Reminiscence

We will never say again how important Cinema is in our current society. While we have been living in a global pandemic for over a year now, we still hope to get back to our old lives. Whether it's the loss of people important to us or feeling like we're losing faith in better days day by day, Reminiscence comes at a pivotal time in our lives. A movie like this would not have resonated in the same way if we had seen it two years ago because we didn't realize how happy we were then. The covid 19 pandemic has forever changed our perception of the world by telling us that we are lucky to still be standing when a part of us seems to be slowly dying. 

The writer and director Lisa Joy offers us with Reminiscence an exciting and emotionally charged first film, thanks to a wonderfully functioning acting duo composed of the superb Rebecca Ferguson and the gifted actor Hugh Jackman. This is the second film in which these actors form a couple after the magnificent and unforgettable The Greatest Showman (2017). Of course, Reminiscence will not please everyone, especially because of its disjointed tempo and some hesitations about the real meaning to be given to the film, but it will succeed in captivating us and will make us understand that life is only worth living in the presence of beings who really give meaning to our lives.

We meet Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), a private investigator of the mind who navigates the darkly seductive world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the bangs of Miami's sunken coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). A simple lost and found case turns into a dangerous obsession. As Bannister struggles to uncover the truth about Mae's disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy. The complexity of Reminiscence's storyline will remind some of the cult sci-fi series Westworld. This is no coincidence, as director and writer Lisa Joy is best known for being the co-creator, writer, director and executive producer of this HBO series.  She is reunited with Thandiwe Newton and Cliff Curtis with whom she had collaborated on this series

In the same way, Lisa Joy's cleverly written script mixes neo-thriller with science fiction. The contrast that emerges adds an undeniable charm to the film, especially since the director and screenwriter has particularly taken care of the atmosphere of her film by avoiding drowning it under a multitude of spectacular special effects. We can easily feel that the main interest of Lisa Joy is to probe the human soul and to show why many people prefer to live and relive their past than to project themselves into the future. The character of Nick Bannister who tries to keep his business alive seems to be disillusioned by his society and its evolution. His only note of hope that allows him to find a taste for life is his new client Mae for whom he has a real love at first sight and this is understandable because once again the actress Rebecca Ferguson represents to perfection the perfect modern woman. When she disappears, Nick Bannister tries to find her at all costs and despite the fact that his research has been unsuccessful, it is thanks to a new case that he is offered that he will succeed in finding her.

It is also interesting to see the director's approach to her vision of a not so distant future and the evolution of new technologies. While our planet is beginning to show the first signs of climate problems and we are all practically addicted to our computers, cell phones and other game consoles, the fact that this film highlights a new machine capable of making us feel again important moments of the past and making them appear to others as in this film is fascinating. Seeing Nick Bannister addicted to his past memories and wanting to relive them is like looking for our proposed adrenaline fix and a way to continue to enjoy getting up every morning knowing full well that the throes of the future will lead us to prefer to relive our past. The aspect of feeling is at the very center of the story and shows us that the director and screenwriter Lisa Joy masters her subject perfectly and delivers a different film paying homage to the classics of film noir (it's no coincidence that Ma is a singer and appears at times as a femme fatale).

Once again, the actor Hugh Jackman is fascinating. Far from constantly running after blokbusters, the eternal representation of Wolverine in the cinema has been able to expand and show his wide range of true showman as comfortable on a concert stage as in front of a camera of an independent film or an American Major, he continues to surprise us and to assert himself as a true gifted artist. The success of this film despite its few weaknesses is partly due to him. He breathes such a level of life into his character that he makes this film an undeniable success of science fiction that has nothing to envy to films like Blade Runner or Inception.

Reminiscence
Written and directed by Lisa Joy
Produced by Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan, Michael De Luca, Aaron Ryder
Starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, Daniel Wu
Music by Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography : Paul Cameron
Edited by Mark Yoshikawa
Production companies : FilmNation Entertainment, Kilter Films, Michael De Luca Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date : August 11, 2021 (BFI IMAX), August 20, 2021 (United States), August 25, 2021 (France)
Running time : 116 minutes

Seen on August 24, 2021 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 3, seat A19 

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