PHREAKER

AT&T poisoned the minds of millions by telling them to “reach out and touch someone.” What did they expect from those grasping for human connection? For Jake Bellman, a blind teenager in a downwardly mobile home at the turn of the 21st century, the phone became a curiosity and then an obsession. He finds himself in chat rooms, striking up conversations with strangers, only to discover that he has a gift for mimicry.

By memorizing dial tones, he can swindle systems into free long-distance calls, and by imitating those on the other end of the line, he can manipulate to a far greater degree. It’s called “phreaking,” and Jake is one of the best to ever do it. This, however, is a recipe for making more enemies than friends.

Picking up the baton from hacker classics like SNEAKERS and THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Adam Yorke’s sophomore feature delivers a taut, propulsive character piece in a world before pre-digital ubiquity. Based on true events, with the names changed to protect the innocent (and the guilty), PHREAKER is one that you can’t miss. (JAKE ISGAR)