Kudos to Pamela Anderson in her role as Jackie, an “AuraCyle” instructor suffering from a severe case of burn-out. We have all been there, or should I say that I once found myself at that point in life. Perhaps you have also? Anyway, I have never been a Pam Anderson fan before this film; I count myself as a fan now.

“Connected” pulls you in with a strong sense of empathy that tugs at your humanity with the same force the Moon pulls at the Earth’s oceans. Jackie, Pam’s character in the film, is going through a midlife crisis and is obsessed with aging and self-improvement. I had to laugh when she was downing a smoothie mixture she blended up to chase down a handful of vitamins. Exactly what I did this morning minus the direct chug from the pitcher. I already lived through my midlife crisis, sold the Ninja motorcycle, and thus now use a glass to drink my smoothies. Haha – why is every movie about me? Even ones featuring the most famous Baywatch woman ever to don a red swimsuit?

There is a scene where Pamela takes stock of her body and examines intimate parts of her anatomy. I thought this was interesting since a big part of Pamela’s stardom has been based on her sexuality. The beauty of this film is that sexuality is not the focus here. What comes across is a woman coming to grips with her humanity. Perhaps I am wrong with this next comment. After all, Pam and I don’t hang out together on weekends. I have a strong feeling that Pamela is playing a part close to her heart and experiences exactly what her on-screen character is experiencing in real life, and that makes for a very convincing performance. The film made me feel for her on-screen character and her IRL persona in a cinematic double whammy.

In the end, she gets jacked into a shared consciousness where all members connect to a private network to share every detail about their lives with one another. Jackie is instantly at ease with this new found sense of connectedness. You immediately become aware of everything – good and bad – that a person has done. I can see where they are going with this – If you don’t have anything to hide you no longer have to bunk with the skeletons in your closet. That’s a tough sell for me. Perhaps it might work, but you would have to take the plunge and jack into the net to find out. Just make sure to merge with a soul net not run by the government.

Interesting. I wonder if the gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson still would have ended his life if the “connected” technology existed? Ponder this quote from his book The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967:

“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

Of course, if Hunter were to partake in a “connected” network there would have to be an outpatient clinic at the Woody Creek Tavern near Aspen, Colorado. I just don’t see Hunter walking into the clinic in “Connected.” And besides, Hunter was not very interested in body modifications to stay forever young as evidenced by this quote also from The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman:

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. Thompson

Take some time out of your day to watch “Connected.” I think you agree it was time well spent. Let me know what you think about the film in the comments section below.

Film Credits:

Director:  Luke Gilford
Christopher Read: Executive producer
Claire Staples: Executive producer
Greg Gilreath: Producer
Adam Hendricks: Producer
John H. Lang: Producer
Music: Stevie Be and Jake Shears
Cinematography: Isaac Bauman
Film Editing: Josh Schaeffer
Production Design: Kay Lee
Art Direction: Nino Alicea

Cast:

Pamela Anderson as Jackie
Dree Hemingway as Luna
Jane Fonda as Voice of Self-help Guru

See the film for a full list of credits.

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