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.

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.

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.

If you've seen K-Pax then you'll know what it's like when a film with a great premise and fully committed wonderful actors manages to create a reverse alchemy- a movie which is less than the sum of its parts.

Lance is intense and fascinating to watch as ever, and his face carries the burden of world weary regret wonderfully, but no-one else can quite reach the bar he sets.

The two-handed sessions are interesting, but never quite reach the heights of true insight, being entertaining rather than revelatory.

The main theme of the nature of Fate is fascinating, and the premise sound, but as others have noticed it would have made for a wonderful 30 minutes rather than a rather laborious 90.

Watch it by all means, but see it as a dress rehearsal for a potential classic short film rather than the rather vapid exercise it turns out to be.