Reminiscence hits theaters on Aug. 20.
What would you do for just one more chance to play fetch with your furry best friend, grab that baby scent from your now all-too-adult child, or wrap your arms around a lost loved one? Lisa Joy imagines a world where there’s a machine that could enable you to relive all those memories in her feature directorial debut Reminiscence, a film noir-inspired, mind-bending thriller that reminds us that the past doesn’t haunt us -- we haunt the ghosts of our past.
In Reminiscence, former veteran Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), now a private investigator of the mind, finds himself navigating worlds of memories for a quirky variety of clients until his life is changed in an instant while locking eyes with Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). A simple case of locating Mae’s lost keys turns into an obsession. Once she mysteriously vanishes, Nick spends every waking moment fighting to learn the truth regarding her whereabouts and why she disappeared.
Although there are slight similarities to other futuristic dramas like Total Recall and Minority Report, Reminiscence has more heart than some of the other entries in the genre. This is even reflected in the production design, with Joy shooting in mostly muted grey and blue tones to illustrate a world in which humans have become stuck between the present and their memories. These very conscious visual choices are quite intriguing, and drive home that melancholic feeling of yearning for the past.
Mae, meanwhile, stands out in bright, jewel-tone shades of red and blue, a burst of excitement for Nick. And fortunately, Ferguson and Jackman’s chemistry is pure fire, the kind of film noir leading man and woman that leave you wanting more. Ferguson channels Lauren Bacall chanteuse vibes while crooning the Rodgers and Hart classic “Where or When” (with its fitting nostalgic lyrics), while Jackman again proves he’s a character actor in a leading man’s body. He has a likeability that harkens back to true classic movie stars like Cary Grant and James Stewart; we root for him, and want him to have a happy ending with the woman he loves at all costs.
Nick’s chemistry with his best (and only) friend, Emily Watts (Thandiwe Newton, who previously worked with Joy on Westworld), is memorable in a completely different way. Nick loves and respects Emily, but is in love with Mae, which proves to be a hard pill to swallow for Emily. Newton’s skill, substance, and character work stands out here; when she walks into a New Orleans bar and lights it up like the Fourth of July, it’s exhilarating to watch.
Where Reminiscence runs into issues is, ironically, the ways in which it reflects its own premise. There are portions of the story that feel like they’re on a loop -- just like a memory. While the idea of revisiting the past physically and mentally is alluring, watching that play out in the movie is less interesting. To quote Nick himself, “memories are like perfume… better in small doses.”
Even still, Joy’s exciting aesthetic choices keep us interested. The setting, a futuristic and nearly underwater Miami, is intriguing, with Joy exploring the class issues that exist within it through production design. In one beautifully shot scene in particular, centering on a fight in the water, the camera pulls all the way back so we can clearly see how deep the water is -- and how heavy the stakes are. This all drives home Reminiscence’s core message: tomorrow is not guaranteed, so live in the present.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/3mlCKy6
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming
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