In the wake of Steven Spielberg’s latest film Ready Player One (2018) comes a new Netflix series set in the backdrop of a virtual universe. Called Kiss Me First, the psychological thriller takes place in a dark, ominous world where fully-immersive virtual reality is the norm.
Mashed-up with live action and computer-generated virtual world sequences, Kiss Me First tells the story of Leila, a VR addict who stumbles across a hidden area in her favorite game. There she meets Tess, a chaotic person who suddenly injects herself into Leila’s physical world too.
You might remember the series’ viral ad campaign from a few weeks ago, which publicly commercialized the ‘AzanaBand’ haptic device, even going so far as to ship a working prototype to YouTubers Hat Films. Yeah, it was just a wireless shock collar, but it certainly got the Internet’s attention.
The first episode, entitled ‘She Did Something’, aired April 2nd on the UK’s Channel 4, and is soon to premier on Netflix internationally. Kiss Me First was created by Bryan Elsley, co-creator of hit UK teen drama series Skins.
Here’s a brief description from the Channel 4 listing:
Bryan Elsley’s (Skins, Dates) Kiss Me First is an innovative thriller which combines live action with stunning state-of-the-art computer-generated virtual world sequences in a TV drama first.
Based on Lottie Moggach’s debut novel, Kiss Me First moves between the real and virtual animated worlds. When Leila (Tallulah Haddon, Taboo, The Living and the Dead) stumbles across Red Pill, a secret paradise, hidden on the edges of her favourite game, she meets Tess (Simona Brown, The Night Manager). Tess is everything that Leila is not: hedonistic, impulsive and insatiable. So when Tess turns up in Leila’s real life uninvited, Leila’s world is forever changed. But then a member of the group mysteriously disappears and Leila begins to suspect that maybe the hidden sanctuary isn’t the digital Eden its creator Adrian claims it to be. Now, Leila’s real journey begins.
Kiss Me First is produced by Kindle Entertainment and Balloon Entertainment.