past imperfect
FLAWED SCI-FI OFFERS TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES…
REMINISCENCE 12A FILM OUT NOW CINEMAS
Nothing is more addictive than the past,” mutters Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), the morally questionable gumshoe at the heart of Lisa Joy’s engaging, if flawed future-noir. Living in Miami, at a time when rising oceans have left large portions of the city submerged, Bannister plunders people’s memories for the lucrative nostalgia market.
Using a bath-like device called ‘the tank’, Bannister and business partner Watts (Thandiwe Newton) access clients’ formative experiences and project them as 3D holograms for those wishing to wallow in the past. Yet when Nick meets and falls for archetypal femme fatale Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), whose memories reveal involvement in murders, things change. As she disappears, Bannister begins to comb through her past using ‘the tank’.
Making her feature debut, Joy assembles an ambitious mix of science fiction and old-fashioned detective noir.
True, plenty of moments feel snatched from better movies – The Matrix, Memento. Yet with Jackman providing a robust lead, Reminiscence remains a mystery rich in atmosphere, thanks to DoP Paul Cameron’s moody lensing. The Miami-under-water scenes also provide a stark expression of climate change – science fact, essentially.
The film falters with its one-note female characters: Mae is a male fantasy figure, while Newton gets little to do. It’s a shame, for Reminiscence has some impressive ingredients floating in its murky mix. James Mottram