Found in Time

I'm not sure I could even begin to describe this film's plot, save that it has something to do with street-merchant psychics and the maybe-maybe-not deaths of two policemen. It bounces back and forth through time — not to mention alternate times — so much that for the first little while, you're sure to be wondering what you've gotten yourself into by watching it.

But about halfway through, suddenly it all starts to make some sort of elegantly distant sense, and you find yourself getting wrapped up in the story of someone who might or might not have killed someone and who might or might not be working at a place where he divines the owners of bits of stuff for the benefit of unknown powers that be.

I know I'm not making a lot of sense. Neither does FOUND IN TIME. It has a secondary character who might be God or might be someone else. We're not sure, and the screenwriter doesn't say for certain one way or another. But his job appears to be to send people around in time to do... something... somehow...

It's just strange and odd and yet very compelling. A friend of mine described it as "12 Monkeys without a budget" — and yet it's not because it's far more complex. You have to keep your wits about you watching a movie like this.

The reason for eight stars and not 10? It has its shortcomings — the masks the psychologists wear look, at the outset, a little... okay, a lot silly. I understand the concept behind them, but they don't really work all that well. And there are moments when the storyline becomes a little too self-reflectively precious... and yet I'm not sure where you could trim that away without ruining the very distinct pleasure this film offers. And while most of the performances are distinctly compelling, a few — specifically, the two policemen and the girlfriend — are just a tad over the top, thus ruining the "reality" the film seeks to portray.

But I can forgive those, actually: it's a low-budget indie film, after all. Once you look past those are how wondrously brilliant the conceit and its execution are, there are joys to be found.

Just watch out for the nails...

I saw this movie in October of 2012 at it's screening for Shirekfest. It was my favorite film of the festival (it ended up winning best sci/fi feature). It's been over a year since I've seen the movie, but I still think of it often. As an independent filmmaker working on my first feature length movie, I was blown away by it's energy and compelling story. Time has blurred the details so I won't attempt to give a thorough analysis, but I was enthralled and totally wrapped up in the experience of the movie. It soars with a joy for story telling absent in so many big budget Hollywood films, demonstrating low budget/gorilla film making at it's best. Some scenes were clearly shot on the busy streets of NYC using passersby as extras. Some went so far as to wave at the camera. This only added to the charm of the film. I check the website often hoping the film has been picked up for distribution. I would love to see this indie gem again and show it to my friends as well.

This is sort of a "fun" interesting movie that draws you in bc you really want to see where all the strangeness leads. There are many flaws, but considering the low budget indie status, I think they can be overlooked for the most part. The leads were decent with their acting, the psycops were horrible. I agree the psych masks were also silly, they could have showed anonymity using a different sort of mask. The psychedelic graphics at the beginning credits were a nice touch, as were all the other artistic touches throughout the movie. I agree, not all will like or appreciate this film, it takes a certain "type" to appreciate a unique work like this. I'd say if the synopsis and the reviews click for you, you should give it a shot ull be entertained by something completely different than mainstream.

This movie is going to be confusing at times. It is about a different kind of multiverse than our own. The basic physical laws are different. There are people with special gifts. Most of them can affect objects somehow to have mysterious properties. For example, there is one who can make coffee that gives you a certain kind of boost for your day, like stamina or confidence. These people have trouble making it in society so the become street "vendors".

Meanwhile they live in an autocratic society. There are "pyschcops" whose only duty seems to be to harass street vendors. The rules are a little fuzzy, but if you break them, you get sent to the "Mine". Like it sounds, you don't want to go there.

Chris and Ayana are even more different. They can bounce around in time. Sometimes they start in a meadow with some god-like person who sends them back into the "real" world. Sometimes their time jumps seem more random.

To the viewer, it is very confusing. If you allow the confusion to overwhelm you, you may give up and hate this movie. If you stick with it, there is an ongoing mystery, or mysteries, as you learn more and more about the background and what's going on. For me, it was definitely worth it as things came together and it clicked. For certain, this is not your average time travel movie.

MacLeod Andrews is Chris and he has to hold your attention while portraying a man with apparent hallucinations, and time-loss, and other issues, and I think he does a good job. Kelly Sullivan is OK as Chris's girlfriend and has her own role challenges to deal with. Mina Vesper Gokal plays Ayana who also has to deal with playing a woman in a disjointed world, but she has the added characteristic of seeming to actually be a little weird or nutty. The acting does not take away from the movie.

This is not a high budget film and the production is OK. Special effects are minimal.

Stick with this movie with an expectant attitude and there is a good chance you will enjoy it.

This has a fairly unique premise, while movies about psychics being commonplace isn't strange, the way these people interact with society is unique to say the least. Rather than these people necessarily telling the future, they rather provide services to "normal" people as street vendors because they are unable to integrate into "normal" society. This is a rich concept that is a fantastic idea without all of the complicated trappings of this film, and the concept certainly suffers from the convoluted nature of this film, being filmed out sequence, and it also revolves around alternate timelines and universes.

This is not at all as bad as some people are claiming, it requires extreme close attention to detail while you watch, it still leaves a little too much ambiguity, a little less philosophical waxing, and a little more explanation in some areas would have really helped. That said, it is still an interesting film to watch with a lot of philosophical ideas. By the end of the film, you are left to mull over what you watched and try to piece it together, and while that is fine, it does suffer from throwing too many ideas into the mix, there is a heck of a lot going on here philosophically: the idea of what it means to be "good", the concept of free will versus fate, near death experiences, the nature of consciousness, the nature of love, and more.

The acting is decent enough, the camera work is decent, the sound is good, music is very minimally used here(which is a good thing), and the script, as already stated is a bit too convoluted for its own good, but very interesting. This is a good film for those who enjoy their movies left of center and do not like everything spoon fed to them, anyone who wants everything explained will probably turn this off in anger or beat the TV or phone out of frustration. In the end, it remains an ambitious piece of low-budget film making that never totally gels together, but still has a lot to offer.