Kaleidoscope

Captivating and suspenseful from beginning to end. If they remade Eraserhead, Toby would get the lead. If you liked this, check out 'Dead man's shoes.'

In Rupert Jones' film Kaleidoscope, his brother Toby plays a loser with an ill-suited date and an impossible mother to deal with; might one, or both, of them have ended up dead? That is the mystery presented to the viewer; bizarrely, it also seems to be a mystery presented to the character, who seems to have suspicions but no certain knowlege of what he has, or has not, done. At times the film appears to be suggesting the existence of alternative realities, differently reassembled from the same underlying fragments like a kaleidoscopic image; but the idea is not coherently developed. Most of the action is set in a grotty flat that has not been decorated for decades; the characters also seem more like figures from the 1950s than anyone contemporary. I'm not sure what the Jones brothers were trying to do here; sadly, I can't say they have succeeded.

Toby Jones plays Carl, an ex-convict who meets a woman online around the same time as his mother visits. The story is told out of episodic order, and includes brief flashbacks to memories of Carl's father and how he came by the titular kaleidoscope. There are some inspired shots, comparing a monolithic tower block and a three-sided staircase to the view through the toy. There are a few short scenes away from Carl's flat. There are almost incidental mentions of Carl's plan to have his own gardening business that add nothing to the plot, maybe even distract from it. There is a shabby ending, which destroys any tension or suspense the story had. Wonderful to look at but as hollow and unfilling as a chocolate egg.

5/20/18. Tries so hard to be HItckcockian but falls way too short. Needless to say, the ending was somewhat of a disappointment. Nothing makes too much sense. Psycho has its copycats, but that is all they are.

I watched Kaleidoscope because I love Anne Reid. The fact that Toby Jones starred was simply a bonus. As expected, the acting was wonderful. However, Toby's brother, Rupert Jones, contributed direction that was slow paced. I believe the kind term is "deliberate." Even given the heightened subject matter, the pace decreased any urgency created. This made the one hour and 40 minute running time seem much, much longer. Perhaps he was aiming for a slow burn. The burn simply didn't light. I do like the a-ha at the ending. The fact that not all questions are answered is also a plus.

Is it worth the slog? Sure. Reid and Toby Jones are great, as always. Just be prepared for a not-entirely-satisfactory cinematic experience.