The Infinite Man

With a cast of 3 and barely more than one location, first-time feature filmmaker (and writer), Hugh Sullivan, has woven together a topsy-turvy time travel film that falls somewhere between 'Primer' and 'Groundhog Day'. The initial impression is of pure comedy with time travel as the incidental extreme that the main character (played by a fantastic Josh McConville) is willing to go to in order to keep control over his love life. The result is a complex, infinite loop that wowed me with every twist and turn. Though never stepping over the line into 'Thriller' or serious 'Science-Fiction', the logic of the storyline is mathematically maddening and the film does consider some truly heavy existential ideas like the result of jealousy on relationships and how fear of change and the desire to control others is almost always counterproductive. Ultimately, the film is just a ton of fun and, though it perfectly fits within the supposed film-festival mold, even the most novice of movie-goers would get a huge kick out of this one.

Saw this at the Leiden Film Festival 2014 (LIFF). What will you do when given the chance to "repair" a failed romantic weekend by changing the past and reliving those days again in a new setup?? Though I found the end result disappointing, there were several positive elements in this film. Firstly, it did not waste resources in the making: 3 actors in total, a single location, and without a gadget overload. Secondly, the deserted sea resort offered an excellent décor with ample opportunities for seeing things from different angles, running parallel scenes in various rooms, and letting variants from the protagonists meet, or even see one copy meeting another. Thirdly, the successive chapters were clearly labeled "xx years later", a great help while trying to follow the story line while it developed in (for me) mysterious ways.

On the negative side, I found the movie mildly interesting overall, not thought provoking in any way, no mind bending time paradoxes, at least none that I felt as challenging. The role of the gadgets (looked like EEG headsets, as used in hospital) was poorly explained, and I saw no one actually wearing them, so it is not clear what their purpose was in the proceedings. Devices and schematics might have looked highly technical for the average layman, but were in fact outdated for at least 30 years. The protagonists did not interest me at all, so I was not pulled in by the turn of events that this movie presented to us. It merely looked a bit unnatural, like finding a way to turn a basically good idea into a feature length movie without having enough material to fill the allotted time.

All in all, I got less than what I had expected. (And I had serious problems to stay awake. It may not be completely the film's fault, but anyway it was a fact.) My fault may be that I've read too many SF books in my life, and usually observe that movies, within their limited time frame, cannot present a consistent plot without loop holes in the time travel section. For some reason, books prove to be a better place to design a believable setup with richer details. Anyway, the idea behind this film was fresh, the décor was very well chosen, the actors were casted well, and all did their best to cope with the script. Yet, I'm still surprised about the many good things other reviewers found in this film, all of which I regrettably overlooked (so it seems).

This is a primer copycat, its very well executed and has the benefit of being amusing.

Acting is on point, especially the villainous Terry, but you have to wait the second half to understand what you thought were gaping plot holes. This is very different from other low fi sci-fi flicks pride themselves on following their own rules from the beginning end (primer, timeliness, triangle, etc).

The two lead characters are also fairly unlikeable at first, especially the female lead who seem to have even less self respect than the male one. This sort itself out mid flick, but don't expect the level of insane detail found in say, villeneuves' 'enemy'.

My biggest and only gripe are the inconsistencies in object purposes, as for example the rmemory Helmet becomes a time machine of sorts 10 minutes

I'm surprised this is not more popular.

Now this here is one a trip of a movie. Made locally in my home state of South Australia, it does a fantastic job of managing a meager budget, using basically one or two sets, and only three actors. And that is all that is needed. I had read about this making the round at festivals and getting almost universal praise, and I can certainly see why. This is definitely not your average time travel movie, nor is it very sappy or sentimental at all, despite the romantic reasons driving the film.

This romantic basis becomes not so romantic as the main character, a fantastic Josh McConville (Dean), plays an obsessive control freak, intent on recreating a perfect holiday from a year previous for his partner Lana. Lana scoffs at the idea and comments on Dean's obsessive and controlling nature, but seeing his invention, she becomes intrigued. From here, the story travels into unexplored territory regarding time-travel flicks, as when the characters begin to time-travel, they start to see.. versions of themselves, from the past.. or the future. The original couple witness themselves repeating the same dialogue from the start of the film, but here, they are watching nervously from a window in the abandoned hotel that serves as the film's main set. Once more and more versions of Dean start to appear, it reeeally starts to become a trip, and somewhat of a puzzle.

Dean starts becomes jealous of… himself, albeit himself from the future, as each different Dean has his own traits, and each time he time-travels he becomes more confident, leading to more jealousy from the original Dean. The way McConville plays these parts is particularly noteworthy, as he essentially plays three or four characters.. as the same person. The jealously he shows towards other versions of himself is quite hilarious. In fact, there were many laughs along these lines.

Dean is nerdy – he built this machine – and he is also prone to crying; fodder for more laughter. A sudden twist occurs with the sudden appearance of Dean's partner's ex-lover, who wants his girl back. This self-obsessed, brilliantly conceived character is yet more food for laughs. He is an Aussie Greek who is rather amusingly obsessed with his Olympic level javelin skills (a javelin he carries with him where ever he goes, it would seem), and of his proud Greek heritage. He considers himself a Greek god… despite the fact that he isn't actually Greek. Despite dressing, acting, and looking Greek. What makes his character really work is that he is essentially the polar opposite to Dean, leaving Lana unsure of the man she wants to be with.

With unpredictable scenes following unpredictable scenes, this is really a movie that forces you to think, while laughing, and feeling for Dean's character. It also shows the consequences of trying to control everything, even to the point of time travel. It also subtly comments on two very different men, and how they interact with each other, as well as the love of both their lives. Lana is faced with a choice, but how can she know which Dean is the one she first arrived with at the abandoned hotel? And does she want her old spark's bravado, or Dean's brains? I really enjoyed this one, apart from the ending, which felt abrupt and had me thinking "nooo! this can't be it!". I thought they could have played the funny and intriguing concept a little further, but I can definitely see why this got the attention it did. It is a fascinating puzzle of a movie, one which I want to see again as soon as I can so I can piece it all together. It is certainly one of those movies that thoroughly deserves multiple viewings, despite its low-budget, a single set, and three actors. It is this economic filmmaking that makes the film a real treat, as the limited budget does not limit the movie at all, in fact, a limited budget almost always breeds creativity in my opinion. That is certainly the case here, as Hugh Sullivan has created a gem of a movie, intensely unique and praised around the world. If only it got more recognition in the state in was filmed in.

4/5 – Filled with laughs and intrigue, but one can't help that the ending was lack-lustre and very abrupt. Apart from this minor gripe, this is a fantastic film. Highly recommended.