REDUX REDUX

****

Directed by Kevin & Matthew McManus.

Starring Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm, Jim Cummings.

Science-Fiction, US, 107 Minutes.

Reviewed as part of FrightFest 2025 - English Premiere

We have now seen so many journeys across various multiverses over the past few years that the once obscure concept is being taught in school now, according to one character at the heart of this tough yet tender, multi-dimensional film. Wasting no time in setting itself up, we meet Irene, murdering a man in cold blood. We next see her doing it again and again in varying ways, shooting, stabbing, burning, etc. Her reasons for doing so become apparent when we learn that this man murdered Irene’s daughter years before, and with the help of a bulky machine that takes her across parallel universes, Irene will kill him again and again.

It is a quest for vengeance without end. Irene, now a shell of a person until she rescues Mia, a teenage runaway, from her daughter's killer. Reluctantly teaming up with the young girl, the couple’s revenge driven quest soon becomes more complicated as the hard shell that Irene has built around herself soon begins to crack, clouding her years long quest for vengeance.

Following up their debut THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND, brothers Kevin and Matthew McManus have delivered a lean and thrilling character piece in inventive and exciting fashion. The lo-fi science-fiction trappings are a neat trojan horse for smuggling in an emotionally driven story of a woman rediscovering her humanity. At the same time however, this is delivered with propulsive storytelling peppered with action set pieces that are reminiscent of THE TERMINATOR, a noted influence on the film as well as the revenge thriller BLUE RUIN.

As Irene, Michaela McManus, sister to the directors, making the film a true family affair, is excellent. Her portrayal giving the film a true beating heart, while never letting the film slide into sentimentality. She is ably supported by the young Stella Marcus, who compliments McManus’s performance excellently with her own impulsive character leading the film in a number of unexpected directions.

Inventively directed and smartly written, REDUX REDUX is a serious step up for the directing duo. Exciting, action packed and with flashes of humour, mainly in part due to Jim Cumming’s confused character(s) who Irene keeps casually hooking up with across various universes, the film breathes new life into what was becoming a played out and exhausted sub-genre. One of the very best films to play at FrightFest this year, it deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible once it is unleashed on the public.

Iain MacLeod