TIMECRIMES: A REVIEW OF THE FILM

TIMECRIMES - (2007), Directed by Nacho Vigalondo. Starring Karra Elejalde

I cannot say enough how intriguing and entertaining and genuinely well-done this little independent foreign language film really is. No really. I can’t. Because to say too much is to give away this ingeniously planned story and twisty-turning plot.

The director, in an early interview, cited the fiction of Philip K. Dick as his inspiration for this film, and it really shows. The storyline turns in on itself over and over again, telling, and then re-telling the story in overlapping layers as the main character travels through time – again and again – attempting to correct his mistakes and set everything right. He must outsmart himself and anticipate his own actions and reactions in order to avoid a catastrophe that threatens to ruin his life.

Some have compared this film to that other time-travel film, Primer, and while both are low-budget, cerebral sci-fi dealing with time travel, this film is a much better execution of the concept. In fact, not only did I not enjoy Primer, I found the narrative got bogged down in attempting to explain how the time travel was accomplished rather than in telling a compelling story. This film succeeds by avoiding the “how” of the science of time travel in favor of telling an intriguing story.

This is a great little film. It will have you guessing, and then make you pause the film to stop and think about it a bit more, before you reach the end.

Highly recommended.

From the description of the DVD on Amazon.com:
The Oscar-nominated Vigalondo's first feature has elicited comparisons to time-travel movies from Back to the Future to Groundhog Day, but in its reliance on clever plotting over special effects, his thriller has more in common with the low-budget Primer. At the time of its release, United Artists announced that David Cronenberg would be handling the English-language remake, which is sure to offer up its own unique twists and turns. Like Christopher Nolan’s Memento, this jigsaw-puzzle picture calls for multiple viewings to make all the pieces fit.
--Kathleen C. Fennessy