It’s Valentine’s Day week and that means endless ads to buy flowers and declare your love for someone — or sit at home, eat ice cream, and watch a romantic comedy. But as much as I believe in the power of love on screen, sometimes you just need a cautionary, mesmerizing tale about the idea of love itself. Look no further than The Beta Test.

Writer-director-star Jim Cummings’ 2021 arrival is now streaming on Hulu, and it’s worth the watch for his captivating American Psycho-type performance alone. That, and it will likely make you feel ok about being single. Here are 5 Takeaways from the psychological, sexy, dark and very funny thriller.

1. An unlikeable character one can’t stop watching.  Cummings has crafted a haunting portrait of a Hollywood agent who would do anything for his job, but not do much of anything for anyone else. He’s the type of guy that when he receives an invitation for a no-strings-attached sexual encounter, he’ll accept it with little hesitation. And, that’s exactly what happens to him. But with Cummings’ rapid-fire dialogue, funny nervous ticks (his character is constantly reminding people he has an ulcer), and confessional monologue moments, Cummings has created a portrait of a man you can’t look away from, no matter how many mistakes that man makes. 

2. Genre-bending.  The Beta Test encompasses a ton of genres. Cummings has described it as a comedy with teeth, with a side of Chinatown mixed in. It does feel like a noir comedy that is quite specific to L.A., either way. Talent agent jargon is everywhere, and in a particularly funny moment, one agent goes on a tirade telling other agents that when they think of WGA writers, they should picture those writers stealing food from their children’s mouths. This film has style galore; jokes are often carefully paid off in camera reveals. The color purple (which signifies spirituality, enlightenment, and royalty) is ever-present in the deep purple envelopes inviting various characters to these no-strings encounters. It is also evident in the blindfolds used in the encounters themselves — possibly representing the qualities these characters yearn for, but will never achieve despite seemingly having it all. 

4. Multiple themes.  The film not only crosses multiple genres, it also encompasses many themes: Greed, mental illness, corruption of power, commerce destroying art, and how our data may destroy us all. Digital mafia talkies may have done the best job trying to summarize what the movie encompasses most: The beta stage is often considered the most volatile phase. Due to the transition from the alpha stage to beta, the probability of bugs and errors goes up. A person or a program loses its root (the alpha). He floats in a disoriented state and craves a foundation. A person is most volatile when he is in doubt. This is the crux of the character study Cummings has created in Jordan Hines — a man possibly making a last-ditch effort to redeem his soul when his soul might already be irredeemable. 

4. A look at toxic masculinity.  A theme not so on the surface of this movie is a look at toxic masculinity in general. Hines is the type of guy who is offended when a future client taps him playfully on the balls (and no one says anything), but he’s the first to yell at his young female assistant when he mishears what she says to him. He’ll exchange sweet nothings with his fiancé, but put her down in front of others. He is so upset by “the state of things” that he’ll censor himself, but also not hesitate to leave a meeting that is a waste of his time. Hines is an amalgamation of white males feeling untethered as toxic masculinity was not even a discussion in their youth. In fact, in Hines’s ultimate breakdown, he screams: “I miss the early 2000s.” Indeed, life is more complicated now in every way, but by the mere fact a character like Hines belabors over their actions… Maybe, just maybe, progress has been made?

5. Should love always win?  Hines is not the only character in this movie destroyed by his purple invitation. In fact, there is a man who has dubbed himself “the internet” out to destroy as many relationships as possible, but the “the internet” targets coupled people, as far as the movie lets on — people who have something to lose. But, the question is, did these people deserve the relationships they are in, in the first place? Why are they able to so easily forsake them? Were they more invested in the idea of love and the vision of stability a marriage portrays to society? In the end, Hines makes another go of things with his fiancé, but there are hints he’ll be even more trapped and unhappy than when the movie first began. 

Final Takeaway: Ultimately, this is a movie that poses the question if you invite a devil into your relationship, will it survive? Additionally, are all relationships prone to devils attacking them in the age of information? And if you’re single this Valentine’s Day week, sometimes that’s worth celebrating too. Watch The Beta Test, then count your blessings.