Uncertainty

The course of our lives is determined by the countless decisions - both major and minor - we make on a daily basis. So much so that one simple and seemingly insignificant act of choice can set the course for our entire future, including where we'll go to school, who we'll wind up marrying, whether we'll be killed crossing that street or live another fifty years because we took a different route entirely. That is the theme explored in "Uncertainty," a dual-level drama produced, written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel.

The movie opens with a young couple - played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins - standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, obviously on the brink of making some major decision regarding their future. After a coin flip, one heads in one direction (to Manhattan) and one in the other (to Brooklyn), leading the couple to have distinctly different experiences in what might be thought of as parallel universes. In the Manhattan-based scenario, Bobby and Kate, dressed in yellow, are plunged into a bizarre cloak-and-dagger tale set off by the finding of a cell phone in the back of a cab (a bit like "24" if it were made on an indie-film budget); the other direction leads to a more mundane domestic drama wherein the lovers, dressed in green, celebrate the 4th of July with Kate's family, including the overly critical mother who drives the young woman crazy with her negativity and interference.

The different-paths-equals-different-outcomes theme has been explored before, most notably in 1998's "Sliding Doors," but here the why and the wherefore of it all seems to have eluded the filmmakers - as it does us. Each storyline is interesting enough in its own right - and the acting and direction are first-rate throughout - but they fail to come together in any kind of a meaningful way. They literally run along parallel tracks, with no point of convergence from which we can deduce a point - unless it's that bright yellow is probably not the best fashion choice when you're trying to outrun a hit man.

Moreover, the movie doesn't lay down the ground rules for the scenario in a very coherent or consistent fashion. The synopsis for the film says that the couple uses the coin flip to determine how they're going to spend that holiday weekend. Yet, it's obviously much more complicated than that, for in one version, Kate is pregnant, but in the other she isn't (or, at least, it's never mentioned). In one, she is the star of a Broadway play; in the other, she says she works at a restaurant. And the two couples obviously live in different parts of town. Perhaps, consistency really is the hobgoblin of little minds and we should be looking at the larger picture here, but, all the same, the movie leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions, which may not necessarily be a bad thing, but it can make for a frustrating experience at times.

I recommend watching "Uncertainty" for the risks it takes and the mood it sets (Peter Nashel's evocative score is very helpful in that regard) but, when it comes right down to it, the movie seems a commendable but over-elaborate effort at stating the obvious.

It's the Fourth of July, and Kate and Bobby are struggling to make a decision: do they stick with tradition and spend the weekend with Kate's family, or do they set out on their own for a spontaneous adventure? After making their initial decision, an alternate narrative emerges to show just what would have happened had they chosen to do otherwise. While the decision-making process may seem mundane, the implications of each choice are profound. Sure, a holiday with the family doesn't seem nearly as exciting as an impromptu romantic trip, but that doesn't mean it will be any less dramatic. As the stories diverge and a "what if" scenario becomes reality, it soon becomes apparent how much one seemingly minor decision can ultimately affect the rest of our lives...First of all, I really like the concept of alternative narratives; it's not exactly something new but it hasn't been explored that much. One of the narratives is more of an emotional drama and the second one is a tense thriller. The directors also made a very interesting choice, by associating a color, yellow and green, to each storyline. Thanks to the use of this color scheme the viewer never gets lost. Another interesting aspect is the fact that the script was written without dialog. The dialog was improvised but it is so natural and organic that one would never known, because of this, the relationship between the two main characters, Kate and Bobby, is one of the most believable relationships I've seen on the screen. Bobby is played by the extremely talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt and he was great as always, he never disappoints and I hope he keeps choosing this intricate and off-beat scripts. Kate is played by the beautiful Lynn Collins (True Blood, Wolverine). She was absolutely lovely as Levitt's love interest and delivered a great performance. Despite the fact that Uncertainty was filmed mainly with a hand-held camera, the cinematography is great with very interesting shots of New York City. The musical score is subtle but very efficient with beautiful slow paced melodies that compliment the scenes very well. Despite all this great attributes, it's important to mention that Uncertainty, despite being very engaging, is also experimental; it won't please everyone. I was hoping that the narratives would somehow be tied together and that never happened... and the end, although appropriated, doesn't bring any closure to the story either, so, some people will find the film a bit pointless, I can't say that was disappointed by that, the film just took a different direction then I expected. In the end, Uncertainty is all about this couple, the decision-making process and the implications that certain action courses have on our lives. It's quite an unusual experience but definitely worth watching.

7.5/10

I was in the audience of the premiere screening of this film yesterday in Toronto. The movie was a wonderful combination of romance, drama, action, and plenty of subtle humour. The plot, which alternates between two distinct locations (Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens), was well designed to keep audiences engaged. The concept of uncertainty and the possible consequences of all decisions was well presented throughout the movie. However, the plot and central themes may not have resulted in such a great film had it not been for the acting talents of the two stars (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lynn Collins - both present for the screening and subsequent Q&A). The filming for this movie was unique because while there was a fully developed script, it contained no dialogue and the actors improvised it during filming. They did an excellent job and the characters were very believable and the acting appeared very natural. Overall, the unique plot, talented cast, and creative filming style combined to create a wonderful film, which I hope will be appreciated by a much wider audience in the near future.

This movie is easily described as cool. You are going to feel somewhat robbed at the end when the idea you are being introduced to is not exactly tied together in the end, but try not to think about that. This movie is clearly experimental. Forget the style and focus on what the movie is saying.

What was the point of the two stories? (those who have not watched the movie yet will understand once you have seen it) One story was a family drama and another was a high energy thriller. Both about them unable to make decisions on life effecting choices. Through both situations we are able to learn about these two people and the difficulties they have trying to behave as one. What results from this is two very believable performances.

These two performers were so good together. Very different Joseph than what we saw in (500) Days of Summer. They behaved like a real couple. You would think they are dating off screen.

The raw style in cinematography surprisingly works well with the melodic musical score. New York City is becoming less of a movie setting, so it is always pleasing to see it still.

Good experimental film. I recommend it.

This film is about two lost and found stories that lead to vastly different consequences.

"Uncertainty" starts off very promising, with two different parallel plots branching off in a refreshing way. These two plots are separated by colour schemes so the stories are easy to follow despite jumping from one story to another.

The yellow story is an action thriller. It begins engagingly with a lot of adrenaline pumping. However, the thrill and suspense were not maintained. It is not helped by the boredom of the green story dispersed in between, which destroys the momentum of the yellow story. As the green story never goes anywhere, "Uncertainty" is so much better off if they just concentrated on the yellow story as a action thriller.