"Chronesthesia" is a bit of an odd beast; part magic realism, part love story, part "Forrest Gump"-esque conversations with strangers, part "City Symphony" celebration of New Zealand's cool little capital, part plight for the understanding and non-judgment of people afflicted with mental illness. If it sounds like these parts would make for an unbalanced, clashing concoction, then you wouldn't be counting on the clever script director/star/screenwriter Hayden J. Weal has come up with. A tricky balancing act kicked off by Weal's character Dan finding a message written on his bedroom window one morning. Following the instructions on the message lead him to a series of events breaking his routine and a very fortunate encounter. The morning after, another message, this time with some mental images that he's not sure if are dreams or memories.
Dan's life takes a turn thanks to these messages and he starts to realize their nature as time-traveling prompts from his future self. Why, how and how far into the future they're coming from are some of the questions he'll try to answer in-between dealing with their present consequences. While this general description might make it sound like a mystery film, it differs from most films of that genre in that the main driving force isn't on the third act revelation, but rather in the journey as a whole. The plot does have a few revelations up its sleeve, but for the most part they're spread out, a bit telegraphed and not shocking enough to make it to the category of "twists", leaving the most satisfying moments to be those almost devoid of mystery. Dan's new-found willingness to help and listen to (former) strangers who could really use a pair of ears, how this changes his mindset, the Wellington-and-its-surroundings scenery and, most importantly, his budding romance are what make the journey of "Chronesthesia" worth your time.
In Psychology student Sophia, Dan finds a great inspiration to change his life and the chemistry between the actors playing them makes for awkwardly natural dialogue that is at once honest, heartwarming and at times hilarious; specially since it reflects some of the deep-seated fears of trying to woo a psychologist some people might harbor ("oh god, what if they're psychoanalyzing me right now? what if they can just tell I'm bullshitting? what if they already know my weirdest fetish?", etc.). Sophia's object of study also makes for some of the dramatic weight of the plot, as her understanding of mental illness and openness to people afflicted with them clash with Dan's; and this ultimately becomes one of the main themes of the movie.
In general, "Chronesthesia" is a sweet little movie unafraid to try its hand at some heavy subjects as well as some left-field plot choices. In terms of realization it does suffer from a few issues (voice sync being a bit off, grainy low-lighting photography, shaky camera-work, those Wellington time-lapses that, while stylish, usually seem out of place) that make the end result feel a little "student film"-ish, but nothing that's ultimately distracting or detracting from the story. As a love story dealing with "mental-temporal" issues, one of the easiest comparisons would be to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" but, while that film focused almost exclusively on romantic relationships, Weal's work also deals with other relationships: those we usually (don't) have with the people we see on the street everyday and never exchange a conversation, or even a few words, with, specially when we deem them to be "less fortunate". While the 2004 film has a sci-fi edge with memory machines, this film's more outlandish elements are closer to magic realism, which might be unsatisfying to some. For those who are willing to give it a chance, however, it could be like taking the leap and asking a stranger their name: a choice you just might be very glad you made.
Dan's life takes a turn thanks to these messages and he starts to realize their nature as time-traveling prompts from his future self. Why, how and how far into the future they're coming from are some of the questions he'll try to answer in-between dealing with their present consequences. While this general description might make it sound like a mystery film, it differs from most films of that genre in that the main driving force isn't on the third act revelation, but rather in the journey as a whole. The plot does have a few revelations up its sleeve, but for the most part they're spread out, a bit telegraphed and not shocking enough to make it to the category of "twists", leaving the most satisfying moments to be those almost devoid of mystery. Dan's new-found willingness to help and listen to (former) strangers who could really use a pair of ears, how this changes his mindset, the Wellington-and-its-surroundings scenery and, most importantly, his budding romance are what make the journey of "Chronesthesia" worth your time.
In Psychology student Sophia, Dan finds a great inspiration to change his life and the chemistry between the actors playing them makes for awkwardly natural dialogue that is at once honest, heartwarming and at times hilarious; specially since it reflects some of the deep-seated fears of trying to woo a psychologist some people might harbor ("oh god, what if they're psychoanalyzing me right now? what if they can just tell I'm bullshitting? what if they already know my weirdest fetish?", etc.). Sophia's object of study also makes for some of the dramatic weight of the plot, as her understanding of mental illness and openness to people afflicted with them clash with Dan's; and this ultimately becomes one of the main themes of the movie.
In general, "Chronesthesia" is a sweet little movie unafraid to try its hand at some heavy subjects as well as some left-field plot choices. In terms of realization it does suffer from a few issues (voice sync being a bit off, grainy low-lighting photography, shaky camera-work, those Wellington time-lapses that, while stylish, usually seem out of place) that make the end result feel a little "student film"-ish, but nothing that's ultimately distracting or detracting from the story. As a love story dealing with "mental-temporal" issues, one of the easiest comparisons would be to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" but, while that film focused almost exclusively on romantic relationships, Weal's work also deals with other relationships: those we usually (don't) have with the people we see on the street everyday and never exchange a conversation, or even a few words, with, specially when we deem them to be "less fortunate". While the 2004 film has a sci-fi edge with memory machines, this film's more outlandish elements are closer to magic realism, which might be unsatisfying to some. For those who are willing to give it a chance, however, it could be like taking the leap and asking a stranger their name: a choice you just might be very glad you made.