The pitch for Redux Redux is something like Saulnier’s Blue Ruin but with a sci-fi twist. It’s a low budget, grounded meditation on grief that erupts in shocking violence committed by someone that isn’t fully comfortable with committing it. It’s a prime example of taking the core of a tense character piece and making it feel fresh with a lo-fi sci-fi wrapping.
If that sounds like it’s up your alley, add it to your watchlist and read no further – I’ll tread lightly on spoilers but I’ll discuss the overall concept. Just know this movie gets the highest of recommendations from me, and while it isn’t reliant on twists I enjoyed going in blind.
The movie focuses on Irene, our Sarah-Connor-like heroine. She’s a multiverse traveler, hopping between different realities to see if there’s one where her daughter hasn’t been murdered by a serial killer. When she inevitably finds out that in every universe her daughter has indeed been slain by the same man, she hunts down the killer and brings him to vengeance, then hops on to the next universe to repeat the cycle. Eventually she comes across a foster kid trapped in the killer’s web, which upends her routine and forever changes both characters’ lives.
The bones feel familiar but the execution is stellar, and there’s enough inventiveness and craft in the production to keep you on the edge of your seat. The core concept isn’t for the faint of heart – the serial killer is nasty and Irene’s repeated revenge is frequently commensurate. There’s plenty of gore and violence, but it didn’t feel gratuitous. Like the aforementioned Saulnier, the violence is executed in a practical, messy, straightforward way.
Redux Redux is a family affair. Writer-directors Kevin and Matthew McManus are brothers, and lead actor Michaela McManus is their sister. It’s clearly a small production but the world doesn’t feel small. It’s packed with show-don’t-tell details while not getting bogged down in exposition. The score is propulsive and loud, the cast is naturalistic and feel like fully lived in characters, and the writing is sharp. The McManus brothers are ones to watch.
