Meta Acquires VR Doc ‘Impulse: Playing with Reality’ Featuring Tilda Swinton

Poster for Impulse: Playing With Reality

Floréal & France Télévisions

Meta has acquired Impulse: Playing With Reality, an interactive mixed-reality documentary that delves into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with narration by Tilda Swinton. The documentary, co-directed by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy, will make its debut at the 2024 Venice Immersive program during the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

The project is crafted from over 100 hours of interviews with individuals who experience severe ADHD. Through a mixed reality format, viewers gain a vivid sense of living with the condition, aiming to foster empathy and understanding.

Impulse is the second installment in the “Playing With Reality” series produced by U.K. producer Anagram. Co-produced by Floréal & France Télévisions, this series uses immersive storytelling to shed light on various mental health conditions.

Tilda Swinton also lent her voice to the first project in the series, Abdalla and Murphy’s 2021 VR work Goliath, which explores one man’s journey with schizophrenia. Goliath achieved critical acclaim, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best VR Immersive Work at the 78th Venice Festival and earning an Emmy nomination for outstanding interactive media innovation.

Meta plans to make Impulse available on its Meta Quest service. The documentary is available for pre-order at a price of $4.99 ahead of its release next month. This continues Meta’s support for innovative, immersive documentaries, having also distributed Goliath.

On Wednesday, Anagram released the first trailer for the film, which you can view below: