After having watched this film once through and then rewatching parts again, I still can’t say for certain that I know exactly what, when and how things happened in this ingenious indie sci-fi film.
This film made waves at Sundance because it was filmed for $7,000, but it doesn’t look like it was made for $7,000. Shane Carruth wrote, directed, starred, produced, composed, shot and edited the film. He plays young engineer Aaron, who along with some friends work on patenting new inventions in his garage so they can get rich and dump their day jobs. Aaron and Abe (David Sullivan, also a production assistant on the film) are working on a device that ends up being a time machine.
What comes next is an examination of the various paradoxes that are inherent in time travel. The film deals with what Aaron and Abe do with this power. Some are things that anyone would do, but others are personal.
The film takes a very natural, almost documentary-style approach to the material. It’s like we are actually watching scientists do their work. We don’t understand what they are saying exactly or what it exactly means, but we understand the implications and how the various characters relate to each other. The film doesn’t slow down to fill people in, which is an asset and a flaw. It acts as a driving force, but at times I felt too much information was being left out.
This is certainly a multi-watch title much like DONNIE DARKO or MULHOLLAND DRIVE. This is the smartest sci-fi I’ve seen since DARKO and an impressive film debut. I’ve never seen a time travel film like this before.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
