Coming in PH cinemas on Jan 28
The intensity is cranked up to the max as director Timur Bekmambetov’s signature Screenlife style evolves in his dystopian action thriller Mercy. Known for his work in Unfriended and Searching, his fusion of traditional cinematography and onscreen filming pulls the audience into the story. Bekmambetov’s goal has always been to let moviegoers have the most immersive experience possible. “The Screenlife genre requires believable performances and very grounded storytelling,” says Bekmambetov. “When I began Mercy, I thought, ‘In real life I live in two realities at once — the physical world, and a world of windows, buttons, clicks, messages. I work, I fight with people, forgive people, all not in the physical world. So why are we not telling stories about that?’”
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/TSCQGx4IF5w
In Mercy detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is on trial for the murder of his wife. Face-to-face with A.I. Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), a technology he once championed, he has ninety minutes to prove his innocence before he gets punished with the death penalty.
To have his vision fully realized, Bekmambetov worked with visual design firm Experimental / Design. The company is known for their work on Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report as well as working for clients such as Nike and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “Experimental / Design is a world-building studio, and world-building is a really holistic process,” says the company’s Lead Designer Jen Stein. “We take a deep dive into all aspects of a narrative world — in this case, the world of Mercy is a dystopian-ish Los Angeles set in 2029. We started to look at what the impacts of quantum computing might be on AI’s development.”
Producer Robert Amidon is in awe with the direction that Mercy has taken, and the state-of-the-art process in which the film was made. ““This was quite an experimental movie to be making at this scale, using these emerging filmmaking technologies in ways I don’t think anyone’s tried before,” says Amidon.
With all the bells and whistles of modern filmmaking and the added flair of science fiction, Mercy actually keeps the film’s feet firmly on the ground with Screenlife. “The Screenlife storytelling style is very personal —like you’re actually seeing through the eyes of a character,” says Stein. “It feels like an extension of our everyday life now with computer screens and phones. Yet Timur’s vision was grounded in reality.”
Actor Kali Reis, who plays Det. Chris Raven’s work partner Det. Jacqueline Diallo, shares how the filmmaking process worked in her favor when shooting her scenes. “I love Timur’s vision,” says Reis. “And even with all the multiple screens and the incredible fast pace of the film, audiences can identify with the characters. In the same way, while making the movie, we were all so immersed not just in our characters, but also in the filmmaking process around us.”
Time is running out as Mercy is coming to Philippine theaters on January 28, 2026, including IMAX. Mercy is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #MercyMovie @columbiapicph