Set in a near future Miami, “Reminiscence” (2021) stars Hugh Jackman as Nick, a wounded vet who operates a small, dingy business that helps people access and relive their memories, but the practice can be addictive and cause permanent brain damage, which is why Nick never uses the stuff. Thandiwe Newton plays Watts, his friend, fellow vet, and employee. When a mysterious woman, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) comes to his office seeking his services, watching her memories enraptures Nick. They have a relationship, and Mae disappears leading Nick to dive into his mind and other people’s memories to find out what happened to her.
“Reminiscence” is the kind of movie that has cool elements that never come together because the actual story is dumb. The genre of the film is supposed to be a new take on film noir and detectives, but if Nick is supposed to be a type of detective that has seen it all, how does he get fooled into believing that his hottest client was just looking for her keys by using potentially brain damaging technology!?! I need a slightly better cover story. She did not even have to work that hard because Ferguson looks fabulous in this role as the live action Jessica Rabbit. I have considered her captivating since “Doctor Sleep” (2019) when she played a supernatural cult leader.
“Reminiscence” is the kind of movie that if it was not determined to have a white man protagonist, would be better if Watts was the main character, and the romance was not heteronormative. If the filmmakers did not want to alienate viewers, Watts could have been a man except that the film is hellbent on making Nick desirable through others’ eyes so Watts naturally has to secretly have a crush on him (eyeroll) and be devoted to him more than her family, her least interesting trait and quite a stereotypical one (puke). Why can’t they be together? She is a functional drunk (and black) so maybe Nick has a thing about people with addictions, which is critical to a couple of plotlines in the story: Nick’s willingness to violate his moral code for love and a romantic relationship founded on lies. I did not think that element was clear.
Watts could have made an interesting protagonist, especially because she sees Mae coming from a mile away, but still gets fooled in more quotidian ways though just as obvious. They relate to each other more organically because of their loss of self. Nick is not good at anything, and if hot Jackman did not play the character, we would never care about him. As I mentioned before, Nick is dumb. He cannot fight because of some mixture of lack of skill and disability though I am going to blame the prior because Watts can fight and has the best fight scene in which she basically takes down a room full of people. Think Gina Torres in “Firefly” (2002) and “Serenity” (2005). Newton as an action star only gets teased briefly in movies, and I need filmmakers to stop giving her supporting roles as they did in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018), and let her be the hero. Also side note: I would have never guessed that Nick was disabled if every character did not mention it. Either Jackman did not convey it, or I am not observant, but I did not see it.
Instead I was left wondering why Nick was the voice of authority and Watts’ boss. Did he just have the money to pay for the business? How? During the denouement, when she briefly separates from him, she has a serious glow up. He may have helped her get the job, but how was she doing better than him that quickly? It was hard to determine how much time elapsed because of the oneiric quality of the film.
“Reminiscence” has some neat dystopian elements. The waters have risen so cities have walls that the waves batter. It gives a Venice vibe to Miami. The images that the memory technology creates is reminiscent of a movie projected into thin air instead of a wall so if viewers are really enamored with the visuals of a person being surrounded in a film, then you may be able to enjoy the movie more than if you pay close attention to the story. The technology is giving Philip K. Dick movie adaptation vibes. Think “Minority Report” (2002). Unfortunately it feels as if the filmmakers were trying to convey some meta message about filmmaking on directors, actors and viewers. Think “Vertigo” (1958). I did not bother to let my mind meditate on the concept because the film did not earn it.
There is one cool chase scene involving parkour, and Cliff Curtis really commits to it as a corrupt former cop. There is a gorgeous image of a piano submerged in water. Curtis’ character is so bad ass, but we are supposed to believe that after he handed Nick’s ass to him repeatedly, Nick can sneak up on him and get the jump. I say bullshit, especially since I have been watching the movie, but again, this movie ties itself into knots to get Nick on top. Controversial opinion: while Curtis’ character is horrible, he technically did not do what Nick thought to Mae so while that character had it coming for other reasons, Nick taking out all his pent up frustration on him can still reflect poorly on Nick. The ultimate blame goes to someone else and Nick deciding what makes a person permissible to hurt or not bothered me.
Nick’s main job was to be disappointed in others’ perceived betrayals and chastising them. The movie vindicates his righteous indignation by delivering a suitable fate to each character based on Nick’s approval or disapproval. The cast is very diverse, but since they are all flawed, it was hard to miss the optics of Nick judging every minority and then the filmmakers choosing to dispense vigilante justice mostly without consequences whereas the law handles the flawed white people. If you are a bad person and Asian in this movie, you can get killed or harmed with fewer consequences than a bad person and white. It gives George Zimmerman giving an ethics class vibe. Nick’s punishment for violating the law is to become Sleeping Beauty, which is a reward.
The story hopes that by not showing the events in chronological order, it will elevate a simple story just like “Memento” (2000) did. I did not realize until later that Lisa Joy, the writer and director, is married to Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, who wrote the short story that Memento was based on. The couple met at the movie’s premiere so it is unsurprising that she would pay homage to it, but for the rest of us over two decades later, we realize that once the narrative puzzle is solved, it is a letdown. Joy writes and produces popular television series such as “Westworld,” and “Reminiscence” is her directorial debut. She is the child of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Taiwan, which explains a plot line that I struggled with.
In “Reminiscence,” the United Kingdom is fully submerged, which is why Mae immigrates to…..New Orleans. How? Why? An intriguing supporting character, Saint Joe, an East Asian man who speaks English without an accent, but occasionally throws in a word that I assume is from a foreign language, not futuristic slang, references being interned and left to drown when the levees broke, which is a detail that evokes the US’ problematic history of xenophobia against Asian immigrants, but sadly does not go further than that. Why was he interned? It is never explicitly addressed though I assumed that his national origin was the reason. There is also this theme that the vets are complicit in this treatment, but again it is not explored. Instead we get a thin love story whose strongest asset is the innate sexiness of the actors.
“Reminiscence” is a disappointing movie because it is a movie that could have been good with a few more revisions. On the other hand, what do I know? Joy is a lawyer turned successful creative and living life to the fullest. She clearly has better judgment.