Familiar sci-fi tropes such as parallel universes and string theory are explored through the idea of deja vu. Starts as a low budget, made for TV romance with unfamiliar actors and slowly develops into an obsession riddled pseudo sci-fi thriller where Sydney, the female lead, compulsively attempts to recapture lost love. The biggest problem I had with the film is how unlikeable the cast is. I found it hard to care about any of them. They were all kind of ass-holes if you ask me.
9 Reviews
Hampered by poor writing
Thomas_SC21 May 2017
"Another You" has a lot going for it, but is ultimately made mediocre by its flawed writing.
To me, the film is a dark coming-of-age movie. I'll start with the things it does well. It effectively draws on both the pain of failed relationships and the anxiety college age young people feel having to face the complex real world for the first time.
The acting was solid all-round. Ksenia Solo, of whom I'm a big fan, does an excellent job portraying Sydney's pain and frustration. Diego Boneta and Richard T. Jones competently fill out their roles as well.
Visually, the film is unremarkable but avoids being bad. The score, however, is occasionally a little distracting.
The bad of the movie is its writing. Sydney should be a character we emphasize with, as her struggles are similar ones most people have dealt with to some degree. But the writers fail to make her very likable, often seeming more pathetic than anything else. This could serve to erode audience interest in her story, even if she is well- portrayed. A pretty big thing considering that is what the whole movie is about. She is also apparently something of a genius, but we don't see her do much that is very smart, except in a brief moment where she explains some science.
It was the ending that really drags down the film, however. The writers chose to make it an ambiguous ending which I felt didn't let Sydney come full circle as a character. This was disappointing after watching a whole movie about her.
To summarize, the film is not awful but is not especially good either. If you have 90 minutes to kill and want to watch something dramatic, there are worse films to see. If your expectations are not too high, it'll do the job. This is not a movie that you plan an evening around to see though; it is not a movie that will have you deeply invested or have you thinking about it hours later either. 6/10.
To me, the film is a dark coming-of-age movie. I'll start with the things it does well. It effectively draws on both the pain of failed relationships and the anxiety college age young people feel having to face the complex real world for the first time.
The acting was solid all-round. Ksenia Solo, of whom I'm a big fan, does an excellent job portraying Sydney's pain and frustration. Diego Boneta and Richard T. Jones competently fill out their roles as well.
Visually, the film is unremarkable but avoids being bad. The score, however, is occasionally a little distracting.
The bad of the movie is its writing. Sydney should be a character we emphasize with, as her struggles are similar ones most people have dealt with to some degree. But the writers fail to make her very likable, often seeming more pathetic than anything else. This could serve to erode audience interest in her story, even if she is well- portrayed. A pretty big thing considering that is what the whole movie is about. She is also apparently something of a genius, but we don't see her do much that is very smart, except in a brief moment where she explains some science.
It was the ending that really drags down the film, however. The writers chose to make it an ambiguous ending which I felt didn't let Sydney come full circle as a character. This was disappointing after watching a whole movie about her.
To summarize, the film is not awful but is not especially good either. If you have 90 minutes to kill and want to watch something dramatic, there are worse films to see. If your expectations are not too high, it'll do the job. This is not a movie that you plan an evening around to see though; it is not a movie that will have you deeply invested or have you thinking about it hours later either. 6/10.
Film could have been better
smetaxas4 June 2017
I wanted to like this film but just couldn't. I am a big fan of Ksenia Solo and her acting. She did a remarkable job with what she was given but unfortunately it wasn't much. Also there was very little on screen chemistry between Ksenia and Deigo, I just couldn't see them as a couple. This could also be because of the writing, the story line never showed them as a happy couple only as a driven one. My question through out was why does she love him? Why does she care about him? It is a shame that the writing never really captured the imagination, the idea of alternate realities could have been so much better.
After 25 minutes In I could not watch any more
guessmyname-4067818 May 2017
The characters in this film give me no reason to like them, empathize with them or watch them. The dialog seems to consist of a beautiful girl and a poorly groomed guy screaming the F word at each other. With the plethora of entertainment out there, surely there is something else I can find better than this!
Paralell Universe Chick Flick.
betchaareoffendedeasily22 July 2019
Don't think of "Another You" as a time travel film, but rather a very low-budget parallel universe film with a chick flick twist. To say more would be a spoiler, but I think it's important to have proper expectations . The weakest point for me in this movie is a few of the plot points that are not fully explained, and in the case of this film I felt it was a weakness. Had the movie been maybe five minutes longer there could have been a more thorough explanation for some of the stuff that doesn't quite make sense. Also the lead actor who plays the protagonist's boyfriend is not the strongest actor, thankfully he's not in every scene, but anytime he has to show a strong emotion, such as anger, it's just not quite there, it feels hollow and empty. The lead actress is very good though, and I have no complaints about her performance on at all, she carried a fairly difficult role very well.
For the most part I felt it was a decent low budget parallel universe film that plays on our fears and our need for close human relationships. I also like the female perspective, not to say whether or not it's male or female in a movie dictates my movie choices, it doesn't, but I did enjoy it here and I felt it had it been a man in the lead it would have been a very different movie, and would have changed the movie to the point, it would have been a bit more pedestrian, the female angle gave it a bit of a twist on similar stories.
I like the aspect that compares what the character is doing to a drug addiction, and it basically portrays her as junkie. It reminded me a bit of the film Unforgettable from the mid-1990s in that respect. The similarities lie in the character's obsession with the past. I felt the emotional aspects of this movie were very strong, and I did feel very bad for the character and I did understand her pain which is more than I could say for a lot of movies. It explores very well the pain of constantly turning over and over in our minds what we did wrong and how we could change it, sometimes to our own peril.
If you like low budget films, you could do much worse, if you don't like low-budget films I recommend you stay away from this movie. As already stated due to some narrative problems I couldn't in good conscience recommend it to everyone, but fans of low-budget sci films might like it. Especially if you have XX chromosomes.
For the most part I felt it was a decent low budget parallel universe film that plays on our fears and our need for close human relationships. I also like the female perspective, not to say whether or not it's male or female in a movie dictates my movie choices, it doesn't, but I did enjoy it here and I felt it had it been a man in the lead it would have been a very different movie, and would have changed the movie to the point, it would have been a bit more pedestrian, the female angle gave it a bit of a twist on similar stories.
I like the aspect that compares what the character is doing to a drug addiction, and it basically portrays her as junkie. It reminded me a bit of the film Unforgettable from the mid-1990s in that respect. The similarities lie in the character's obsession with the past. I felt the emotional aspects of this movie were very strong, and I did feel very bad for the character and I did understand her pain which is more than I could say for a lot of movies. It explores very well the pain of constantly turning over and over in our minds what we did wrong and how we could change it, sometimes to our own peril.
If you like low budget films, you could do much worse, if you don't like low-budget films I recommend you stay away from this movie. As already stated due to some narrative problems I couldn't in good conscience recommend it to everyone, but fans of low-budget sci films might like it. Especially if you have XX chromosomes.
sketchy but conclusive
leefarer-642-12406129 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Writing seemed to make the characters kind of sketchy. Don't know if it was intended to show the nature of identity on multiple timelines (?)
but they seemed more like subjects in an experiment. The parts where Sydney attempts to correct the undesired timeline resulted in some intriguing alt. timelines. In my opinion, the ending was conclusive. She made a decision leading to an untampered timeline where the future is uncertain
spawning an alternate timeline where she's still trying to correct it. She seems comfortable with uncertainty.
It all the other stuff
mikemassimo14 March 2018
Good look at choices, mistakes, wishes for resolution
WVfilmfem16 May 2017
This was a good film. The character development was excellent, and true to the anguish of youthful romance. It's kind of science fiction, also part thriller, definitely drama, all wrapped into one. Acting is excellent, as is editing and writing. It's about the wish to go back and correct mistakes, traveling through how could I have done this better. The ending was somewhat ambiguous, and thus no 10 stars.
Sci-fi life lesson, I'd say
ArchFrenemy26 July 2018
Something of a low-budget allegory, interestingly laid out, dealing with the acceptance each of us must find when confronted in life with deep disappointment and despair. You can (and must) wallow unhappily for awhile, as is only human---but to survive and come through the other side, you eventually have to accept that things can't be forced or molded into the shapes/situations you desire, no matter how much you want them to be. Not everyone can accept this simple truth...but this movie tells us it's what the healthy soul comes to realize and embrace. I believe that is what the ending of this intriguing story alludes to.
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