Check out my youtube review HERE!!!
I saw The Infinite Man at a festival in early December but have only now found time to review it. It also happens that it is out on DVD in Australia today so it seems like pretty good timing.
The Romantic Comedy genre is a a dying breed but Australian writer director Hugh Sullivan breathes life into the genre by adding a science fiction element. With only three cast members in Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall and Alex Dimitriades and two locations this film takes the little that it has and does so much more with it. The film follows Dean (McConville) as he tries to create the perfect weekend with his girlfriend Lana (Marshall)...over and over again, failing each time. This film is one part Primer, one part Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and another part 500 Days of Summer.
First things first, this lives and dies with its script and boy is it an absolutely fantastic one. Hugh Sullivan fills his script with smarts, heart, humour and total honesty; crystal clear observation with plenty of laughs but also poignancy and the flow between the different tones is so smooth. Being a time travel film it definitely has a complicated plot which is bound to have some logical plot holes but it is in no way convoluted and in no way brings any attention to its flaws. The film is one of the funniest, most honest, sweetest and poignant films on relationships that I've seen though it just misses out on being as good as Her or Eternal Sunshine.
Now the cast had a tough job to pull off, having to play multiple versions of themselves with complication camera work but they not only pull off the technical aspects of their job but also create relatable and dimensional character that create both humour and hard truths. McConville's pedantic character could have come off as frustrating and annoying in the wrong hands (think Sheldon Cooper) but he plays it just right with Marshall as great support. Dimitriades has a rather one dimensional character but the way he plays it is so fun it isn't that much of an issue, especially since it isn't really about him anyway.
Considering how small the production was the production value is fantastic. With energetic and very precise cinematography along with flawless effects to get multiple version of a character into the same shot. The production design for the time travel device is great along with the very simple costumes. The music is both whimsical and tragically effecting adding to an already great film. Most of all this film is just a whole lot of fun and one of the most enjoyable films I saw in 2014. Though it may not always be as perceptive as it thinks it is it is still just a whole lot of whimsical fun.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment