The Reconstruction of William Zero

No, its not directed by spike jonze and it's certainly not written by Charlie Kaufman . But for a couple of hours of free-ish entertainment on VOD it's the kind of material those in love with fantasy/scifi settings will certainly enjoy regardless.

Acting is on point, plot is very solid, and photography is good. Don't expect to have your mind blown but perfect covid watching for the scifi buff who doesn't mind low-fi.

While it's probably deliberate, the plot development is decidedly stilted from the outset, and some of the acting comes across much the same. More noteworthy is that there's no mystery to be had, for the plot is also emphatically direct: we are told in short order what's going on, and we can guess it before that - a pairing of prediction and revelation that comes within the first twenty minutes, and then again well before one hour has elapsed. This is kind of like what Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' might be if we were told from the outset what the ending was, or could easily guess it. This isn't to say that the movie can't still be enjoyable on its own merits, but it's clearly not what we supposed it would be from the outset, and we can only hope there's greater substance to it that we'll uncover as it goes along. Thankfully there is; the title proves true in a different way. But this is just for starters. I do think 'The reconstruction of William Zero' is modestly enjoyable, but it also has problems that limit its value and audience.

We're greeted with notable themes of varying flavors, but I don't know that they're treated with the care they deserve. Dialogue and scene writing feels kind of half-baked; the substance is there, and in realization we get the basic form that's intended, but not the core, the heart. This rather goes for the narrative at large, coming off like a tableau playing out behind tinted, slightly cloudy glass that muffles the experience and impact, and dulls it. Dan Bush's direction is competent but unremarkable, in much the same way that the screenplay he penned with star Conal Byrne is functional, but somewhat hollow.

There are great ideas here, and I appreciate the work that went into this in all regards - including Bush's steadfast editing that enforces a disordered presentation, itself purely by design. The production design and art direction are well executed, and any effects, and the filming locations are choice. Sound design, cinematography, music, all swell. I think the cast is fine, with Byrne actually handling his role(s) quite well despite that uneven slant; others in supporting parts impress insofar as they truly make the most of what they have, including Amy Seimetz. All this is well and good. What 'The reconstruction of William Zero' lacks, however, is a spark of vitality to make the audience Feel It: it's earnest, but incomplete; present, but passive, as it presents. Or is this also deliberate, as though the construction of the picture is a meta reflection of its content?

On the balance I do believe this is pretty good, and worthwhile; I recognize the hard work and sincerity that everyone involved poured into it. It's just that these qualities aren't meaningfully communicated to the viewer, and as a result the experience of watching just isn't what it could or should be. I think 'The reconstruction of William Zero' is a solid sci-fi drama, by all means, a fair way to spend 98 minutes and a credit to the skills of all on hand. Only, better luck next time that the resulting picture is not just baseline satisfying, but also more readily absorbing and rewarding.

If you don't believe the NFL is scripted, you may believe that they tried to clone Tom Brady. What they got was a near-middle aged quarterback, who is past his prime. That's right, two Tom Brady's. Well, the clone Tom Brady is the bad Tom Brady. He threw a lot of interceptions, when the script called for a touchdown. Tre'davious White threw down the interception, like had had caught a poisonous snake. Then he fell down like he broke his leg. That man is a team player! But the bad Tom Brady wasn't done being bad. He cloned himself! This clone was a GOOD Tom Brady. But now there are THREE Tom Bradys! To me, one Tom Brady is more than enough. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site, which has many free movies; and now, live TV.

to hard core sci-fi fans, this may not be your type.

but if you love movies like eternal sunshine of a spotless mind, you are gonna enjoy this one.

acting is great, not much action (sorry action fans), plot is a good one and the music helps in most case to express the movie more. i haven't watched any other movie from the director, but it seems like i am gonna look out for one in the future. lead actor did a great job. i could really bet there were two different characters in the same scene.

the movie keeps the suspense wherever it is needed. overall worth a watch, 7/10. i would really recommend it.

The premise of this story is very promising - a thriller based on the concept of an apparent twin who turns out not to be all he, at first, thinks he is.

At the risk of not wanting to spoil the movie, I won't say more about how things turn round, but the focus is always on the lead actor, Conal Byrne, who has to play William and William Zero and another allied character with enough distinction between the three that you can keep up with exactly which one he is meant to be.

Thankfully Conal is up to the task and switches characters enough to be identifiably 'different' until the last chapter of the movie when the distinctions deliberately become blurred. As William Zero he has to appear practically clueless as to what is happening to him in the beginning and he almost pulls this off.

Unfortunately the script advances too quickly for us to get a real feeling for the dilemma in which he finds himself and the progression, from what seems to be amnesia to the dawning of understanding exactly what he is, happens abruptly and without enough reaction to be credible.

Similarly the reactions of the other characters in this story are also hurried and, therefore, appear unrealistic. Amy Seimetz, as the (ex) wife, does her best but isn't given enough dialog to carry through her predicament. In the end her conversion to the version of reality that she sees is too sudden and hardly seems in character.

Overall I felt the screenplay was generally too predictable at times, whilst leaving a lot of questions unanswered at others (presumably to try and engender a feeling of mystery). There are twists and turns in the plot which, with better direction or a superior screenplay, could have been more entertaining, even shocking.

The denouement is laughably simple (and requires another improbable leap of faith) and turns out to be what you might have been expecting all along. Of course there's no other outcome that could happen, but to give so many clues along the way, I felt, was unnecessary and leaves a limp ending.

I'm left wondering how many scenes were heavily cut and are left littering the cutting room floor? The progression of the story feels heavily edited and this is the sort of movie where a typical preview of a more twisted, mysterious version might have elicited comments of 'I didn't understand it', forcing a different direction before the launch.

This should have been a movie which throws up more questions, especially moral ones, than there are answers but, in that respect, it fails. On the thriller side it also doesn't score as highly as it could have done. At the end I was just left feeling that this could have been so much better.