Redux Redux Review: A Multiverse Thriller of Maternal Vengeance
The McManus brothers have crafted a stylish new spin on the time-loop genre with Redux Redux, a low-budget thriller that explores a bereaved mother's relentless quest to save her daughter from abduction and murder. This film taps into the contemporary obsession with optimising life, joining a glut of recent entries like Predestination, Looper, and Edge of Tomorrow, but carves out its own intimate path.
Plot and Characters
Technically a multiverse film, Redux Redux follows Irene, played by the directors' sister Michaela McManus, who hails from the only universe where multiverse travel is possible. Using a device resembling a banged-up gas boiler, she hops between different timelines with one constant goal: murdering Neville, a short-order cook and child-killer portrayed by Jeremy Holm, who abducted her daughter. Irene's hope is to find a timeline where her daughter survives, but on her umpteenth attempt, she interrupts Neville with 15-year-old Mia, played by Stella Marcus, cable-tied in his backroom.
The loop serves as a powerful metaphor for the repetition-compulsion of trauma, with Irene described as 'locked into hatred' and Mia showing unsettling enthusiasm for their violent mission. Despite early interactions with fellow grief survivor Jonathan, played by Jim Cummings, the narrative settles into a linear affair, avoiding excessive dallying with the kinks and paradoxes of time travel. Instead, it focuses on Mia's attempts to escape Irene and fleshes out the 'underground railway' infrastructure for multiverse travel, though some may argue this aspect is underdeveloped.
Style and Substance
The straightforward approach of Redux Redux brings a fleet-footed confidence, with the McManus brothers imbuing road runs and shootouts with a Christopher Nolan-esque inexorability that echoes through eternity. The film's style is evident in its sleek execution, but the substance only fully emerges in the closing act, where timeline convolutions collide with the protagonist's broken psyche. While not overly devious, it opens up a punchy murder-revenge side alley for the genre, offering a fresh take on familiar themes.
Overall, Redux Redux is a decently handled example from the low-budget end of the spectrum, playing like an intimate version of Terminator where the credibility of 12-step grief recovery, rather than humanity's future, is at stake. It's a compelling exploration of grief, revenge, and the endless cycles of trauma, wrapped in a multiverse package.
Release Information: Redux Redux is available on digital platforms from 23 February.
