Malcolm’s
life is like 50 First Dates, but with
bad guys. Apparently, he wakes up everyday with his memory wiped, but it is only
temporary condition his wife assures him. Still, things could get awkward for
the both of them if anyone were to show up looking for the valuable item he is
holding. As far as he knows, it could be Marsellus Wallace’s soul, because he
can’t remember. Yet, matters turn out to be even more complicated in
screenwriter-director Tomas Street’s Fugue (trailer here),
which screens as part of this year’s Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival.
According
to Helen’s reassures, everything will be fine eventually, as long as Malcolm
keeps taking his pills and listening to her trips down memory lane. Obviously,
the situation is not ideal, but people have endured worse. However, he keeps
getting weird flashes of Deja vu or something. Of course, his situation really
takes a turn for the worse when masked home invaders barge in. At this point,
Street pulls a game-changing whammy on the audience, upending most of our
assumptions.
Street’s
secrets are not revolutionary, but the way he links together the film’s
bifurcated structure is very clever. It is hard to go into detail without
giving the game away, but several cast members are really terrific as
characters who are more or less playing roles in the film. They definitely fool
us along with their on-screen audience.
Regardless,
on the basis of his star turn as Malcolm and his work in Lifechanger, Jack Foley is poised to become the next genre star to
achieve cult popularity (oddly, both roles involved mysterious pill-popping). His
distinctive grey locks certainly also help him stand out. Yet, Laura Tremblay goes
toe-to-toe with him and nearly steals the show as Helen. The small ensemble of
co-stars are key collaborators, helping to sell each twist and reveal, especially
Kristen Da Silva and Michael Lipka—as other people.
Street
is totally having one over on viewers, but since he shows respect for our
intelligence, we don’t mind be played for fools, so to speak. He and co-editor
Sean Danby, along with the continuity person deserve enormous credit for hiding
all the seams. Highly recommended for fans of dark, twisty psychological thrillers,
Fugue screens Monday night (11/26),
as part of this year’s BiTS.
