‘Things Will Be Different’ Review: Time-Traveling Siblings Can’t Escape Their Past in Serviceable Sci-Fi Debut

As a seasoned cinephile who’s seen more movies than I care to count, I must say that “Things Will Be Different” left quite an impression on me. It’s not every day you come across a time-travel crime thriller that manages to keep you engaged while subtly exploring the complexities of human relationships.


As I sat down to watch “Things Will Be Different,” Michael Felker’s compelling directorial debut as an editor, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of their past tangibly hanging over the troubled siblings on screen. The movie’s title, a hopeful declaration of change and redemption from past errors, resonated deeply within me.

Following our latest heist – not my first unlawful move – my estranged sibling Sidney (Riley Dandy) and I, Joseph (Adam David Thompson), find ourselves on a secluded farmhouse’s doorstep. Here, we discover manual clocks and an ordinary-looking wardrobe that can transport us back in time. If Sidney waits a fortnight before returning to our present – as my friend suggested for her to care for her daughter – we’ll be off the hook for our crime and can keep our ill-gotten gains.

Signs of being transported to another era manifest as old-fashioned media items scattered around their house, such as VHS tapes, CDs, and later a tape recorder that serves not just as an entertainment device but also a means of communication through time and space, a thoughtful touch by the filmmaker. Initially, they spend their time healing their rifts, yet once their hiding phase ends, they find themselves unable to escape. They’ve been ensnared in a “tight bind” and must endure and confront an unexpected intruder to return home.

As a devoted cinephile, I find myself immersed in a predicament reminiscent of the “Beetlejuice” realm. Just like those spectral characters, Joseph and Sydney are bound by rules that restrict their movement beyond the property lines, or else they risk a gruesome fate – bleeding to death. This forbidden territory is marked by a macabre boundary, possibly the residue of others who’ve tried and failed to break free from this temporal prison. The workings behind this portal are managed by some unseen forces, with no complex physics theories or detailed explanations offered. Sydney, ever the detective, proposes several hypotheses drawn from photographs discovered within the house, but a definitive answer remains elusive.

As a film enthusiast, I’m particularly impressed by Carissa Dorson’s innovative visual storytelling techniques in this production. Instead of succumbing to the monotonous trope of two actors confined within a single setting, common in some independent films, she breathes life into each frame with visual interpretations of the narrative’s core themes.

In this movie, the dramatic effects take a backseat to the powerful performances by Thompson and Dandy. The actors convincingly portray each other’s emotional turmoil – at times, even appearing overly emotional – as their characters deal with their immediate predicaments, hidden resentments, and the possibility that their past actions and current experiences are linked. Thompson’s intense outbursts have a significant impact due to Joseph’s tough exterior. When he breaks down, confronted by the reality of death or eternal wandering, the gravity of the movie’s theme becomes palpable. Dandy maintains her composure, playing Sidney with an icy demeanor that hints at her being the more rational one, yet she can’t fully trust Joseph.

The story in “Things Will Be Different” is complex because it tries to hide details while explaining time-travel mechanics extensively, making it more like Christopher Nolan’s confusing movie “Tenet” rather than Rian Johnson’s simpler “Looper”. By the end of the film, you might need a map or diagram to understand where and how the timelines intersect. The characters Joseph and Sydney have matching tattoos that look like Venn diagrams, which could potentially provide a clue for understanding the sequence of events.

Previously editing “The Endless,” a time travel story by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, suggests that Felker was already attuned to this particular style. The film’s editing (co-edited with Rebeca Marques) and cryptic hints (such as a song playing on a boombox or brief flashbacks) effectively keep viewers guessing about the character Joseph and Sidney need to eliminate. Despite occasional imbalances between the intellectual and emotional aspects, “Things Will Be Different” is a promising blend of what stirs our emotions and challenges our minds.

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2024-10-04 11:46