miker71

This film has solid themes and a great sense of very dark humour. Whilst it will make you laugh it will also unnerve you with a sense of ominous proceedings, hidden under the mask of a somewhat whimsical appearing estate agent ...

One of Kevin Turrell's first short films, it's kind of like Ground Hog Day except the narrative implies that your destiny is inescapable. Overall it's let down (quite severely in places) by technical challenges presented by shooting for the price of tapestock, but the strength and emotion of the story still comes through admirably. I'm not sure what's with the stylistic use of black&white, it immediately made me think this was going to be another artsy-fartsy student film.

The story is essentially about a character who seems to be given the power to travel back in time and make alternate choices, but each time it is attempted it results in the same ultimate fate. In an Eros vs Thanatos moment the protagonist seems to realise that Love can overcome Death. It is up to the audience to determine whether the emotional farewell secures the protagonists future in the hearts of his family or only serves to break them.

Although reasonably technically accomplished the film seems just as shallow, linear and meaningless as any other 'comedy' film I've ever seen from the silent era of film. That in itself wouldn't be a bad thing if it had managed to raise a laugh from me. It didn't. There are reasons that silent film has been superseded in the modern world. Watch this film to see what those reasons are. A modern sophisticated audience demands modern sophisticated themes and narrative. Emotion should also be evoked. In my case, I just watched wondering why anyone would want to emulate a silent movie when so many are already available in the public domain. I didn't find this comedy particularly amusing or funny personally so all I had to fall back on was the narrative and the rhythm, revelation and resolution. None of which I felt gave me any satisfaction.