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AUGUST chronicles the tumultuous journey of Tom Sterling (portrayed by Josh Hartnett), a young and ambitious entrepreneur in the dot-com industry, as he battles to keep his start-up company afloat. Amidst personal and professional struggles, including his attempt to reconcile with his girlfriend Sarrah (played by Naomie Harris), regain control of his company from disinterested investor Ogilvie (David Bowie), and confront deep-seated family issues with his father David (Rip Torn) and brother Joshua (Adam Scott), Tom finds himself spiraling downwards. Emmanuelle Chriqui stars as Morela, and Andre Royo as Dylan.

While AUGUST is set in the shadow of the impending September 11th attacks, indicated by various clues and the foreboding title, one cannot help but feel that even if Tom Sterling had known about the tragedy, he would not have altered his course. Howard A. Rodman's writing, Austin Chick's direction, and John Hartnett's portrayal create a character that is almost entirely unlikable. During the heady days of the dot-com era, prior to the bursting of the technology bubble and the downfall of internet companies like his own Land Shark, Tom is both trendier than his neck tattoo and scornful of his competitors. He exhibits borderline abusive behavior towards his younger, more introverted brother, who happens to be the technical genius behind their joint enterprise. Tom is hostile towards his parents and behaves monstrously towards his ex-girlfriend, the one person he seems to genuinely care about. Furthermore, he excels at speaking loudly while saying absolutely nothing.

One of the filmmaker's clever choices is deliberately withholding the exact nature of Land Shark's operations. Tom spouts nonsensical jargon about providing "bleeding-edge, mission-critical, cross-platform, robust, scalable architectures," but it becomes clear that the main function of the company, as his father points out, is to serve as a workplace where young employees can munch on Oreos and play computer solitaire. Consequently, when Land Shark meets its inevitable demise, it is difficult to muster any sympathy.

There are no flaws in Hartnett's performance; he is undeniably a star and consistently captivating. However, AUGUST is a chilling film, both in its visual aesthetics and emotional impact. Even a brief but memorable scene towards the end, featuring David Bowie as the sole character capable of speaking honestly, fails to shake off the discomfort that settles after the credits roll.

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