the minutiae of its worlds that it loses focus on the kind of story it wants to tell. It\u2019s uncertain if Greg\u2019s experiences with Isabel are delusions brought on by drug addiction, or if they\u2019re real. We spend enough time with supporting characters in both presented worlds to suggest they\u2019re equally plausible. This doesn\u2019t spark further consideration so much as it muddies the narrative and its overall themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Cahill\u2019s vague consideration of the current state of our world feels underdeveloped in a way that takes any potential power out of his message. Apart from his addiction and the larger effects of it (which are mentioned but barely addressed), Greg\u2019s main problem is a general sense of ennui. The world he inhabits is unpleasant, but the specific issues–for instance, global warming or racism–are never directly named. We\u2019re likely supposed to imply those societal ills, but given the hyper-specific social climate of the last year, the result here feels platitudinal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bliss <\/em>points at some high-minded intellectual ideas, but can\u2019t seem to organize them in a way that creates a compelling arc for its protagonist, or the characters surrounding him. The central metaphor is deadened by the dozens of competing themes surrounding it, which eventually lead to a kind of inspirational meme-style sincerity that feels out of touch. It\u2019s a straight white male take on striving for a better world, one unsurprisingly tailored to its main character\u2019s desires–clean, bright, heterosexual and European. “Bliss” streams Friday on Amazon Prime Video<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/bliss3-1024x683.jpg\")
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