'Scott' has lost everything, he is trying to move on with his life and forget his past. But it's no easy task, and it's not too long before reality starts to become questioned. Director Jay Purcell shifts his interests to the United States, by initially starting off with this short movie. Whilst having distinctly personal ties to this production myself; I will, to the best of my ability, be as unbiased and objective as possible.
There are multiple impressions given off by this short film by the end. There are some inconsistencies, yet overall this displays a lot of potential. Aesthetically this is greatly pleasing; the cinematography is unmistakeably unique and inventive, combining a nice mix of interesting angles and tampering of focus. Particularly in the opening sequence which in it's early moments is somewhat simple but also quite powerful. Added to this the lighting give this a pretty big budget feel.
Unfortunately, the budget was very small and restricted. Had it been bigger it may have been possible to achieve a better cast. The only two cast members who really shone here were Rodrigo DeMedeiros and Agnes Muljadi. DeMedeiros gave a pleasantly natural performance; unfortunately there were a few lines of dialogue delivered which felt a bit contrived, and while it was down to the script, these lines felt a bit too poetically 'try hard'. Though, DeMedeiros wasn't the only one with such dialogue. Muljadi is a little uncertain in this, yet her performance can be seen as a good reflection of her character, 'Lizzie', though she is somewhat discordant in certain scenes. Despite this, she definitely shows promise and is by no means written off, for there are particular parts in this production where she delivers fantastically. Initially she seems like a bad actress, though by the end of the film it is realised that she used her abilities well to portray quite a difficult character.
A lot of the extras brought this down somewhat, there are points where the film starts to really draw you in, but is broken off by some poor delivery by some extras. Michael Donovan slightly assists this drawback with a peculiar accent. There is also a flashback which seems a little cheesy, but this doesn't distract too much from the overall piece.
However, these inconsistencies are foreseen in such an early production in Purcell's career. Having such a low budget severely limits certain aspects that wish to be acquired. Faults are to be expected in such a situation, even though, it is clear to tell when these faults are that of the talent and not of the business side of the production. In the case of 'Continuum' the talent is not to blame; this is a production which is rife with potential and not necessarily a business venture with high aspirations.
Nonetheless, 'Continuum' has a great story which flows very well. While there are certain elements which pull you out of captivation, this overall feels like a proper film and it would be nice if it were longer. There are some genuinely moving moments, as well as some great expressions and delivery from the aforementioned dominant cast members.
As a stand alone piece it's no surprise if this doesn't receive much praise; but any rational human being can see the promising talent of a creatively intriguing future for not only the director, but for the cast and the production company too. This is 8 out of 10, a tremendous effort from everybody involved as well as an immensely enjoyable 30 minutes.
