This was certainly an interesting experience. After finishing the movie I felt, well, numb. I was not quite sure what to make of it, and I have to admit to being lost much of the time. I got the idea of what was going on, but a lot of the surrounding whys, whos, and whats remained an enigma. It is definitely an intriguing low budget entry. Numb is existentialist science fiction which questions our choices, dives into a tale of obsession and addiction, and what defines not so much life as living.
Set in the future, there was an outbreak of some sort of disease which threatened the future of humanity. In order to thwart the effects of the disease, a drug was developed as a treatment. However, the treatment turns out to be an addictive substance that has become known as "the drip." As we move through the film, virtually everyone we meet is hooked up to these IV bags filled with the drip. It is a bleak, unsettling future, which is really no future at all. What is life if we are only going to exist as these zoned out zombies constantly fed by the seeming never ending supply of the narcotic-like substance.
The entire world of Numb is dark, depressing, and is just not the kind of future that I would want to have any part of. It is a world that offers no hope, there is no room for advancement, no real reason for being. The beings are simply there, hooked up to the drip, served by these odd people called "angels" whose only purpose is to serve the drip addicts. I cannot imagine being in this type of society, and it is realized in a convincing manner that sucks you in.
Believe it or not, there actually is a bit of a narrative story threaded through this bleak future existence. It is the story of Claire, one of the few people left who is not hooked on the trance-inducing liquid. She may also be the last person with any feeling of hope. In the service of her last remaining bit of hope, she sets out to find her father, who also happens to be the man behind the creation of the future-killing, world-enslaving drug. Claire journeys into Yerba City, a decrepit den of druggies and the enabling angels. Her journey has her meet up with the enigmatic Miles. He is an oddity among the zombie folk of the city. Miles joins her on her quest, as they discuss their existence, the effects of the drug, and their reasons for going on.
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