Patterson's Wager

With the 2020 Pandemic in full swing, I'm filling up my PVR with lots of Indie films from Hollywood Suite (incorrectly categorized as an 80's flick I might add). This one was a pleasant surprise. Such a heartwarming yet totally unexpected story.

As the capsule summary states, it centers about a person who sees unexpected flashes of the future 2 minutes before they happen. Unlike the 2007 Nicolas Cage film "Next" with a similar premise, there's not a trace of the apocalyptic in this one. Well written, well acted characters who interact in believably kind, human ways in the midst of some unbelievable circumstances. The film is a sincere low key statement about the underlying goodness of humanity that I found oddly touching.

Although it's an Indie film shot in under 2 weeks near Vancouver, BC Canada, the production values are every bit as high as most Hollywood films. Genuinely creative cinematography too. While I found the transition between the present day and 1980's vignettes jarring at times, the story was competently directed and edited. Your puzzlement about the parallel timelines will be resolved in the last few minutes of the film. It brings the whole story together in a surprising yet satisfying way.

Afterward, it occurred to me that I had truly enjoyed watching an entire film without any violence, profanity or anything else that might offend a family audience. Not many films these days that I can say that about. Recommended.

There are so many reasons to see this movie, that you should stop reading and spend your time seeing it, but here are a few of the reasons that spring to mind:

#1 - The story is charming and surprising without resorting to shock and gore. #2 - The performances are engaging and precise, none of that indie schmaltz. #3 - The cast – all wonderful – is peppered with actors you might recognize from your sci-fi or comedy favorites on TV. #4 - The film itself has been expertly produced and edited, so you won't feel like you're supporting someone's backyard theater company. #5 - The Visual Effects are stunning. This isn't canned fire and smoke from a __phone app! #6 - It's not crass. You can take your kids and your grandparents and you'll all enjoy it. #7 - I have it from a reliable source – I met the director and co-producer at a film festival – that the film was shot in 12 DAYS! Yes, 12 DAYS!!! You wouldn't know it by watching the film. That's what real filmmaking is about and it's worth seeing the amazing results!

If that's not enough to convince you, think about how often you attend a small film festival and grind your teeth through some sloppily put together horror, feeling like you got charged to be a seat warmer. Well, that's not going to happen with this film. This is exactly the type of film you should go to festivals to see, because you may not get a chance to see it elsewhere and it's the kind of independent film you want to support.

Here is more of a brief synopsis-type review: The story starts with Charles (Fred Ewanuick) discovering he has a strange gift that he must learn to manage or embrace or both. His girlfriend, Audrey (Chelah Horsdal), helps him try to make sense of it all. Sounds simple enough. Nope! As the story unfolds, Charles' new found talent brings other things into perspective that you wouldn't expect.

I found this to be a nice entertaining movie, it was well acted and well worth the viewing.