- Director : Jared Moshe
- Actors : Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi, Faithe Herman
- Language : English (DTS 5.1)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Widescreen, Subtitled
- Run time : 1 hour and 43 minutes
- Release date : September 12, 2023
When the independent film Primer (2004)
was made and released for $7,000, it proved that the budget of a blockbuster
wasn’t necessary to make a time travel film. Since Primer, there have
been numerous low budget and independent productions to take on the sci-fi
premise. There have been so many indie time-travel movies released that the
approach in Aporia feels somewhat unoriginal, despite containing a
unique twist on the premise.
Themes of loss
lend themselves to narratives where characters desperately want to change the
past, and this is the central focus of Aporia. Sophie (Judy Greer) is a
single mother still grieving the death of her husband, Mal (Edi Gathegi), when
she discovers his best friend and former physicist Jabir (Payman Maadi) is working
on a device that could alter the past. Although it isn’t a time traveling machine,
the machine Jabir has built does have the ability to send energy back in time.
With the right information, this could allow Jabir to kill someone in the past,
including the man responsible for the death of Mal.
The premise of Aporia
presents a moral dilemma, though the narrative is far more interested in the unexpected
twists and turns of a time travel story than the ethical discussion of the decision
to kill another person to save someone you love. It isn’t that the characters
aren’t engaging, or the premise isn’t compelling, but the execution feels more
than a little underwhelming.
Part of this could come from the fact
that the sci-fi elements all occur off-screen. We never see what happens in the
past and only experience the effects on the present timeline for Mal and
Sophie. Without diving into the morality of the scenario, this just becomes a
series of occurrences that only a few characters are aware of. This just doesn’t
quite feel like enough to fill the run-time of a feature film. Although Aporia
is watchable, it is also a bit underwhelming. But for those who are big fans of
time travel narratives or Greer’s dramatic acting, Aporia is worth checking
out. Otherwise, stick to Primer or any number of other time travel films
available.
The Blu-ray
release of Aporia comes with a behind-the-scenes featurette and trailer
for the film. This is in addition to the high-definition presentation of the
film, though there is no spectacle or polished visuals to make this enhancement
at all necessary.
Entertainment Value:
5.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 3.5/10
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