Needle In A Timestack

Tonight, I saw Needle In A Timestack at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee. It was a highly anticipated film, because it made our local hometown hero, John Ridley, Jr. the leading producer of Milwaukee home-brewed sci fi. The local showing even included a pre-recorded interview segment by WISN-12 television, in which John Ridley was interviewed by one of the senior staff of MKE Film.

This movie was eerily similar to an episode of Black Mirror. Yet it was also a heartfelt movie filled with deep love and meaning. It was time well spent. It was, however, quiet. During nearly the entire film, I didn't even dare eat my M&M's for fear of creating noise for the other viewers. That's how soft it was.

The movie starts slow, and stays that way. It may contain a time-travel plot, but don't expect any heart-racing chase scenes with Marty McFly and Doc Brown. This is an artsy-fartsy film from start to finish. It has drama, it has a little bit of suspense, it has deep philosophy, but it lacks action. Nevertheless, it finds a way to grab viewers, reel them in, and keep them there.

The main protagonist, Nick (Leslie Odom, Jr.), is happily married to Janine (Cynthia Erivo). But he's worried that her ex-husband, Tommy (Orlando Bloom) is trying to steal her back by traveling back in time and changing history. He has reason to suspect something, as a time-shift changes the family pet from a dog to a cat, and he somehow remembers. Also, in this near-future world, wealthy people doing time-shifts (what they call "jaunting") is apparently so common that companies sell backup services designed to protect memorabilia against time-shifts. Nick even buys such a backup package. Yet Nick's fears prey on his mind so much that they become a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. In a moment of poor judgement, he meets with Tommy, and outright accuses him of trying to steal his wife. If the idea wasn't already in Tommy's head to begin with, it was afterward.

Not long later, a time shift does occur which brings Janine back to Tommy. For a brief time, Nick knows he's been cheated. But his memory fades. He finds himself in a different marriage with a different woman, played by Freida Pinto, named Alex. The sudden shift causes Nick to not appreciate her at first, and Alex senses something is wrong. But afterward, he seems to settle in, and finds happiness with her. (The Steven Stills song, "Love The One You're With," comes to mind at this point.) Then, a tiny file from the memory-protection company resurfaces, convincing Nick that something is wrong. Nick could very easily have left everything alone and remained happy, but the issue nags at his mind, and he just can't let it go. As a result, Nick attempts a time jump himself. But things don't quite turn out as he expects.

The movie concludes in a satisfying way which seems to say that true love cannot be denied. But not before Nick goes through a prolonged period of emo self-loathing which almost ruins the film. When he finally emerges from his self-induced funk, the movie ends, and in an artistic flair which does Ridley proud, the happily-ever-after is implied, not outright shown.

There are some surprising highlights to the film. Jaydn Wong nearly steals the show with her side-character's amazing performance. (She plays Nick's sister, Zoe.) In an early scene, Janine, who is a photographer, makes a video which focuses on Nick's hand and its wedding ring, then sends it to Nick for his birthday. He absolutely loves it. Later, at the end of the film, as Nick is about to leave at a fateful moment, that hand reaches back and grabs the lentil of the door, almost as if it remembers something and refuses to let him walk away. Also, the association of water with the flow of time makes for a cohesive symbolism. Each time-shift is represented by a wave which resembles a watery membrane. Nick sees a breaking wave when he time-travels. All the plot's major turning-points happen next to a body of water. 

All in all, this is a pretty good film, but only if you are expecting a soft character plot going in. If you are hoping for a repeat of the kind of power shown in "Twelve Years A Slave," or "Three Kings," you'll be disappointed. That disappointment is reflected in the initial reviews coming in. (It currently sits at only a 43% tomatometer rating.) But if you're expecting a mild drama to begin with, you'll be able to relax and enjoy.

As for me, I give it four out of five stars, a thumb-up, and one fresh tomato.