The Matrix’s influence is all over the endearing indie sci-fi film TwoTwo, written and directed by Jun Hoskulds. There’s an everyman-type character who suddenly realizes the world isn’t what it seems. Yet, despite the fact this feature wears its influences proudly on its sleeve, it still manages to be its own thing and ask some pretty profound questions about the purpose of human existence and happiness.

Fired from his ho-hum office job, David (Joel Ballard) wakes up one day on the street, with a cockroach inches from his face after quite a night of partying. Is that cockroach a Kafka reference? Just maybe. David meets a Morephus-type homeless man, Joe (Kenneth Best), who essentially asks David to either take the red pill or the blue pill by presenting him with a set of two doors. David, like Neo, ultimately decides to upend his life and take a major risk. The boldness pays off.

David meets an intriguing woman, TwoTwo (Morgan Makana), who teaches him how to finally live. Oh, and despite the fact she looks human, TwoTwo isn’t quite that. It’s unclear if she’s AI or some other life form. In fact, this is the film’s biggest flaw. It doesn’t quite flesh out TwoTwo’s backstory and the world she comes from. A lot of questions about said world remain, including what these other lifeforms are and what’s real and what isn’t. For instance, was David, like Neo, merely sleepwalking through his life? Is TwoTwo a mere figure programmed into David’s reality? It’s too unclear.

Meanwhile, TwoTwo is chased by Smith-like agents of sorts for rebelling. However, the film is really anchored by the very human story of David and TwoTwo’s budding relationship, after he accidentally meets her as she flees those who mean her harm. Both Ballard and Makana give heartfelt performances here. TwoTwo especially poses some big questions, forcing David to think about what he really desires out of life. He admits he wanted to be a photographer, but after college and working a 9-5, passions are relegated to mere hobby status. Indeed, like all good sci-fi movies, this film explores what it means to be human.

The Matrix did a superb job of balancing two distinct worlds, including the actual grim reality, a world run by machines, and the simulation they created. TwoTwo comes from something like that of sorts, but it’s unclear what the numbers actually are and why they operate in our reality. How is it TwoTwo can even meet David? Is it all a simulation program? I left with more questions than answers. But the interactions between David and TwoTwo were enough to keep me engaged. The human story really carries this film.

While TwoTwo isn’t perfect and fumbles with world-building, it’s still an entertaining film that will make you think. While this one may be a poor man’s version of The Matrix, it does chart its own course by the second half.

6.5 Out of 10