Call it my devotion to the peculiar, but I think there’s something about a non-linear film. It challenges you to pay attention more closely–to look for clues at every turn. From Pulp Fiction to Memento, these flicks are about more than just cheap thrills; romances, elements of the supernatural, and seemingly random plot twists serve a higher purpose.
In Premonition, the seemingly straight to video (or slightly less than straight to video) Sandra Bullock flick, turns and clues abound. If you’ve seen the preview, you think you know what’s coming–a supernatural thriller. Sandra’s husband (played by the intense Julian McMahon) is dead…and then alive! And then dead again? And the days of the week are out of order. Is alien abduction to blame? Is it the end of days? Is she insane? Can she impact the future and save her husband from fate? Was it all a dream? Is it an end-of-days scenario with Bullock as the lone prophet?
No spoilers from me on this one. But within the film lies a surprise; serious discussion of the function of both faith, and the absence of faith; the redemptive power of love and focusing on the things you find to be really important. One thing I will tell you; the covered mirrors are not, as I thought, an indication that the characters are Jewish. (The misdirect may not be intentional, but it’s there for those whose minds are open to perceiving it.)
As you watch, your mind cycles through the conventions of cinema, and predicts the endings you’ve seen before. But come the end of the film, you may not know exactly what has happened, but there is still satisfaction, and I think that says something–about the power of movies, and about the power of faith and love.