Retrograde

Retrograde reminded me of why I love independent cinema. Simple to the point of being minimalist, it relies on it's sharp writing and strong acting to keep the viewer invested in the story and characters. It also lacks any sort of pretense which lends credibility to the characters and their choices.

The lead actress is perfect for the role and doesn't overplay the part. A lot of what make for a good film these days is what it doesn't do, avoiding the usual movie tropes and cliches, which gives even more authenticity to the story.

Overall I'd highly recommend for viewers, especially those fans of unique independent films like ones from the 90's boom.

I will get right down to it... I'm shocked that is movie cost $75,000 to make. When watching Retrograde, I was impressed by the filmmaker's choice to film each scene on one single long take - it was inspiring and reminiscent of Neil LaBute's early films, 'In the Company of Men' and 'Your Friends & Neighbors.' Cinematically, long stagnant shots create a sense of tension and realism to a scene, and can elevate the emotions and expectations of the viewer, which in turn creates drama to the movie that wouldn't otherwise exist. However, as this movie progressed I started to suspect that the choice for long takes was made more out of necessity than creative storytelling, because what was unfolding in most of the scenes was mundane and pointless to the story being told. By the end of the film, it seemed the excessive use of long takes was to lengthen the running time of what should have been a short film (60 min or less) into an unnecessary feature film (more than 60 min). When I learned the budget for Retrograde was $75,000, it became obvious that the style of the film was purposeful and way to sophisticated for writer/director Adrian Murray to pull off. Or, somebody pocketed $70,000. Neil Labute proved that the performances of his cast trumped anything that the camera could do, but his films had such strong stories, fascinating characters and complex relationships that made it hard to look away from. Retrograde is the opposite, it was hard to keep watching because most of the time, nothing was happening on screen. Cinema is a visual medium and a director should first learn and master the rules of filmmaking before deciding to break them. It's a shame because there was something actually compelling in this story and in the main character's obsession, but that was drowned out my poor cinematic choices, or lack thereof.

Retrograde is a perfectly constructed comedy that gets you invested pretty quickly, and promises to irritate you in the most satisfying ways possible. It's so simple, yet it takes a feat to make something feel that way. Murray finds moments of hope and frustration that are so much more than the traffic violation at the center of Molly's world, and creates a slow-building itch that gets you dying to scratch it. This film is so funny, so 20-something desperately trying to do the right thing, and so relatable - in the most innocent sense of the word. You get it, every moment, especially if you've ever dealt with bureaucracy. The performance by Molly and the cast are so convincing that it takes a second to remember that this not your own real-life memories. A perfectly paced and constructed film, not to be missed, and a genuinely fun experience that leaves you eagerly waiting for the next thing to happen. Even when the frame is completely still and everyone around her is ridiculously disappointing, Molly is still fighting for that one ever-elusive victory, no matter how meaningless it reallly is. 100% would watch again.

I should have been suspect when the film got a great rating on IMDb, with only 88 votes. Obviously friends and family of the filmmakers and the actors. What has me puzzled is the high rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm going to be suspicious of that service from now on. Now on to my review.

I have to say, the film is not terrible. The acting is okay. The writing is decent. The problem is, absolutely nothing happens in the movie. A young woman gets a moving violation for cutting off a cop, entering the highway. Then, she gets mad about it and eventually takes the cop to court. But, based on the description of the movie, I thought the was going to spin out of control. She doesn't, she just quietly fumes for the rest of the film. I kept waiting for it to get interesting. It just doesn't. Such a terrible waste of time. Maybe the filmmakers will come up with something worth filming next time. If there is a next time.

--MovieJunkieMark.

It's hard to explain to mainstream movie going audiences why you'd want to watch a movie about such a mundane idea such as fighting a traffic ticket, but what great scripts do is internalize a muted scream within a character obsessed, which makes the stakes as big as a high concept mainstream tentpole. Static long-takes are a favorite of mine, the uneasiness of being stuck within a moment and keeping with it until it's logical end. I'm also a fan of false climactic endings, which make you re-examine what the true ending of the climax must have been. I watched this at the Slamdance online film festival in 2022. Thanks!