REPEAT is on Digital Platforms from 15th November 2021.
As we get further into the 21st century, and expand further into technology, we are facing scientific breakthroughs we never could’ve never dreamed of even 20 years ago.
So, it’s no wonder that there is a new breed of film makers telling stories that explore the spaces in between our known boundaries and the possibilities of the future, as a way to again look at some of the oldest questions humans face. Who are we? What happens when we die? REPEAT, is a fine example.
As the veil between the physical and the meta-phyical erodes, our sense of reality gets stretched. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror are of course, the favourite genres to carry these explorations, and REPEAT embodies all three. Considering the tiny budget REPEAT was made for, it has largely succeeded.
Exploring the very human desire, to communicate with the dead, REPEAT is like a super updated séance, which uses technology and science rather than a medium to do so. However, parameters soon distort and slip for the central character, university professor, Ryan Moore, as he falls further into mystery and complication until the final shocking reveal.
Made in a very matter of fact way, this is a drama about disconnected people and grief, but the visual side of things is restrained. There’s lots of close ups and two hander dialogs, and even the special effects scenes have a ‘shoot close’, low budget feel. However, it works very well as it manages to create a feeling of claustrophobia which works with the tone of the film. As the plot plays out, REPEAT, soon descends into a science fiction nightmare, which although very much a first film, is original and edgy.
All of the cast pull together, and no one performance stands out, which gives the viewer a feeling that they are a fly on the wall, observing. The direction shared by Grant Archer and Richard Miller, who also wrote REPEAT. is competent, but although it has worked well for the small cast, tight locations and shooting, it’s hard to see a particular creative stamp, but then on this budget that’s tricky.
What will be really interesting to see, is what this creative duo do next, but for now, watch REPEAT on a quiet night in for an absorbing ride, no frills but very thought provoking none the less.
Review by fellow writer/director, Jane A. Foster, who loves to support all British films. janecreates@23films.com
