Marjorie Prime

The sci-fi chamber drama Marjorie Prime is exquisite — beautiful, intense, shivering with empathy.

Beautiful untruths and half-truths abound in Michael Almereyda’s quietly shimmering new movie.

As a sly chamber piece, it re­assures and unsettles in equal, exquisitely calibrated measure.

It’s a haunting little film that ends with a somewhat overwhelming poignancy.

It does provide a welcome antidote to the usual surfeit of formulaic Hollywood junk.

Like the play by Jordan Harrison it’s based on, writer-director Michael Almereyda’s film is small in scale, but pulls us in close with its provocative setup.

Almereyda’s feature is rich in acting talent, but this stagey, flat drama can’t match the wattage of its leads.

A thoughtful, insightful look at coping with grief, promoting healing, reconciling interpersonal discord, preserving memory, growing comfortable with technology, assessing the nature of reality and contemplating the fate of human evolution, all wrapped up in an intimate, beautifully filmed, well-acted, smartly conceived sci-fi offering. Although the script at times doesn't quite rise up to the level of its narrative and Pulitzer Prize-nominated source material, the film nevertheless touches many bases and gives viewers much to ponder. With an excellent ensemble cast, highlighted by a superb performance by long-underappreciated character actress Lois Smith, this latest production from director Michael Almereyda once again distinguishes the filmmaker as one of today's most inventive, ambitious and underrated talents in the business. "Marjorie Prime" may be a little difficult to find, but it's well worth the search.

I understand that this movie is based on a play, I have never seen it and I have never heard about it, but its theme is very similar to something that we would see in an episode of Black Mirror. Intellectual and emotional, a science fiction story that intertwines with what memory means and what it does of oneself as a person and our identity. Being a film based on a play, the dialogue and the performances are those who take the lead but its director prints a pleasant and functional style throughout it that makes it fluid and cohesive despite being strongly ingrained in the theater style. Believe me when I tell you that this is far from looking like a science fiction movie like most people know and I'm quite sure some will end up disappointed, but if given the opportunity, you will have a good talk after watching it.

Marjorie Prime was alright, futuristic babysitting/therapy via hologram, nicely shot, fun seeing Geena Davis again (after so long). Not a complete waste of time.