Restore Point – Review
I love a good science fiction film, especially one which takes its premise and asks the sometimes hard questions about its world that some films don’t.
And I don’t mean deep philosophical questions, but rather questions about why things are or aren’t in their world.
That, to me, is a sign that the filmmakers are thinking about their audience and what they might ask.
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
115 Minutes, Not Rated
Written by Tomislav Cecka, Rober Hloz, Zdenek Jecelin
Directed byRobert Hloz
Synopsis:
Set in central Europe during 2041, a female detective investigates the case of a murdered couple where a restoration team is able to bring one of them back to life.
By 2041, random violence has gotten so bad that the government all people have the “right” to be “restored” from a backup if they die of unnatural causes. The “State” pays for this service, and so citizens keep a backup of themselves for up to 48 hours in case of untimely death.
The idea of backing oneself up in some way isn’t new to science fiction, but the idea that such “restoration” is a right, albeit one that comes with legal limitations (you can’t be restored if your backup is more than 48 hours old), is an interesting twist, however.
Restore Point begins with an investigation of a series of murders by the “River of Life” group, committed after kidnapping and waiting for victims’ backups to expire, but the brutal double murder of a scientist involved with the restoration agency and his wife — with no usable backups recorded — brings detective Em Trochinowska into a web of corporate intrigue, political influence, and ethical choices.
The River of Life is a group of contemporary luddites who decided to eschew modern technology once the fear of death was removed from humanity through Restoration.
As Em races to solve the murder with the help of an unexpected ally, the twists become twistier and the deception more layered. The final reveal isn’t completely unexpected, but it is well played, and the actors are all-in on giving it to us.
The only narrative problem I have is that the idea of restoring a mind is one thing, but the restoration of a body is never addressed; we SEE it on-screen, but it’s not even given a passing address of narrative explanation.
BUT–
That one shortcoming doesn’t ruin the enjoyment of the film in any way. Restore Point is a better narrative than the recent Reminiscence, and the mood and look of the film are a big reason I enjoyed this one so much.
The cast is enjoyable and believable, and I think there should be more Czech genre films.
So if you’re also a fan of good science fiction and don’t mind reading a subtitle, then definitely check out Restore Point.
100% worth your time, I promise.
Restore Point is currently available on VOD (including Amazon, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and Youtube) in the Czech language with English subtitles and stars Andrea Mohylova, Matej Jadeck, and Milan Ondrik.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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