Marionette

A psychiatrist (Reuten) leaves the US after a personal tragedy and starts again in Aberdeen where one of her patients, a young boy, says he can decide the future as shown in his many manic drawings.

This starts as a quite enjoyable thriller - is the boy shaping Reuten's future or merely foretelling it. About three quarters of the way through is shifts gears significantly resulting in a more detailed and lofty explanation of what has happened. This solution is well handled, but with all such twists and changes in plot, it really comes down to whether you are prepared to take that leap or not. On the whole, for me, I think, despite its pretentions, it was just about acceptable, I just felt the last quarter was a little bit hurried although frankly I'm still not 100% sure I've bought into it this. Interesting though.

Maybe I'm biased as I was born and brought up in Aberdeen where most of this is filmed. Well acted and an interesting story although possibly a tad predictable. Worth a watch considering it's a low budget thriller.

Go into this film without any preconceived ideas and do not read my spoiler below and you are in for a fun filled, freaky thrill ride.

What an excellent sci-fi-horro-thriller this one is and no mistake. The atmosphere created is par excellence and the lush highland photography and Scottish locations add so much to the mood of the film. I had thought this was going to be just another made for TV thriller but oh how wrong I was.

The acting is top notch from all concerned; Bill Paterson is excellent in anything he touches and Peter Mullan does his usual gruff Scotsman to perfection coupled with a great leading lady this film will exceed expectations and have you thinking which is a good thing. Being Scottish myself, maybe I am a bit biased but this film does make me proud (for once) to be in Scotland!

It toys around with alternate realities, is there a god, the meaning of life...And even Schrödinger's cat makes an appearance so this should satisfy those looking for something a bit more cerebral than the usual CGI, crash, bang, wallop and it does it in spades and will keep you guessing to the end if you just let the film wash over you. Its rare for me to give more than an average 5 or above average 6 out of 10 these days but this one goes the whole hog and gets a mighty 7/10 this time.

SPOILER: The denouement will remind you of another recent film on which the crux of the story is based and its the marvellous Matthew McConaughey film Serenity (2019) but this time the location is Scotland instead of the Bahamas and it carries it off with ease!

What a film! You can't change your destiny? Or can we change our predestination in our lives through certain choices? Do we live in a matrix? Are there alternate universes? Many questions! A slow film that makes you think about life, death, happiness, sadness, fear and guilt. A parable and metaphor. Also watch his previous film 'Two Eyes Staring', Black water.

It's a nicely constructed and well acted film but I found it rather confusing and implausible in the end.

Wouldn't watch it again but not a stinker by any means.