The Penitent Man

This had the potential to be an excellent film but unfortunately drifted into mediocrity. This low/no budget time travel sci-fi drama started out with all the signs of being a hidden gem in the footsteps of "The man from Earth" before it tragically stumbles.

An interesting premise combines with some interesting dialogue for a not too preachy societal commentary. Had they focussed more on a theme of personal growth, the time travel aspect or possibly even the societal commentary angle then this one could have unearthed the gem that remained buried. As it is, it is more of a muddled mess.

Acting Henrickson and Keegan turn in good performances. The remainder should probably leave this one off their resumes.

Writing was excellent in the first half of the film sliding into tired for the conclusion.

Low budget so don't look for miracles in terms of soundtrack or cinematography and as expected special effects were no existent.

Overall...

Not sorry I saw it but unlikely to recommend it. If you have a couple hours with nothing more interesting to waste it on, give this one a look.

Penitent Man (2010) is a mostly contemporary drama with science fiction notes, in which well-known actors like Lance Henriksen and Andrew Keegan mingle seamlessly with local Seattle talent.

Without giving much of anything away, here's the story: Mr. Darnell (Lance Henriksen) tries to convey an unlikely message to Dr. Jason Pyatt (Lathrop Walker), which could potentially save his marriage, his life, and the lives of billions of people.

There were a couple of elements of this film that stood out for me. The first was the dialog, by which I mean the writing, sound design, and acting. Penitent Man is dialog heavy, but not to a fault. The writing flows with an enjoyable dramatic cadence and the back and forth between characters, especially those who disagree with one another, are captivating to watch and listen to. An aside: Henriksen is not only a good actor, but a great voice talent as well.

The other element of the film that really popped out for me was setting. While the film was shot in a short amount of time, on a small budget, the film manages to create a clear and cogent world, while also highlighting some great places in Seattle that hardly made it into cinema.

Overall I enjoyed the writing, sound/music, and settings of the film, and I felt engaged with the characters. The film was a quality creation and I was left thinking/talking about physics and "what ifs" for a few weeks afterward.

Go watch it already!

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!

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 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.