The Penitent Man

This low budget, slow moving movie with many local actors starts with an interesting idea about time travel (easily guessed early on) and stretches it to fill an hour and a half of mostly dialogue and background music. I'm sure everyone earnestly participated and did their best to make this a long shot that would wow the world with the "deep" ideas discussed and the sincere efforts of the "wonderfully talented" writer, director, and cast. It really is mediocre. The interesting part is to read the glowing reviews of all the participants' contributions and the "fabulous" concepts explored by the movie. The praise is so over the top that anyone can see who wrote these reviews. I guess I can't really rely on a film with a score above 7 to be worth checking out. This is the world we live in.

The visuals don't change too much in this film, but that's just a minor thing, and doesn't really impact on it at all - it's the story and the script that really got me hooked!

Yes, another film about time travel, without the CGI & SFX seen elsewhere.

The performance by the two main actors was very convincing, and the dialogue very thought provoking. The other two actors weren't as impressive with their delivery from time to time (haha), but don't let that put your off.

I had goosebumps several times in this film and enjoyed just about every minute of it.

What tipped me over from 6 to 7/10 was the ending, it almost seemed to end... naturally.

I very much liked this film!

The Penitent Man's gripping story defies standard genre categorization and breaks all the "rules," providing viewers with an original and extremely effective take on a classic sci-fi question. The film is driven by stellar performances, especially from the two leads Henriksen and Walker, but The Penitent Man's greatest asset is undoubtedly its director Nicholas Gyeney who managed to make a dialog driven film absolutely thrilling to watch. The film's intimacy allows the audience to share the emotions that play out on screen, creating an intense bond between viewers and the characters that only grows as the story unfolds and we learn more about the personal struggles of the film's main players. When all is said and done, The Penitent Man is an insightful look at human relationships and most importantly a wonderful cinematic experience. I can't wait to see what's next for Gyeney and Co.

The Penitent Man is a thought-provoking psychological drama starring a small cast that is big on talent. The plot, though not unique, has intriguing twists that keep you engaged during the film and talking about it for days following. Short on budget, The Penitent Man lacks the action and special effects that many movie-goers are accustomed to but it has the appeal of fringe productions that garner a cult following. The film, which premiered in January 2010, was shot in Seattle and featured both seasoned Hollywood actors and fresh local talent. The young (23) director, Nicholas Gyeney, shows incredible promise… keep your eyes on him in the future years.

Yes indeed, a thought-provoking piece of work, generally well-acted. The ambiance and face-to-face dialog-centered framework used in the exposition of ideas is, however, straight out of the 2007 film "The Man from Earth" (check it out; I would rate it at least 8/10). And the scientific crux of the plot is straight out of Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter's 2000 novel, "The Light of Other Days." The similarities of this movie to these preceding works are so striking that it is hard to imagine that the writer and director were not consciously emulating them. As a whole, if your time is at all limited, I would recommend skipping this and watching and reading those earlier works.