FLASHBACK | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Christopher MacBride (15, 97 mins)
A tricksy, time-bending sci-fi mystery that has a plethora of, yes, flashbacks in a rewarding examination about living for the now and the power of memory. Dylan O’Brien, so good in Netflix’s Love And Monsters, is excellent here as well playing Frederick Fitzell, a man with his life upended by an ill mother, life responsibilities, job, home, girlfriend who seeks something to break a monotony. After taking a detour the wrong way down a one-way street, he encounters a mysterious figure who spouts broken philosophy.
He is subsequently plagued by visions that don’t connect, gaps in his memory about events in is past in high school, and a missing woman – Cindy, played by Maika Monroe. What starts off as a creepy detective story soon accelerates into an existential crisis. Together with old school friends Sebastian (Emory Cohen) and Andre (Keir Gilchrist), they try and track down Cindy, who none of them recall after a certain moment when they all took a mystery drug called Merc.
To go into the ramifications of what unfurls would spoil the rest of the film, but suffice to say it involves an initially confusing but ultimately very satisfying and moving way of looking at life, love and grief. There are some bravura effects moments as Fitzell struggles with an increasingly fragmented reality and trippy visuals, courtesy of writer/director MacBride. O’Brien captures the many facets of his confused character with great skill, making a believable anchor amidst all the time shifting that occurs within the daringly metaphysical script – having to convincingly play both a high school student in flashback and an older lost man by his mother’s sickbed, alienating his partner. Flashback offers plenty to chew on and although at times baffling, it’s worth investing your fractured time in.
Released via digital download on Fri 4 June
words KEIRON SELF