Distant Tales (Blu-ray)

In a near-future dystopia, when a worldwide prevents people from meeting face to face, four stories unfold with unexpected revelations as the screens through which they connect hide the twisted reality of their lives. In "Placebo," a test subject for a new vaccine (Amen Igbinosun) falls in love with his trial administrator (Carolyn Michelle Smith) over the course of the study during their virtual check-ins. In "Pease Log On," a lonely and isolated woman (Liz Fenning) struggles to make a connection with a desperate job hunter (Rupak Ginn) over a timed video call observed by an absent, mysterious and menacing boss. In "Touch," a dark, psychosexual horror story, the affair between two co-workers (Tiffany Wolff and Samuel Martin Lewis) is cut short after a single night only to be resumed online, at 4 AM, in their apartment where secret dangers lie. In "R Nought," a disgraced talk show host (Christopher Curry) attempts to lure a grieving Navy officer (Ben Bowen) into a vast right-wing plot to bring down the government while his stepmother (Megan Gallagher) tries to get him to focus on his son.

• drama
• thriller