PATHOLOGIC, FOR THOSE WHO WILL NEVER PLAY IT. ACT 1. (2020)

The Bachelor, Daniil Dankovsky, arrives in town at the behest of a colleague to study a supposed immortal man at the same time that a mysterious and deadly disease breaks out. Whilst the disease can be identified by physical symptoms, its roots and origins remain mysterious. Daniil must find the source of the outbreak before the entire town perishes at the hands of The Powers that Be. In this film, Ruby Seals takes on the role of player surrogate to help us experience the gripping story of a game unfit for human consumption. In Act 1, she takes us through the first half of the Russian cult classic video game while exploring how the medium of video games can push the player to uncomfortable lengths in a way that other mediums have been striving to create for centuries.