A parallel universe-jumping sci-fi thriller of high-stakes and heart, Redux Redux is another impressive showing by filmmaking duo the McManus Brothers.
Just when you think the time-travel (and adjacent) well had been tapped dry, here comes Redux Redux to quench your thirst. Directed and written by Kevin and Matthew McManus (The Block Island Sound), Redux Redux is a multi-genre story that focuses less on the pursuit of a violent act and more on the unexpected turns taken in a journey to fill an unfillable void.
On this journey is Irene (Michaela McManus) a mother stuck in perpetual mourning over the murder of her daughter, who with a parallel-universe travelling device hunts down and kills the alternate versions of the serial killer Neville (Jeremy Holm) responsible. When one fateful universe-jump results in the rescue of teenage runaway Mia (Stella Marcus) from Neville’s clutches, an unlikely bond develops between these two women who rely one on another to find their way.
High in concept, low in budget, and better than most major studio genre releases, Redux Redux reminds of the rewards that can be gained when a film blends high-stakes storytelling with focused filmmaking. The McManus Brothers wisely (and thankfully) don’t get stuck in sci-fi exposition gobble-goo, firmly focusing on the “who” as opposed to the “how.” Moments when the film does set foot in an underground world of universe-jumpers is wonderfully presented as rustic and mechanical, the tech harkening to the analogue sci-fi of late 70s and (especially) 80s aesthetics.
Michaela McManus delivers a stirring performance as a grieving, vengeful mother who has lost her place in the universe. While her tenacious revenge results in a hill-high stack of bodies, hardly a dent has been chipped away from her stone-cold grief, McManus playing the grizzly mama-bear with palpable weakness.
Stella Marcus compliments with a suitably spunky turn as a teenage runaway caught in a cycle of vengeance, providing her character with enough sympathy even during those moments of poor decisions.
A throbbing, synth driven score by Paul Koch (14 Cameras) plays soundtrack to a high-stakes thriller of strong character, clever storytelling and grounded science fiction, with Redux Redux worth watching again…and again..and…
