Erasing David

Kind of a real-life take on The Bourne Identity (minus the violence), British actor-filmmaker David Bond's Erasing David follows Bond's decision to disappear for 30 days in order to see how long it takes a pair of detectives to locate him. Dipping into the vast quantities of personal data stored about each of us in this digital age, the sleuths (hired by Bond himself) soon amass plenty of information about the fugitive, as well as the toddler and very pregnant wife, Katie, he leaves behind. Bond (who films his own movements, sans crew) hops around Europe, stays briefly with his father, and spends a couple of harrowing nights in a kind of camouflaged hut deep in the English countryside. After a couple of weeks, the psychological strain begins to weigh on Bond, especially when Katie becomes ill, leading to a logical conclusion: we all have to live our lives despite omnipresent snooping, even as we battle for our rights. The interwoven interviews with privacy experts and victims of corrupt government databases are compelling, but it's the cat-and-mouse game between our hero trying to get off the grid and his pursuers that creates both wonderful suspense and a real education about our collective, virtual nakedness. DVD extras include deleted scenes, extended interviews, and a Q&A session with the director at the film's premiere. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)