Timecrimes
Netflix | Amazon
DVD
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Starring Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernandez, Barbara Goenaga, Nacho Vigalondo, Juan Inciarte
Karbo Vantas Entertainment
Originally Released: September 20, 2007

Time travel movies have a soft spot for me. I’ve always loved Sci-Fi in general, but I think that crazy Doctor in the big blue box rubbed the concept of time travel into my cerebral cortex so deep that I am attracted to many films that focus on the topic. Timecrimes is not just a time travel movie, but a damn good one that zones in on the concept of time loops, and how things connect.

But it’s a convoluted plot, so pay attention!

Made and set in Spain, the story follows the tale of a fellow named Héctor (Karra Elejalde), who is generally a simple and curious man who has moved into a new-ish home with his wife (Candela Fernández) that they are fixing up and renovating, located in a sparse forestry area away from the city. While examining his new surroundings outside the perimeter of his property with his handy binoculars, he sees some strange things: a strange complex with some kind of antennae/tower; and a young lady disrobing until completely nude.

Deciding to investigate, Héctor wanders into the forest to find the naked girl unconscious next to a rock. A stranger wearing a pink bandage and dark trenchcoat attacks and stabs him with a pair of scissors, and he runs to escape. He eventually finds himself in the complex with the tower he had seen before, where a young man helps him hide inside a machine. In what seems like a split second later, the machine reopens, and Héctor finds himself back in time by about 12 hours or so.

And that, my friends, is just the beginning.

What follows is a convoluted tale focusing on time loops and choices, examining the differences and possibilities between fate and no fate; and cause and effect. There are a tremendous amount of clues along the way – some of which you won’t even perceive as clues; as well as moments in the shots that happen in which you’ll find yourself wanting to watch the movie again to catch all of these tips and teases.

The storywriting of Timecrimes is damn solid, with very little flaws. Héctor’s character development is superb; in fact, it’s almost schizophrenic in places, though deliberately so as to fit well into the plot and its concepts. There are elements you may spot to be plot holes, or unexplored moments; but these are not the case – they’re clever misdirections by the filmmakers to keep looking for those clues I mentioned earlier.

The acting is reasonable as well, with Karra Elejalde taking the cake with the main role of Héctor. The phases he goes through beg to ask numerous questions about the physical, mental, emotional turmoil caused by time travel within the context of the plot, and Elejalde portrays this beautifully with the development of his character. The other standout performance is by Barbara Goenaga, the aforementioned nude girl in the forest – but not just because she is naked (though I’m not complaining about this!!)”¦ Her role is an interesting link in the chain of events, that has massive repercussions in the plot overall. Her performance is noteworthy and of interest.

On the technical side, the filming of Timecrimes is fairly basic and straightforward; deliberately so as to not distract from the plots and the clues therein. There is almost a grainy filmic quality to the movie, evoking something a little timeless (pardon the pun), set fairly outside a firm time period, though it graces a touch of classic, older films from the Seventies and Eighties.

There is a metric shit-ton of symbolism in Timecrimes, though I’m uncertain I caught all of it. On the surface of the subtext is a focus on moral choices and ethical actions (or rather inactions), though there are some deeper elements hidden within as well. I’d rather not explore too much of this information in this review, simply because the story is so convoluted, it would be spoiler-ish for me to elaborate further.

Timecrimes is a kick-ass movie, which is most definitely a must-see experience. This is a gem of a film, go and watch this one as soon as you can!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Clue: My Thoughts Are > 3

Could there be a Héctor 4?

Trailer