
The Machine
1994

Representation Score
Limited
1983
RDirector
Ulli Lommel
Runtime
77 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetNew Showbiz Analysis
BrainWaves functions as a psychological horror piece that centers on a female protagonist's ability to drive the story. By allowing Kaylie to lead a criminal investigation into her own donor's murder, the film challenges some traditional gendered clichés. However, the film is a product of its era, prioritizing atmospheric tension over progressive social commentary. It lacks intentionality regarding the way different parts of someone's identity overlap, focusing instead on individual psychological experience and established genre conventions. The narrative remains largely homogeneous, lacking significant racial, ethnic, or LGBTQ+ diversity.
Category Breakdown
The film does not include LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that question the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender. It follows the conventional social structures typical of early 1980s genre cinema.
Kaylie serves as a central female protagonist who actively investigates her own trauma. While she avoids the damsel-in-distress cliché, the plot relies on traditional familial support structures.
The cast appears predominantly homogeneous, lacking significant racial or ethnic diversity. The narrative focus remains localized on the protagonist and her immediate social circle.
The story critiques medical institutions and scientific experimentation rather than broader social structures. It maintains a traditional focus on family stability as a primary narrative driver.
The plot centers on a coma-induced state and neurological impairment. The film avoids sentimentalizing the recovery, focusing instead on the psychological horror of the protagonist's altered state.
Present on Screen
Limited or Absent
Official Synopsis
After a traffic accident Kaylie is in coma for months and her doctors want to try a new procedure on her. To regain her consciousness, they stimulate her brain with the neural patterns of a woman who has just died. It works and Kaylie fully recovers. However, she begins to relive the dying moments of her donor and realizes that she was murdered! Along with her husband and mother, she tries to find out what happened.

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