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Ryan has created a machine that he believes means he can communicate with the dead…

One of the trickiest sub-genres of science fiction is the pursuit of the unknown as a metaphor for grief – for the emotional turmoil surrounding the loss of a parent, a partner or a child. Think of either version of Solaris; Jodie Foster mourning her father in Contact; Amy Adams in Arrival, albeit turning the loss metaphor on its head; the re-creation in android form of Domhnall Gleason in the Black Mirror episode Be Right Back; and of course, loss explored from all angles in Steven Spielberg’s A.I..

It’s the trickiest sci-fi iteration because the themes are so delicate, so personal, there’s little room for the absurdities and suspensions of disbelief that underpin so much of the genre.

It’s in this context that Richard Miller and Grant Archer’s super low budget addition to the genre, Repeat, throws its proverbial, and necessarily sombre, hat into the ring.

Ryan (Tom England) is a professor in cognitive science doing a bit of extra-curricular research, developing low-fi tech to contact the remaining brain impulses of the dead hiding in obscure corners of the ether. So far, so Stone Tape – but the savvy viewer knows that there will be more to this than mere intellectual curiosity. It is soon revealed that Ryan and his wife Emily (Charlotte Ritchie, on excellent form) have a daughter, Sam, who disappeared after school, and a year later still hasn’t been found. Will Ryan’s invention help to solve the mystery that is haunting them and destroying their marriage?

To say any more would be to spoil the story, and on the plus side it’s a story that is genuinely compelling. Yes, some elements are predictable and heavy handed. You might find yourself shouting at the screen as to why on earth she…? And why doesn’t he…? And surely, surely, they…! But to be fair there are some genuinely surprising and original turns which reward the viewer who sticks with it.

That’s the infuriating thing about Repeat. I loved it for its unapologetic low-budget chutzpah. Ryan’s invention is little more than a battered laptop, a mixing desk, an old video player and some fishing line but I believed in it all the more for that. After all, he’s only in his garage trying to break the laws of physics, he’s unlikely to have anything fancy. Kudos to Tom England who could easily convince you that the Blue Peter Advent Crown* was in the running as an upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider. But then… the movie starts to play around with the rules, cheating on its own logic, and the second it does that, you see the tinsel and coat-hangers for what they are.

I loved it for the unapologetic bare faced cheek of its narrative. I could forgive many of its narrative honks – because its intentions were sincere and it had a worthwhile story to tell. But then… there were a few too many moments where the emotional truths it was aiming for were leap-frogged in order to get to the next somewhat unlikely plot point. Ritchie and England play these mis-steps for all they’re worth, but even they are defeated at times, and there are a few unfortunate, slightly wince inducing moments. They aren’t helped by an over-bearing score. There really is too much music on the soundtrack, trying to bludgeon the viewer into submission. Less really would have been more in this case.

And yet… for all its many faults, I really enjoyed watching this film. I wasn’t bored at any point. I respected it for its incredible ambition. I think its heart is absolutely in the right place, and ultimately there is a pretty smart story at the core of this movie which I didn’t see coming.

Verdict: Repeat is a flawed, frustratingly inconsistent 95 minutes of indie sci-fi at times, but respect to Miller and Archer for producing a compelling, engaging and, yes, unapologetic film. I’m confident their best is yet to come. 7/10

Martin Jameson

 

*For those to whom this reference means nothing, please click here for a British cultural icon