As the saying goes, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In writer/director Paul Kyriazi’s feature film, Forbidden Power, the adage is given a sci-fi twist.
George (Lincoln Bevers) is an IT securities expert representing his company at a conference in San Francisco. During a lull in the action, the alluring Veronica (Nasanin Nuri) strikes up a conversation/flirtation with George and insists he calls her that evening for a “meeting.” That night the two engage in a “mind-blowing” sexual encounter, and George awakens alone, but with some “mind-blowing” powers.
At home, his girlfriend, Cathy (Hannah Janssen), is the recipient of George’s increased stamina. Intellectually, he’s a human calculator and proceeds to frame his a-hole co-worker, Miles (Eric Stayberg), for embezzlement after he steals an important sale from under him. Meanwhile, the mysterious Veronica is literally haunting his dreams.
Forbidden Power then tracks the obsessed George’s hunt for Veronica as he begins to deduce clues to her whereabouts. Soon he finds himself caught in an Illuminati-like organization that may or may not have given George his new powers. They then blackmail him into going along with their global domination plan that only the Dark Web could concoct.
“…the two engage in a ‘mind-blowing’ sexual encounter, and George awakens…with some ‘mind-blowing’ powers.”
Kyriazi’s film could only have been produced as a low-budget indie thriller, which is both good and bad. On the bad side, the acting — primarily from the supporting character — leaves a lot to be desired. Even though an aspiring actor may have only a handful of lines, it’s their opportunity to make the most of it and hone their craft.
The other negative is me just calling out the fact that action-thrillers are constantly hampered by budget. Big Hollywood will always have the advantage over indie films because they have deep pockets. So though Forbidden Power does an excellent job with the bit of action it has, it’s almost impossible to cut costs when it comes to big stunts and safety guidelines.
On the positive side, I enjoyed the story of a guy struggling to maintain some thread of integrity when bestowed a powerful gift. Unlike similar films, George never goes maniacal. Instead, the narrative explores the cost of becoming powerful, usually on the back of the powerless. It also covers the devastation of even small amounts of power plays when George ruins the life of his co-workers. There is also an alien conspiracy going on as well.
Overall, Forbidden Power is meant to be fun and a little sexy, for that matter. But, thankfully, it never gets too heady for its audience, and the filmmaker the most of the low budget.
"…explores the cost of becoming powerful, usually on the back of the powerless."
