Frequencies
The Luck Of Love
Release Date: OUT NOW! 2013 | 12 | DVD/ download Director: Darren Paul Fisher Cast: Daniel Fraser, Eleanor Wyld, Dylan Llewellyn, Georgina Minter- Brown, Charlie Rixon, Lily Laight
There’s a wonderfully quirky high concept at the heart of this lowbudget Brit- flick, of a kind you normally wouldn’t see outside of a film by Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze. But at its heart, Frequencies is far more SF thriller than black comedy, and that works both for and against it.
The story takes place in a world where luck is a form of energy. High frequency people are the luckiest; low frequency ones the unluckiest. However, the higher frequency you are, the less emotional you become. When, as schoolchildren, the very low frequency Zak meets the very high frequency Marie, they discover they cannot be near to each other for more than a minute without disaster happening. He falls in love with her; she becomes fascinated by him, on a scientific curiosity level.
The early stages of the film, following Zak and Marie from their schooldays to young adulthood, are sweet, intriguing and character- led, with some clever storytelling devices. However, although there are hints of deadpan humour, it’s less witty and more earnest than something like Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind or Her.
Then, halfway through, a whole new SF concept gatecrashes the story, and the film becomes plot- driven. It’s a decent enough idea in itself, but it changes the film from “indie- arthouse” to “Syfy movie of the week”. Which is a shame, as it was doing just fine as it was.
Extras: None. The spark for the idea: on a date, the director bought raffle tickets with a girl who said she “usually wins”… and she did!