This 2017 Netflix production is the directorial debut of screenwriter Oren Uziel, and the actual scribbler has managed to tell a good story more than solidly, while still integrating atypical atmosphere into a streaming film and picking actors who manage the balancing act between quiet excitement and loud suburban calm very well.
The story is unfairly compared to Christopher Nolan's "Memento" (2000), though those who make this very incorrect comparison only manage to cite a single argument, namely the story being told backwards. Except that's simply not a unique selling point of Nolan's debut feature.
Uziel tells his story - he is, in fact, also the film's screenwriter - in chapters, starting with the last one and then moving backwards over the days to the beginning of the story arc. The narrative style suits the film, is clever and also has a purpose that is fulfilled, namely the twists and turns that are surprising in places. The film makes it easy to compare the scenes after watching, to put the plot together and then to enjoy everything again mentally. Due to the fun of it all, some of the plot's weaknesses don't matter so much, small inconsistencies of the bank robbery are rather easily wiped away and one also forgives a discreetly exaggerated overdrawing of the characters in the film.
The actors, on the other hand, do a very good job. First and foremost Benjamin Walker, who with his almost stoic manner makes the main character an interesting one, but one that is difficult to get through, and this again comes close to the basic idea of the film, or rather this kind of play is rather essential to what happens on the screen, or on the streaming screen. Russel, Williams, Higgins and co. Play solidly and in their familiar rut, so easily watchable. To their credit, they were cast wisely for their roles. Still standing out is Adam Pally, who mixes his very funny, but not silly, character with just the right amount of charm, wit and seriousness that the script and the essence of the film give. Pally is also a contributing character to the film's comic element, which Uziel sprinkles into his film in a well-sorted way that is always present but never too much. The running gag about sitting in the back seat of the police car is about a perfectly written for this backwards film and manages to tickle out a laugh while watching it.
All in all, Shimmering Lake is a surprisingly good film that manages to pull off a mix of genres that rarely goes well. The film isn't quite the big hit yet, but it's good entertainment that everyone involved was happy to work on and put effort into.
