The Death and Life of Otto Bloom

One sign that a film is worth watching is if it makes you think about things you have not thought of before. They do not need to be happy, sad, clever, or silly thoughts; just ideas triggered by cinematic art. If you go along with its highly unusual central premise, The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (2017) can mess with your mind long after viewing.

The narrator of this Australian mockumentary is Ada (Rachel Ward), a neuropsychologist who speaks-to-camera about how she came to know the strange young man Otto Bloom (Xavier Samuel). He appeared out of nowhere without memory of who he was, where he was from, or how he found himself in a homeless shelter. After many hours of recorded interviews, she stumbles onto the realisation that Otto's memory is of the future: he cannot remember what happened seconds earlier, but he can tell her what is about to happen. Unnervingly, he seems to know or sense things about Ada as if his future memories included her. When he can no longer stay at the shelter, the divorcée Ada offers a room in her big house and they soon become lovers. She publishes an article on his unique condition and he becomes an international celebrity. With time unfolding in different directions for each of them, their temporal overlap soon runs out. She remains the narrator-from- afar, confiding of her love for Otto the artist, poet, and motivational speaker, who moved between relationships as his celebrity stardom rose and fell.

The doco-drama format makes it possible to present a variety of multi-media segments that give credibility and linear simplicity. These include numerous interviews, newspaper clippings, archival footage, home movies, and re-enactments that convincingly appear to study a real person in history. Scientific and medical specialists attest to the theoretical plausibility of time inversion and explore its implications for humankind. Einstein is cited for the idea that time is an artificial human construct that obscures a deeper understanding of its innate multi-dimensionality. In pseudo- philosophical terms, if time is not sequential and forward-moving, then death is not necessarily the end of time.

The tantalising inscrutability of time continues to fascinate filmmakers and audiences alike. If cinematic conceits like time travel and time inversion are nonsense for you, do not bother with this film. But if you enjoy being teased with possible new ways of looking at time, this film will certainly do it. For a low-budget effort, this cleverly made film has many surprising twists and turns that are thought provoking and entertaining.

This was a fantastic and thought provoking film. I love the documentary style storytelling, I was completely hooked from the opening montage to the final scene. It's also a heartbreaking yet unique love story. There were many twists and turns I didn't see coming. Also, some very sharp and witty bits.

Xavier Samuel played Otto Bloom beautifully, there was something very majestic in the way he portrayed that character, almost angelic.

Definitely leaves you thinking.

Yes, there are some interesting ideas floated in TDALOOB about the nature of time, but boy oh boy, the execution! A bunch of pseudo - talking heads trying to breathe life into what is just a monumental mash-up of recreations and blending of various media forms. This "film" (and I use the term almost reluctantly) just reeks micro-budget. It never feels like cinema to me, just a fancy filmed project.

Rachel Ward as Ada, is certainly the most animated of the pointy heads trying to advocate convincingly for Otto Bloom. But Matilda Brown, her real life daughter playing her younger self is notably awkward in the role and lacks credibility. It doesn't help that she is given very little dialogue, with the older Ada pretty much doing all the talking for her. You end up with the feeling that some actor's body double has somehow accidentally ended up with serious screen time.

Xavier Samuel as Otto has an easier task, though the framing mechanism of recreated scenes, supposed home videos, photos. news clippings and the like, never allows the slightest degree of chemistry occurring between his character and the two depicted great loves of his life. Nor do we ever start to believe even ever so slightly, that Otto is a real person, no matter how many sham Time covers are flashed in front of us. Every thing just appears so fake and mocked up, as for instance when Otto is supposed to address a huge convention/assembly of people, which is just a very obvious, poorly disguised back projection.

I love a good time - travel film better than most, but it needs to stimulate me in a cinematic fashion. TDALOOB has all the excitement of the director telling you what he'd like to do when making the movie, rather than us sitting, watching and being inspired by a compelling, completed production.

Credit where credit is due, small-budget Australian backed and made faux-doc The Life and Death of Otto Bloom largely overcomes its minuscule finances to deliver a unique and ambitious local offering that doesn't make a whole lot of sense but offers up an engaging experience for its audience nonetheless.

With a high concept story at its core of Xavier Samuel's mysterious Otto Bloom, who seemingly experiences life in reverse (so his past is the future and future the past) told in a documentary talking heads like manner that allows director Cris Jones to overcome budget restraints in an efficient manner, Bloom's story shouldn't be delved into too deeply by anyone but it allows Jones a chance to tell a love story with a difference and showcase a talent that we will hopefully see grow in the local industry in future projects.

Fake documentaries aren't easy to pull off, especially in a day and age where so many quality documentaries are flooding the marketplace, so for Jones to succeed to the extent he does by making Bloom feel like a real event, is quite the feat that harbors some impressive DIY techniques and film trickery.

It's not to say Bloom isn't without its fair share of moments that don't work (in particular a segment where a sweaty Otto gives a special talk to a packed auditorium) but there's a lot of moments that do work and with committed turns from leading man Samuel and then Rachel Ward and Matilda Brown as Bloom's love interest Ada, Bloom's vision of its goal to craft an original and non-linear story is one to be admired, even if the films reach does escape Jones's grasp.

Final Say –

Head into The Life and Death of Otto Bloom with an open mind and a forgiving critical outlook and you'll be rewarded with a well-intentioned and highly ambitious local production that suggests Jones is a filmmaker to keep a very close eye on and while the story might not make a whole lot of sense at the end of the day, which is to be expected with any such narrative, The Life and Death of Otto Bloom is one of our countries most commendable productions in recent times.

3 Burt Reynolds photos out of 5

A very moving film about time, life, love. Also very well directed and played. Poetic and very rare. Another Australian movie that I love, what's the matter with that island? Omnia aeterna.