Calm, that was my first feeling when I took my seat—a sentiment bolstered by the blue neon lights on stage and the set in front of me.
It’s funny how one person, one thing, or one incident can change the trajectory of your life forever. In Owens’ case, it was a thing.
The year is 2050, and Owen (a nurse) gifts his wife, Poly (a tech engineer), a set of VR glasses powered by an alien-hybrid AI called Sanctuary, out of a delivery mishap, not having to pay a dime. The glasses help Poly to calm her anxiety and depression only for it to get out of hand as she spends too much time with them. Arguments quickly ensue, often either about chip implantation, starting a family, Poly’s overworking nature, cheating speculations and so on.
A therapeutic option from Sanctuary is suggested but the said AI therapist is the spitting image of Owen under the name, Zero Ren. One conversation becomes hydra-headed until reports are heard of people uploading their brains into the Sanctuary mainframe, which proves fatal with the affected dying while smiling. With such cases and the breach of privacy from her microchip, Poly stands up to her bosses at the tech company only to get fired and her anxieties heighten.
She destroys the glasses, only for a fresh pair to be delivered by Sanctuary. She takes another chance with Zero Ren who assures her of a life she has always dreamed of to the point of proposing to her, which she accepts. Owen comes back home to find Poly lying on the couch, eyes closed and a smile on her face.
Poly found a Sanctuary in Zero Ren that she couldn’t in Owen. Is it possible that we also hop from one to another, sparked by one or two traits but missing another, so on to the next until we find the full perfect package?
Adapted and directed by Santa Mukabanah, Sanctuary delves deep into how hysteria could affect one’s relationship and the results of letting external factors rule one’s judgement. The wish for things to go back as they were or for someone to be who they were the first time you met.
An impeccable performance from Martin Kigondu (Owen), and Joyce Musoke (Poly) alongside additional voices from Amelina, Gadwill Odhiambo and Mwajuma Belle, leaves you questioning your perception of love and the haunting realisation that one move could topple it all down.
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