Available to stream on Apple TV
Shades of The Truman Show can be found in Reflect, a movie written and directed by Dana Kippel. When she stars in it too, I can’t help but wonder if this work is a result of her going through some personal crisis that she wants to look back on, and sort through. Whatever the case, this magical journey has some elements to like, and other bits which will vary in meaning–subject to each viewer’s own experiences.
And as for whether we’re watching a television show within another depends on who wants to witness the coming challenges. There’s two men, a father and son, who seem to know what is exactly going on, and while I keyed into those characters more than the ladies, that’s because I’m a male. They seem to be in control of the larger story. And as for Summer (Kippel) and her gal pals headed to a retreat to mend fences, what transpires next is somewhat surreal in a Midsummer’s Night Dream kind of way. Although Katie (Grace Patterson), Annie (Marissa Patterson), Nia (Ariana Brown) and Liz (Jadelyn Breier) question what’s to come, Hermes (Joe Filippone) seems more genuine. But this messenger of the gods is no trickster. By the time this film gets to the first campfire scene where everyone should be singing Kum ba yah, arguments ensue!
The desert located near Sedona, AZ make for a fascinating juxtaposition for those thinking they’ve been whisked to some strange land of Faerie. I think where they’ve landed is more like the Twilight Zone. But in truth, we learn they’re in some cosmic game show that aliens (who conveniently look human) are viewing from afar.
What’s presented by the hosts (Robert Enriquez and Ryan Jack Connell) got me to assume they’re more than this film’s versions of The Watchers from the Marvel Comics Universe. I was suddenly humming to The Fifth Dimension’s song, “Age of Aquarius.” This film’s visual design certainly borrows from that tune.
But to figure out who will survive depends on drawing three cards rather than one. Although this work’s connection to this method of scrying one’s future felt not fully constructed, I did understand the meaning behind why each character is being represented by a specific image. Although this film is more about how these girls are playing Milton Bradley’s Game of Life (Amazon link) for real, what’s shown is more about mind games than anything else.
Although this filmmaker wasn’t thinking about alien abductions, the way the narrative reveals itself suggests that this unintentional interpretation is possible. As much as I’d like to think that the people in black cloaks are the Men in Black, they are most likely some other kind of consciousness who see these individuals as flawed, and they should be removed from “all the world’s a stage.” (hence my Shakesperean theory). But as for replacing them, I’d have to rewatch this film to see if I can figure out where they went. Ultimately, only one person can make it to the end!
Plus, when you’re watching a movie about individuals wanting to lose themselves to nature, they better be careful lest a shapeshifter gets them! Most indigenous lore hints at how certain spirits want to amalgamate, and what’s presented here suggests that may be the case, even though Kippel probably couldn’t find the appropriate talents to play those roles–and went Mediterranean instead. I was hoping a Minotaur would pop out at some point, but alas, microbudget films don’t always have the tools to include some true hardcore effects. The best this film could do was offer some funky lighting effects that I normally see from movies like Fire in the Sky. Although this film isn’t a horror film per se, it certainly felt like one by the time the real fun began.
3½ Stars out of 5
Reflect Movie Trailer
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