Where does art come from? What makes creating a film different from writing a letter or inventing a toaster? Does it come from within us or is it sort of all around us ......" This is the realm of cultural philosophy that "Immortality" (rather more eloquently) delves into as it unravels the mysteries of the FMV initiative.

Immortality is offered less as a game and more as a collector's edition Blu-Ray box set of the filmography of forgotten (and fictional) French model and actor Marissa Marcelle. Players begin with the question posed in "A Brief History of Marissa Marcelle," kindly written by Sam Barlow, director of Immortality. Why has she disappeared for 20 years? Why was not a single film of hers released?" where is she now?

Fortunately, the answer may lie in a "massive stash of films" that Barlow and his staff stumbled upon in 2020." After carefully collating and scanning the footage, Barlow writes, "We created this computer software in an attempt to preserve and share this work so that Marissa can live again in the hearts of audiences."

"Images are never simple reality," wrote philosopher Jacques Rancière. Similarly, images in Immortality are rarely what they appear to be. They hide things, distort meaning, and toy with players' expectations.

Part of the way "Immortality" hides things is through restraint. Unlike previous Barlow Helm games, players do not have immediate or comprehensive access to all of the available images. Instead, players start with a single interview from a late-night talk show from the 1960s and branch out organically from there. This is where the game's first major mechanic, "match cutting," comes in.

Matchcutting is an editing technique often used to provide visual clarity to the film viewer. In "Immortality," this technique is used to find similarly composed images across different films and other media. By pausing a scene, the player can examine small aspects of it and, like in a point-and-click adventure game, can click on those of interest. When they do so, they teleport to another scene with the same actors and similar objects. As players teleport, they add the scenes they find to their library, and gradually the true (or "true") story emerges. Matchcutting here plays a similar role to cinema by creating a narrative, rather than visual, continuity for the player.

The game itself is structured like a muviola editing machine, and combined with the matchcut mechanism, players can assemble their own "supercuts" based almost entirely on vibes. Most players will use the game for its intended purpose, but there is plenty of room for tomfoolery. Want a montage of bowls of fruit? That would do it. The wall art is eye-catching. It is very satisfying to go down these rabbit holes to solve the mystery at the heart of the game. The sense of active participation in this created world is reinforced by the presence of great background music by Nainita Desai, which intensifies as you jump from scene to scene.

Of note, full mouse and keyboard controls are incorporated, although the developer recommends using a controller. Additionally, players will want to scrub back and forth through the scene. This is because hints and insights can be found by playing the footage backwards.

In previous games, Barlow has worked with established actors to create moments of intense drama and intrigue in hours of footage. What makes Immortality unique is that the fictional trilogy of films at its core ("Ambrosio," "Minsky," and "Two of Everything," all shot over the span of 30 years of the story) are essentially real films of around one hour each, with different writers, actors, and production crew are different from each other, and that they are all filmed in the style of their time period.

But these films are not the only spaces in which players can move around. Much of the behind-the-scenes footage shows Marissa, director John Durick (played by Hans Christopher), and many other actors and crew members rehearsing, location scouting, and spending intimate moments playing with famous period figures such as Andy Warhol. The film is a collection of intimate moments. In these moments we see tension, we see catharsis, we see ordinary people trying to make art.

And we also see the ugly side of the film industry. If this game is a critique of anything, it is a critique of auteur theory, a critique of the way the industry chews up and spits out talent, and above all, an indictment of the violent misogyny of the industry, past and present, that is rampant. To say more would be a spoiler, but note that the menu includes a list of content warnings, some of which are sexual assault and abuse related.

Immortality is a remarkable game. It takes liberties with several period films in order to truly explore what it means to make great and meaningful art, and at what cost. The actors in the game have put their lives on the line, both as the "real people" they are playing and as the roles they play in the various films in the game. The aesthetics of each film are so true to the real story that it is easy to accept the fiction that this is a film from 1968, 1970, or 1999. Initially overwhelmed by the grandiose and sometimes cosmic scope of "Immortality," I found myself eager to show a new side to the mystery instead of its impenetrability. It wanted to be played.

Immortality might be compared to the films of Alfred Hitchcock or David Lynch, or to previous Barlow films like Telling Lies or Her Story. That may be inevitable. But as a game, it far surpasses any comparisons; Immortality is Sam Barlow's best and most thought-provoking game to date, and a stunning debut for Half Mermaid."