During this day and age, technology changes in the blink of an eye. One moment, the act of burning cds is all the rage. The next moment, downloading music off of the Internet is merely a reflex. Oscar-winning Steven Soderbergh, who directed “Ocean’s Eleven,” may dramatically alter Hollywood’s usual approach towards film releases films with his earthy project “Bubble.” On January 27, “Bubble” will be simultaneously released in theaters, HD tv, and DVD.

“Bubble” – a $1.6 million project – severs the traditional Hollywood approach of storytelling in a startling, and almost offsetting manner. Audiences will either love or hate this artistic film after the ending credits. However, after leaving the theater (or getting off the couch for the HD or DVD audience), most people will identify with and feel twinges of sympathy for the working-class main characters.

Early each morning, older woman Martha (Debbie Doebereiner) picks up post-high school young man Kyle (Dustin James Ashley) to begin yet another shift at a doll factory. Their friendship is interrupted by an attractive Rose (Misty Dawn Wilkins), who is hired due to her airbrushing experience at a mall store.

Martha accepts her responsibility to care for her elderly father at home. And she often allows others to take advantage of her giving nature. She desperately clings to Kyle’s friendship, and secretly simmers as Rose gets closer to Kyle. People not only accept Martha’s politeness and need to please, but they are blind to her deeper feelings of jealousy and helplessness.

This documentary-style film magnifies the triangle relationship between the Ohio employees. The dreary setting of the dull, mechanical factory and tiny trailer houses heightens the claustrophobic aurora that is threaded throughout the film’s entirety. All of the characters simply accept their banal existence as they live minimally from paycheck to paycheck.

The film’s sense of realism is bound tightly together because the entire cast consisted of unknown actors. The actors could have easily been plucked from any lower-class small town. Half of the dialogue takes place during McDonald-ridden lunchtimes; what is said is not as important as the way each character interacts.

During the creation of the film, Soderbergh used the same digital technology used in much bigger budget films, such as “Lord of the Rings.” He used it to artistically to embellish an intense authenticity for the poor, under-examined American society instead of overwhelming the audience with needless special effects.

“Bubble” successfully reveals a haunting portrait of the lives of overworked people without making outlandish comments. After seeing the film, the story itself may fade into the crevice of your memory, but the naked view upon daily living will not. Art is supposed to catch you unawares; to provide another, intriguing avenue of thought.

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