Diksha Sundriyal
In the suspense thriller film ‘Relay,’ Riz Ahmed plays the role of a fixer who mediates deals between whistleblowers and companies that are almost exposed for their wrongdoings. The story focuses on his efforts to help his new client, Sarah, who discovered that her company was engaging in something unethical, considered exposing them, but ultimately decided to back down. However, she was then continually harassed by her former employers, Cybo Sementis. While it is suggested that Ash has helped a lot of people before, the only other company that is named in the movie is Optimo Pharmaceuticals. Both these companies become an integral plot point, deciding the trajectories of all the major characters. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Optimo and Cybo Sementis Represent Corporate Corruption and Greed
‘Relay’ is an entirely fictional story that presents a highly realistic view of how a situation would unfold if a whistleblower needed help. The filmmakers have clarified that they did not base any character on a real-life person. For Ash, particularly, they never came across someone who could serve as an inspiration. The same goes for the companies as well. Optimo and Cybo Sementis are designed to serve as the enemies for Ash and his clients. They are presented as the portrait of a corrupt establishment that is ready to go to whatever lengths necessary to get what it wants. The filmmakers didn’t have any specific companies in mind while writing about them, but they did present the conglomerates in a way that reflects the reality of the present situation.
Director David Mackenzie explained that the film’s idea was to focus on the characters and their struggles, ramping up the tension as they find themselves getting stuck deeper in a situation that they were supposed to come out of. At the same time, the film retains some political undertones, suggesting that corporations today are just as greedy, if not greedier, and more corrupt than those depicted in the movie. The reason Optimo was transformed into a pharmaceutical company is that the film aimed to highlight the fact that real-life pharmaceutical companies have a profound influence over the arts and political scene around them, granting them the power to shape events according to their own interests.
As the chase takes over, the companies subside in the background, and the main focus is on the survival of the characters and the conflict that takes unexpected twists and turns. However, the companies still remain the most powerful players in the gang, continuing to influence the events as they want them to be. Thus, ‘Relay’ shows the power of the companies and the levels to which they are ready to stoop to protect their money and business, and worse, the lives they are ready to harm in order to fill their own pockets.
Read More: Relay Ending Explained
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