eXistenZ

At an esteemed Antenna Company seminar, Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), touted as the "goddess of the gamepod", arrived with a singular ski boot, exuding an aura of mystique. Her introduction of eXistenZ, a revolutionary new game system (metaflesh), sparked immense curiosity among the attendees. As if entranced, nearly everyone in the room volunteered to test this innovative technology. Meanwhile, Ted (Jude Law), a discreet game company worker, screened Noel Dichter (Kris Lemche) at the entrance, scrutinizing him for any recording devices that might threaten the demo's integrity.

As the group prepared to immerse themselves in the game, Allegra led them through a hypnotic induction process. However, just as they were about to enter the virtual world, Noel suddenly produced an unusual gun from within his gamepod and shot Allegra in the shoulder. The gamers attached to her felt the impact, while Noel himself was swiftly apprehended by security. Ted seized the opportunity to whisk Allegra away, using a pocketknife to extract the bullet – which turned out to be a tooth – and disposing of her attacker's phone to prevent tracking.

Their escape route took them to a motel, where Ted sought to reconnect with Antenna, but Allegra had other plans. She was determined to test the game, requiring Ted's assistance. The snag lay in Ted's lack of a "bio-port", a crucial component for gameplay. They resolved to visit a gas station and solicit the expertise of the enigmatic attendant, Gas (Willem Dafoe). Recognizing Allegra, he agreed to install an illegal port, allowing them to bypass the system's security.

Once connected, however, the pod short-circuited, locking everyone out of the game. Gas reappeared, brandishing a shotgun, and revealed that Ted's bio-port was useless. In a swift move, Ted shot Gas in the neck, preventing him from carrying out his deadly intentions.

The duo fled to an old ski club, where they encountered Kiri Vinokur (Iam Holm), who received the ski boot into her care for safekeeping. As Kiri and Landry (James Kirchner) worked to repair the pod, Allegra and Ted found themselves at a crossroads, their reality hanging in the balance.

With the pod restored, they entered the game once more, but this time, Ted's perception of reality underwent a radical shift. Allegra's cryptic words – "You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game" – seemed to hold a deeper significance. They encountered D'Arcy Nader (Robert A. Silverman), a gameshop owner who revealed that non-player characters (NPCs) would respond according to Ted's actions and dialogue.

Nader gifted them micro-pods, allowing them to port in and continue their adventure. As Ted's character made a bold move towards Allegra, she responded with an air of curiosity, setting the stage for a thrilling journey through the virtual world.

As the scene shifts, Ted finds himself donning the persona of "Larry" at a trout farm, where he toils alongside Yevgeny Nourish (Don McKellar). The latter's explanations about their newfound purpose - crafting game pods - are met with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Allegra, too, reappears, her responses eerily akin to those of non-player characters. Over lunch at the Chinese restaurant, Ted confides in her about his growing unease, only to successfully pause the game and find himself returning to reality. The experience leaves him questioning the authenticity of both worlds.

Upon re-entering the game, the duo is presented with a dubious-looking special of the day, which they consume with varying degrees of hesitation. As Ted's character assembles the meal's constituent parts into a familiar weapon, he finds himself compelled to use it against his will, destroying the instrument in the process. The waiter, revealed to be a traitor, meets his demise at Yevgeny's hands.

The group then proceeds to a breeding pool, where they learn that their employer, Corticle Systematics, is secretly working on undetectable weapons for an clandestine organization, in addition to producing game pods. Yevgeny's true allegiance and motivations are gradually revealed as he leads them through the trout farm's facilities.

Their next destination is the gameshop, where they meet Hugo Carlaw (Callum Keith Rennie), who presents them with Nader's lifeless body and reveals that both Nader and Yevgeny serve Corticle Systematics. Ted's actions in the game world have far-reaching consequences, as he is warned not to have killed the waiter.

As allies of the realist underground, Hugo implores them to eliminate Yevgeny, a figure central to their quest for truth. With this knowledge, they return to the trout farm, only to find a game pod awaiting them. Allegra's decision to port into the pod has unforeseen consequences, as something goes awry and she begins to hemorrhage. Ted severs her link to the pod, but not before it releases deadly spores into the air.

The chaos that ensues is met with brutal efficiency by Allegra, who attacks Yevgeny and sets the farm ablaze. The group's reality is shattered once more as they awaken back at the ski lodge, only to find that Allegra's pod has been infected with the very disease it was designed to combat.

As she works to disinfect Ted's bio-port, now compromised by Kiri's infected implant, she realizes the gravity of their situation. The game world is not yet done with them, as the ski lodge comes under attack and the cashier arrives, proclaiming freedom's virtues before destroying the pod. In this moment of clarity, Ted grasps the truth: they remain trapped within the game.

As the tumultuous battle outside subsides, a cashier within the confines of reality – now vanquished and deceased eXistenZ – matter-of-factly discusses the triumph with an air of detachment. His gaze fixes on Allegra, but Kiri, with calculated precision, takes him down from behind. The would-be recruiter reveals he had copied the game, attempting to draw Allegra into Corticle Systematics' fold. However, Allegra proves unforgiving, ending Kiri's machinations with a swift and decisive shot.

Ted's disapproving gaze settles on Allegra as he solemnly declares her complicity in murder. His warning falls on deaf ears, as Ted himself becomes the target of Allegra's wrath – a bio-port bomb inserted earlier, now detonated, leaving him reeling. In a moment of triumphant revelry, Allegra believes she has emerged victorious from the game.

The seminar's aftermath unfolds with Allegra and Ted reappearing in their initial setting, where the group converges to de-brief and applaud their fellow players' accomplishments. Proctor Merla (Sarah Polley) announces an imminent discount on the next installment, transCendenZ. As the participants bask in the glow of their success, it becomes evident that Allegra's role was merely a proxy for a game designer – the true mastermind behind the scenes being none other than Yevgeny.

As tensions rise, Yevgeny confesses his trepidation regarding the anti-designer theme. In a shocking turn of events, Ted and Allegra take aim at Yevgeny and Merla, their actions orchestrated to a chilling refrain: "Death to transCendeZ!" The Chinese waiter's query – "Are we still in the game?" – hangs in the air, leaving the audience questioning the boundaries between reality and virtual existence.