The Education of Fredrick Fitzell

Seeing several comparisons of this film to classics as Donnie Darko and The Butterfly Effect, though in fairness. Flashback is not on those films' levels. Dealing with an interesting concept and a good leading actor with Dylan O'Brien, the problem lies more with the writing and overall script.

Too many flashback scenes, quick cuts, different timelines, fast forwarding and backtracking to keep up. The result is that it was a little too gimmicky and ending up being confusing. Perhaps if this movie was given more explanations and possibly added more runtime it would have been better.

There does lie an interesting concept but the end product is something which doesn't reach its full potential. Was expecting some sort of big reveal or twists in the end but nothing special occurred. Some intriguing moments but nothing special and not quite like Donnie Darko or the Butterflies Effect.

Based on the acting I would have given a higher rating, you can't fault the cast. Dylan O'Brien does a great job.

The direction, storytelling was just convoluted and messy. It was trying to be smart and artistic but just didn't pull it off. A similar story that has been done better in other movies.

Flashback is so ambitious that the story becomes convoluted very quickly. I thought Tenet was a mess but this is easily way harder to follow. I do admire the attempt at doing something new, even if the director couldn't quite stick the landing.

All the actors give a great performance with Dylan O'Brien delivering a career best performance. When the directing and story collapse in on itself much like the concept of time and space that's used as a plot device here, we are still held together somewhat by the acting.

I love how the script flirts with very interesting concepts such as drug addiction, agency, accountability, reality vs maladaptive dreaming and love. The ending was surprisingly emotional and the bond between mother and son will tug at your heart strings.

All in all, don't expect a straightforward story, this is a different film. Instead go where the story takes you, suspend your belief and think about the themes the story explores and how they relate to your own life.

I was really only half paying attention to this film until it absolutely stopped making sense, at which point I rewound a little bit and watched until the end.

They do a pretty good job of revealing the intent and meaning of the film - spoon-feeding it, really, at about the 3/4 mark, and then the rest settles into place even though it remains disjointed and non-linear (which is, actually, the whole point).

It wasn't until the credits rolled that I wanted to do that slow golf clap.

And then I immediately restarted it and watched every moment, learning that there was important information in every scene and every line that made it much more logical, once you understand why those things are important.

I highly recommend watching it twice. Brilliant job. I hope to see more from MacBride.

... and that's just the basis for the bizarre events you'll encounter but also good advice for anyone brave enough to tackle the multiverse probabilities of every decision they've ever made and their associated repercussions, consequences, causes and effects - every single one of them, alongside everyone else and their pathways of possibilities.