Redux Redux

"Redux Redux" is a revenge tale worth the trip across the multiverse. The revenge story is familiar ground to trek. In fact, it is almost a cliche subgenre at this point. The premise is straightforward: an aggrieved person enacting their own sense of personal justice against whoever has wronged them. Redux Redux is a film in this mold. An angry mother is tracking down the man who killed her daughter. We have seen this story before, and yet this movie adds a clever wrinkle—the mother tracking down the killer in every timeline. That’s right, a multiverse revenge story is on the menu here, and it is an adrenaline rush that maximizes thrills while still telling us a compelling story of grief, vengeance, and resolve. Irene Kelly (Michaela McManus) is reeling from the death of her daughter at the hands of a vicious killer, Neville (Jeremy Holm). Setting out to avenge her daughter, she kills him. At the film’s opening, we witness her watching his immolation. Justice is served, well, in one timeline. Irene sets out to kill the murderer across parallel universes, allowing her mission to fuel a grief-stricken vendetta. And yet, as she travels across the multiverse, killing him again and again, she faces her own reckoning, putting her own humanity in jeopardy. This film wastes little time on exposition. Given this is an indie-thriller, it maximizes its storytelling by throwing us right into the action. While there might be intrigue over how Irene comes into possession of what essentially is a time machine (that looks like a refrigerator), or the mechanics of the multiverse as it relates to this film’s world, none of those points would enhance the plot; if anything, they would derail us. Logic-hounds might want more info; on the other hand, the script is clever enough to assume the audience is well-versed in the logic of multiverses, thanks to the multitude of films on the subject. The story uses sci-fi trappings without overindulging in them. The multiverse is a tantalizing story concept. Seeing it told this way breathes new life into what feels like a stale idea. Traveling to parallel universes for a singular purpose again is nothing new, but this film manages to give the concept an urgency that feels like we are breaking new ground. Now, in many ways, the multiverse angle is window dressing. A mere plot device that adds a unique spin to the revenge tale. The revelation of the film lies in its characters and performances. Kelly delivers a visceral performance that, in any other circumstance, could have been one-note. Instead, she brings a character with layers, someone more than a grieving mother with an axe to grind. The more times she kills her daughter’s murderer, she loses a bit of herself. The bloodlust glistens in her eyes at first, but it softens and eventually leaves us with a woman well past the edge, but existing in the abyss. Her story ultimately becomes one of redemption. There are clever twists along the way, but the heart of the story centers on Mia (Stella Marcus), a runaway Irene encounters on her travels. After saving her from a certain death at the hands of the monster, the two form a bond. Mia seeks to enact her own vengeance against the killer. Through Mia, we see the dangers of Irene’s continued path and her second chance at motherhood. Moreover, their dynamic adds a breath of humor and warmth to an otherwise grim story. Marcus, for her part, is sensational, creating a character who proves tough as nails on the outside to mask her trepidation and past scars. In addition to characterization and razor-sharp script, the film is dripping with a sense of menace. There is a genuine threat in Neville; the atmosphere oozes with dread, leaving imprints on the armrests and on our bodies, in a cold sweat. The pulsating action builds to a bloody climax that is both triumphant and cathartic. "Redux Redux" lives up to its title and feels like a stirring reinvention of the revenge story.

Wholly unique low-fi revenge flick, that is engaging and leans into its premise very well.