Now more than ever, there exists so many different ways for us to socialise with other people all around the world. Especially relevant during recent times is the reliance on video calls to feel close to others. Yet, in some ways, we are even less connected than ever before. PVT Chat from writer-director Ben Hozie presents us with Jack (Peter Vack), a sexually frustrated man who makes his living through online gambling, who has become obsessed with Scarlet (Julia Fox), a dominatrix cam-girl from San Francisco. Jack’s fixation only deepens when he stumbles upon her in real life.

Through the utilisation of hand-held shots, typically filmed at an extreme proximity to the actors during sexual acts and moments of vulnerability, the viewer feels almost as if they are intruding on them and this unconventional bond that they’ve formed. One opinion that is emphasised in PVT Chat is that no one is completely selfless in their relationships with others, if you ever do something for someone else, you usually get something out of it. This is a rather nihilistic outlook, but it is continuously proved with Jack and Scarlet’s unhealthy reliance on each other. 

After her great performance in Uncut Gems, it was exciting to see that Fox was to star in this film, and she certainly steals the spotlight here. Although her character Scarlet is confident in herself, she shows that despite this, she is just as desperate as Jack to connect on a deeper level with someone.   

PVT Chat is a commentary about two people who are both grasping at any form of intimacy with one another when they can’t find it elsewhere in their lives, but when it comes down to it, this intimacy can only happen within the comfortable boundaries of their respective computer screens. 

RATING: 3/5


INFORMATION

CAST: Peter Vack, Julia Fox, Heather Allison, Nikki Belfiglio, Austin Brown

DIRECTOR: Ben Hozie

WRITER: Ben Hozie

SYNOPSIS: Jack, an internet gambler, becomes fixated on a cam girl from San Francisco and his obsession reaches a boiling point when Jack sees Scarlet in person.