Gentle Monster teases Samsung Android XR glasses with some help from Joaquin Phoenix

Android XR smart glasses from Samsung are nearly here, with its Google-collab “Intelligent Eyewear” series featuring Warby Parker and Gentle Monster frames opening pre-orders next week — and ahead of that happening, we’re getting an early peek at how one of those companies is planning to hype up the launch.

With all those big names involved, this one’s been shaping up to potentially be one of those product introductions that helps get the public really considering a new form factor. Google already took a shot at eyewear ages ago with Glass, and has long been living down the backlash. But now modern smart glasses are starting to build new momentum, and even in the face of renewed public criticism, we’re excited to see what these companies can do.

Today Gentle Monster shares a teaser for an upcoming short film it’s produced, starring Joaquin Phoenix:

The Jonathan Glazer-directed short film is set to premiere in full sometime in mid-November — and given that pre-orders are set to open on November 12, we’d say that sounds like a very likely release date.

As for the teaser itself, it looks… weird! Phoenix appears to be a hotel guest (wearing a tasteful pair of smart glasses, of course) experiencing some surreal events. We see him trudging through a hallway drenched in red light, like he’s pushing against an unseen force, while some mysterious Times-Square-Elmo-looking creatures spar. At the end, he taps his frames and requests, “translate for me.”

Is it going to be the cinema event of the year? Probably not, but it does look stylistic as hell, intriguingly eccentric, and we can’t wait to see where Glazer and Phoenix ultimately end up going with this. Gentle Monster calls it “a cinematic journey between reality and dream.”

Hopefully by the time the full-length version drops and pre-orders open, we’ll also get some answers to our biggest questions about this launch: When users will actually be able to get their hands on the glasses, and what they’ll have to pay for the privilege. The jury’s still out on the latter, but the description accompanying this teaser helps formally solidify that release window: “The collection launches this December.”

Will you be pre-ordering a pair for yourself? Would you consider giving something like this as a gift this holiday season? Does all this hang upon what those furry monsters end up doing? Let us know down in the comments.