It’s Us Who Haunt The Past. 3.5 / 5
Directed by David Bruckner.
Nick and Emily run a business wherein they help people relive their favourite memories. However, when a woman seeks their help to look for her missing set of keys, they find themselves in trouble.
The minds who brought us Westworld create a noir mystery that searches through past memories in the intoxicating Reminiscence.
Hugh Jackman delivers an onslaught of exposition as he tells us the story of his lost love wrapped up in a hidden past and a world on the brink of collapse. Using a machine that shows memories, Reminiscence relies heavily on experience and nostalgia to drive the film adding to the complexities of the mystery. As the story unfolds we discover tortured layers to all the characters that are driven by or running from their pasts.
The memory machine starts as an interesting science fiction angle to the noir genre but the film quickly writes itself into a corner. The device quickly goes from giving subtle clues to becoming a deus ex machina, spelling out the mystery as the film attempts to wrap up conclusively.
Jackman carries the film on his shoulders with an emotionally tormented performance and I’m glad writer/director Lisa Joy decided on telling this story as a feature rather than a series so as not to drag out the intricate details.
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