OXV: The Manual

It has some interesting ideas, but their delivery lacks cohesion and step-by-step development, which in my view loses exactly the viewer it's meant to attract - the thinking, curious type. This is what we read in Wikipedia: "Zak discovers with Theo that sound waves, when combined with gibberish two-syllable words, are able to temporarily raise one's frequency. They create a cell phone device which, based on the environment, is able to determine which words can raise one's frequency." This is not what we see on the screen. We can just about figure out that the combination of sound waves and meaningless words can cause a fluctuation (we're still left to guess that the fluctuation means Zak's frequency is raised), but the creation of the cell phone device is left completely outside the narrative. We are expected to do the guess work every step of the way, but there's simply not enough material to arrive at determinant conclusions. And this is coming from a director who decided to resurrect the idea of scientific determinism, which had been buried at the turn of the 20th century. It totally makes sense that every human being should have a frequency, since every particle is also a wave (in itself not a deterministic concept), but the question what to make of it has not been answered with this effort.

A very original idea that kept me thinking throughout the movie. The movie reminded me of Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek director of The Lobster and Dogtooth, very dystopian. A very well made low budget sci-fi that managed to hit far above it's weight. A big thumbs up.

Some movies require you to take the "reviewers rule book" and toss it.

This is one of them.

The writer/director Darren Paul Fisher appears to be one of those rare auteurs who releases a work every four or five years and then disappears or hibernates or goes back to his home planet.

This is an extraordinary film. Even now I not sure if this is a love story sugar-coated with one of the most complex metaphysical scripts of all time, or a metaphysical script grounded in a wonderfully odd love story.

However, as one of the main characters quips in the very last scene, "Does it even matter?"

The film is mesmerizing and engaging and challenging. It makes the MATRIX look like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The scenes in the present with the adult cast are perfect and flawless, but the flashbacks with the child actors are beyond even that, they are hypnotic.

A great film by a gifted auteur. Memorable. Enjoyable. Astonishing.

Highly recommended

I was skeptical about the ratings on IMDb but I decided to see this because I was looking for something different. I love the way it was told in parts, and how they all fit together. The movie was very smart and the actors and actresses all did an amazing job.

It kind of reminds me of the SciFi show Eureka, but with a more darker twist; I liked it. They did a good job with the music and the way they used the sound effects. Very clever camera work when viewing the situation from a certain persons perspective, bland colors vs. good saturation.

The movie had a slow build but the wait and the wonder was completely worth it in the end and it kept me thoroughly intrigued throughout. Great flick, I recommend it.. just bring your thinking caps, this one is for talking about.

What would you do, if you were destined to fail, but then had the opportunity to level the playing field of your heart's desire?

I luv'd it. It's a gem.