Since you posted that this film was picked up for stateside distribution I figure I might help get the word out about it to spark interest. The story is about a man who finds himself in an ever-evolving web of time travel mishaps. While relaxing in his backyard he notices that there's a quite fit young woman eerily undressing herself in a nearby wooded area. There's nobody else around, from what he can see, that gives any clue as to why she's undressing herself in a very uncasual fashion, and since she's consciously bowing her head down he's unable to make out a face. So, if you found yourself in a similar situation, wouldn't you want to investigate? That's just what he does, and this choice to leave the comfort of his backyard and get some idea of what's going on is the point at which he begins what will be the longest day of his life. A day that will entail being chased by a stranger wearing an overcoat and a pink bandage around his face, and also locating a nearby facility that is working on a machine capable of breaking the space/time continuum. If you've seen a good number of films about time travel, I can honestly say that this film will certainly give to you an experience that you haven't yet had with a time travel story. Midway through the film I got frustrated because I thought I had figured everything out too soon. And I had, to a degree. Writer/director Nacho Vigalondo had apparently seen every film about time travel that I had, and it looked like he made a conscious effort to create something that people had not yet seen in all the other time travel films. You may figure out some of the things early on, but it was as if Nacho knew you would figure out certain things early on, and so he counters that by throwing in another loop, and then another. You think you've got the answer to everything, but what you don't immediately realize is that you've only been presented a portion of the riddle, and it becomes a completely enthralling game to figure out the entire scheme as it plays out in some suspenseful, frightening, and downright funny sequences. It's a very meticulously structured story, that almost miraculously ties up all the loose ends by the end credits, which helps make it the satisfying experience that it is. One of the intricacies of time travel that I really enjoyed this film partially paying attention to is the possibility of someone changing certain events by traveling back in time. Such as, if I go back and break this tree branch am I breaking it because I was meant to go back and break it, or am I changing certain events to come by breaking this branch? Sometimes, films depict time travel in a way where it seems that no matter what the character does, whatever was meant to happen will inevitably happen. They can't escape fate. If they are going to be the cause of a nuclear explosion, it doesn't matter what they choose to do because the stage has been set and they're just going through the motions that will ultimately lead to them being the cause of a nuclear explosion. They can lock themselves in a room, and never leave, and somehow that will be the cause of the explosion. They can't escape it no matter what they do, or don't do. Well, there are moments in this film where the main character consciously chooses to do things because he knows from already experiencing that same event in the past that those particular things must get done. Such as, he remembers that a trashcan was tipped over, but when he travels back the trashcan isn't tipped over, he makes the effort to go over and tip the trashcan over, because that's the way he remembered the trashcan was supposed to be. So, it brings up a fun question of whether or not he was supposed to tip the trashcan over because him tipping over the trashcan by coming back in time was the way it always was, or if he chose not to tip the trashcan over when he went back in time would that affect the way that the events play out. Would some other force cause the trashcan to tip over, or did he break the chain of events by not tipping the can over himself? Furthermore, what would happen if he knew he wasn't the cause of the tipped trashcan, but chose to go over and tip it himself anyway? I confused the shit out of Nacho when I asked the question about this during his Q&A, so if that last paragraph makes no sense then disregard it completely. It doesn't detract from enjoying the film if I can't accurately describe to you what I was trying to say. It was just something I found to be a tad refreshing in a genre that seems to explore the same aspects of inevitability over and over again. If you're lucky enough to be in a town that receives this film at a local theater then don't hesitate to give it your money. It's a very fun ride to go on, and it has plenty to offer even those that feel they've worn themselves out on time travel flicks. Helping this film earn some kind of recognition and making it even a moderate success could spark interest in Nacho, and give him the oppurtunity to land more projects. Helping out ambitious filmmakers like this and assisting to further their careers isn't just a gift to the filmmaker, it's a gift to the movie-loving community. THE BEEF
