Backwards Faces

As my title suggests, this is a very entertaining movie by any standards, rather than just "for a low budget indie movie". I've seen plenty of $100M+ movies by major studios with major stars that aren't nearly as good.

I literally googled "best new sci-fi movies streaming now" and this is one of the first ones that came up. I heartily agree.

You know from the description that it deals with parallel universes, and I won't spoil it by saying much more, but it's original, funny, and mind-bending.

I can't find a budget anywhere, but it's hard to imagine it could be more than a few thousand dollars. It only has two actors and all takes place in one apartment. The minor special effects could be done these days with free video editing tools. I'm guessing they just ordered pizzas instead of springing for craft services.

In spite of that, it doesn't look cheap at all. It looks very polished and professional in the acting, the blocking, and the framing of the scenes. This is somewhat surprising given that this is the ONLY IMDB credit not only for the two actors, but for the writer/director/editor as well.

The choice to render it in black and white could have (should have?) come across as pretentious, but it doesn't.

It's bit on the short side, but I'm OK with that. Too many movies pad things out because they feel they just MUST get to 90 minutes - or these days, sometimes 2 to 3 hours. This got the job done and exited without wearing out its welcome.

I really hope we'll be seeing more of these folks in the future.

Backwards Faces takes us from our own reality, where everybody is so concerned with tailoring themselves to be perceived as a good person, and whisks us into a chaotic morning filled with witty banter, a whirlwind of adventure, and a questioning of morality and self-fulfillment. It was a pleasure to meet the range of Kens and the same but different Sydneys, while being immersed in the intricacies of the multiverse. At the beginning, I felt apathetic towards the characters because I didn't know them yet, but by the end, all I wanted was for Ken 1 (or is it A? Or See?) to find his Sydney, and Sydney to find her happiness.

Backwards Faces was an excellent film and I'm so excited to see what Chris will do next!

Watching this felt like a cross between melting my brain (from the complexity of the wormhole in Ken's bathroom) and following a game of ping-pong (Ken and Sydney's verbal sparring, which hearkened comedy greats like Abbot and Costello). Every minute of it was fun, albeit often darkly so. Andrew Morra's third "appearance" was probably my favorite performance of the film, but I loved Lennon Sickels' scientific and witty Sydney, too!

Additionally, I really loved how the film played with lighting - especially in the first scenes. It was really visually appealing, which amazed me given that it was all shot in one apartment.

I have only had the chance to watch this once, so far. I can't wait to watch again to catch all the other jokes, film references and theoretical physics stuff that I might have missed.

Saw this at Other Worlds Fest not knowing what to expect but had a ton of fun. Very low budget but makes up for it with whip smart dialogue and an enthralling premise. Without spoiling too much, there is some actor doubling going on here and seeing these two unknown (to me at least) performers take on that challenge was worth seeing it alone. The writing was very Sorkin-esque. Fast paced and insanely witty. Whole theater was laughing out loud at multiple parts. Definitely want to watch it again when it hits streaming though because it is the type of film that necessitates repeat viewings. Reminded me of Primer in that regard. Some of that quantum physics stuff can be a little hard to follow but the writing does a great job of not bogging you down in it. Overall, rare to see writing and acting this good in a microbudget indie. Loved it!

Saw the trailer for this on Letterboxd a few weeks ago and decided to give it a watch when it came out. I liked the comedy + scf-fi melding and thought it could be up my alley as someone who enjoys indie cinema quite a lot. It exceeded every expectation I had. It is clearly shot on a low budget but it is not something you really notice or care about once the characters start talking. The dialogue is incredible, the performances are amazing, and the story is really well written. It is not the type of film that is going to blow you away with camera moves and special effects but it is definitely going to make you question your own existence and what it means to be alive and to be a person which I think is wayyyy better. I loved it and I think anyone who wants something with a little more wit and a little more brains than your average mainstream sci-fi will love it too.