If you wish to subject your brain to this artifact, Fateful Findings is available on Amazon Prime Video (usually through the "Midnight Movie" section) and on the official Neil Breen website, where Breen himself sells DVDs for the oddly specific price of $24.99. It is also a staple of the "Alamo Drafthouse" screening circuit.
Neil Breen may never make a film that critics praise. But he has made a film that people will watch, quote, and argue about for years to come. And in its own twisted way, that may be a greater achievement than any conventional success.
No discussion of Fateful Findings would be complete without acknowledging its most iconic visual motif: the laptops. Throughout the film, Dylan sits before banks of clearly turned-off computers, typing furiously to hack into systems at the highest levels of government and corporate power. In one particularly memorable scene, surrounded by several inactive laptops, he declares: “I’ve been hacking into government and corporate systems all over the country. All over the world. I have discovered more information than any hacker ever has. Ever.” He then dramatically throws a book at the nearest laptop. Fateful Findings - 2013 - Neil Breen
The film represents something rare in the age of algorithm-driven content and focus-grouped blockbusters: pure, unmediated artistic expression. Breen did not make Fateful Findings to be ironic, or to court a cult following, or to go viral on social media. He made it because he had a story to tell and he told it, without compromise, using whatever resources he had available to him.
The plot of Fateful Findings resists linear summary. It operates entirely on the dream-logic of a techno-thriller melodrama. The film follows Dylan (played by Breen), a boy who discovers a glowing, magical stone in the woods alongside his childhood friend. Decades later, Dylan has grown into a successful novelist. After being struck by a car in a bizarrely staged accident, the dormant mystical powers of the stone awaken within him. If you wish to subject your brain to
No analysis of Fateful Findings is complete without mentioning the laptops. Dylan’s workspace is cluttered with computers. He frequently types frantically on screens that are completely black, slams them shut in frustration, and at one point, actively throws coffee and drops them on the floor.
From its inexplicable use of multiple broken laptops to its abrupt, bloody climax, Fateful Findings transcends traditional critical metrics to offer a uniquely hypnotic viewing experience. 🎬 The Bizarre Narrative But he has made a film that people
The dialogue is highly repetitive, acting almost like incantations. Phrases regarding "corporate corruption," "national security," and "the truth" are spoken repeatedly. This repetition strips the words of their literal meaning, transforming them into abstract thematic textures. When Dylan discovers his friend's corpse, his reaction—"I cannot believe you committed suicide. I cannot believe you committed suicide. How could you have done this?"—bypasses realistic grief. Instead, it highlights the artificiality of the medium, forcing the audience to confront the text directly. The Climax: A Surrealist Manifesto
The plot—such as it is—multiplies exponentially without ever cohering. Dylan is struck by a car but miraculously survives, thanks to the healing power of the mystical stone. He announces to Emily that he has not been writing a new book but instead has been hacking into “the most secret government and corporate secrets”. He plans to expose everything. Meanwhile, Jim’s underage daughter, Aly (Danielle Andrade), repeatedly makes sexual advances toward Dylan, including a scene where she walks into his home completely naked. Jim himself is murdered by Amy, who then stages his death as a suicide, leading Dylan to deliver one of cinema’s most memorably inept lines while cradling Jim’s corpse: “I can’t believe you committed suicide. I cannot believe you committed suicide. How could you have done this?”.