Impulse: Playing with Reality

A mixed reality experience about ADHD

IMPULSE: PLAYING WITH REALITY is a 40-minute interactive mixed reality documentary about how you make sense of the world around you, told through the stories of four people who are coming to terms with the decisions which have chartered their lives.

"The jewel of the (BFI LFF) programme."
"It is a really innovative use of Mixed Reality."
"...a seamless, wittily visualised experience"
"Four Immersive Highlights from the 2024 Venice International Film Festival"
"These stories are undeniably exceptional."

What makes ideas real? Exploring the extreme side of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Impulse brings together sharp-witted gameplay and dramatic first-hand accounts of people whose intense emotions lead them to a life at the edge.

Leanne turns her world into a game to escape boredom. Omar’s chaotic mind focuses on masterminding risky heists. Errol creates a madcap persona to get respect. And Tara is on the brink of giving up.

Their stories are brought home through mixed reality. Attempting to follow a train of thought, the stuff in your room sets off a chain reaction leading to all sorts of mayhem. Shadows on your walls become portals into labyrinthine worlds. Words spiral out into alternative meanings and possibilities.

Highlighting the inner life of ADHD and the often-dismissed experience of the quiet girls, Impulse focuses on the thrill of acting without thinking and the power of uncovering your own patterns.

Visit impulse-xr.io for more information.

Gallery

Events

Upcoming
No events scheduled.
June - July 2025
Screenings
Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand
April 2025
Screenings
Wales Millennium Centre: 7-27 April
Cardiff, Wales
March 2025
Screenings
Utrecht & Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
March 2025
Screenings
Lakeside Arts Centre
Nottingham, United Kindgom
November 2024
Screenings
International Documentary Film Festival
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
October 2024
Talks
The Attention Battle
London, UK
October 2024
Screenings
BFI London Film Festival
London, UK
August - September 2024
Screenings
Venice International Film Festival
Venice, Italy

Awards

Team

Created & Produced by

Anagram

Co-Produced by

Floréal & France Télévisions

Supported by

Meta VR for Good, France Télévisions, CNC, Agog, City of Paris, and Unity Charitable Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation.

Credits

Narrated by

Tilda Swinton

Written & Directed by

May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy

Featuring Omar, Errol, Leanne and Tara as themselves