Trinity

I had no idea what to expect when I saw this film. Cast of (relative) unknowns and the title doesn't give much away either. But...it's a treat. If you like a film that defies genre, that was made outside the mainstream and asks you to think a little then you could do worse than take a look. On the surface it looks a standard sci-fi thriller, two military officers arrive at a remote arctic station to investigate a distress signal sent by a scientist believed missing and wanted for crimes against humanity. As soon as they arrive the sci-fi trimmings vanish and it becomes an intricate and very human psychological game of cat and mouse. Shot with panache and directed with flair it's a little rough around the edges no doubt as a result of a probably low budget and WARNING! it does contain a healthy dose of male and female nudity. Trinity went to work on me long after I saw it and some of the images achieved on a relatively low budget stick with you long after the titles have faded. If you want an action fest don't bother but if you want to be challenged, surprised and in one particularly poignant moment actually moved then check it out. It's worth 80 mins of anybody's time.

Trinity is a curious movie for several reasons. On a practical level, it's curious because, although it was completed in 2001, it has yet to achieve a wide release either at the cinemas or on DVD. On the level of content, it is even more of a mystery.

The film has many of the elements of a stage play: closed, intimate setting; a few characters who we get to know in great depth; concentration on dialogue; and intense performances from each of its three central cast members (Tom McCamus, Stephen Moyer, and Lucy Akhurst). However, its look is nothing that could ever be achieved on stage. Despite the low budget and limited locations, Trinity still looks and feels like a work of art.

In some ways it reminded me of the archetypal low-budget success story Cube, with its atmospheric changes of lighting, claustrophobic rooms, and sense of mystery. Trinity, however, is a much more personal, internal film. There is no external challenge to be faced, no race to get out of the Cube or to survive. The challenges the characters face are their personal demons, and their reasons for being there in the first place.

Although personal demons are not generally the most cinematic or visually interesting subjects of film, each of the three actors convincingly portrays the many sides of their characters. Akhurst is full of tormented rage, and McCamus dangerously quiet. Moyer in some ways has the thankless role of the piece, attempting to insert a voice of reason and normalcy into the situation, until he too is revealed as more than was initially suspected.

Trinity offers no easy answers, and much of the film serves to continually question the characters and their motives, rather than to resolve any issues. However, it is very much a film that begs to be examined more closely, rather than given up out of frustration. Hopefully it will soon get a wider release, and be given the attention and critical respect it merits.

Typical slow, boring, badly written and acted movie that idiots will over-praise because they confuse dull with intellectual. The "psychological cat and mouse game" consists of endlessly boring, repetitive dialog and people acting one way and then another for no reason.

"You were in love with him" "No, I wasn't" "Yes, you were." "No, I wasn't" "Yes, you were"

That's the level of the supposed "mind games" being played here.

In the end, the whole movie ends up being just another example of the disgusting sexist cliché about a woman falling in love with her rapist.

If your tastes run to movies requiring attention and thought to unravel, Trinity may be for you. If you want car chases and explosions, go elsewhere. Even when there is an explosion during Trinity, we see it indirectly, reflected in the eyes of one of the characters.

Set in an alternative present or near future, Trinity's world looks like ours but it isn't. Trinity deals with the aftermath of genetic experiments directed by a Dr Clerval, an aftermath resulting in the deaths of people followed by the disappearance of Clerval.

"Clerval" is the name of a friend of Dr Victor Frankenstein in the original novel.

Agents Brach and Schiller are sent to investigate a distress signal sent from the arctic research station formerly operated by Clerval. They find one person there, a man who looks like Clerval but who claims to be his clone, not Clerval but "of him", possessing some of his memories, but not all. But is cloneClerval telling the truth? Nearly the whole of the movie deals with the interaction of these characters. Bach and Schiller both have personal agendas beyond assigned duty. It is difficult to know who and what to believe. All three characters carry emotional burdens involving the others, bringing them into constant and sometimes violent conflict with one another. The isolation of the research station creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that none of them can readily escape.

Elsewhere, Trinity is listed as having a run time of 120 minutes instead of the nearly 80 minutes as released in Holland in autumn 2004. Trinity is known to have several different versions. It would be interesting to know just what was omitted in the present release, and how the other versions differed. It would also be interesting to know why the movie was completed in 2001 but not released until 3 years later, and then only in Belgium and Holland.

9 double helices out of 10

This may not be the most polished film ever made nor is it the most exciting but I really liked it. The slow pacing will probably irritate a lot of people but that's where it scores. True it is one big tease from start to finish but I couldn't help watching just to see where it was going to end up and I for one wasn't disappointed. They obviously didn't have much money but they covered it up well and for a cheapie it looks great. It's directed well and the performances are uniformly very good, particularly Tom McCamus. Nice music, good editing all add up to a very moody piece and the film is different, maybe too different for most people because it's tough to get a handle on what it is. I'd give it 10 for effort and 7 for attainment. If you're in the mood for something quiet and disturbing then have a look. If you want a big bang then i'd forget it.