Like most films I catch on the festival front, Redux Redux marks my first dive into the work of directors Kevin and Matthew McManus. The duo just scored a pending North American release via Saban Films as well, following its reception at SXSW earlier in the year, and prior to its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia this week.
Redux Redux eases viewers into its ominous atmosphere with an opening shot of Irene (Michaela McManus, sister to the directors) standing over the body of someone burning alive in the middle of a low-lit desert. The victim is a man named Neville (Jeremy Holm) who she holds responsible for the murder of her daughter, Anna (Grace Van Dien), and with the help of a janky vehicle she uses to travel between parallel universes, Irene assures to hunt Neville down each time and avenge her daughter as many times as she wants.
She even pulls up at times for a conjugal meet cute-slash-booty call with the kind and earnest Jonathan (Jim Cummings) before going about her way, and she’s made hundreds – maybe thousands – of these trips. Regardless of the minor changes in each universe, as long as she can avert capture by law enforcement, every trip virtually ends up with Neville dead, that is, until Irene crosses paths with Mia (Stella Marcus), a runaway who ends up as one of Neville’s captives right then.
What follows is a brooding, universe-hopping, cautionary sci-fi noir that explores the finality of endless grief; What was once supposed to be a repetitively cathartic reward for her pain ultimately turns into something less lustrial than before, and just a little more numbing. This especially stems from Irene’s desperate hope that somehow Anna is still alive in at least one of these universes, and seeing an air of similar bloodlust in Mia, Irene finds herself doing her best to prevent her from falling down the same cyclic nightmare of violence and loss.
Things become a little more transformative for Irene and Mia later in the film, as the two take shelter in an alt-version of Irene’s old home. At one point Mia finds comfort in the unexpectant bond she feels with Irene who makes a chilling discovery moments later when she ventures to alt-Neville’s dilapidated home. It’s a catalystic moment that soon sees Mia and Irene splitting up into separate realities, which, little does Irene know, is precisely what she needed leading up to the film’s propulsive climax.
I love a good, smartly-crafted genre thriller that relies on its script and talented cast to carry the story. Redux Redux accomplishes much more in that effort as a film that takes a more practical approach, lending to the authenticity and organic appeal as a genre thriller. Interestingly, there’s no real explanation as to how Irene acquired the vehicle she uses to hop between realities. We just know that it’s hers, and the current millieu allows for her to be able to fix and replace parts of it whenever she needs to.
The good news here as that as far as escapist thrills go, Redux Redux makes it so that you’re focused on Irene’s struggle and the role Mia soon plays in the film’s unfolding events. McManus is as tough as they come in the stoic lead role as Irene with an impressive newcomer in Marcus, and Holt signing off as Irene’s multi-versal menacing nemesis. Redux Redux pulls you in right from the beginning, and implores you to wonder how far our heroine is willing to go, effectively leaving you wanting more throughout its runtime.
Redux Redux enjoyed its Canadian Premiere at the 29th edition of the Fantastic International Film Festival.