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Memories can be strange things—fading away or popping up at random. But in the indie thriller 7 Splinters in Time, a man who can’t remember anything from more than 10 years ago is forced to work through his hazy memories to try to solve a perplexing murder case.
7 Splinters in Time begins as former investigator Darius Lefaux (Edoardo Ballerini) starts his temporary discharge from the police force—just a break to get himself back together. But he’s quickly called back in after a murder victim is discovered—a murder victim who looks exactly like him. And as Darius tries to figure out the other man’s identity—and whether he might have been the intended victim—long-lost memories of his youth begin to return, causing him to search for even more answers that could prove to be deadly.
It doesn’t take long for this murder mystery to take a bizarre and disorienting turn. As Darius starts asking questions, the film cuts to a kind of kooky steampunk recluse called John Luka (Greg Bennick), who tells strange stories to a camera in his hidden bunker. And it just gets more outrageous from there.
This isn’t just a simple whodunit; it’s the story of a man whose life is anything but simple and straightforward. It’s complicated and haphazard—and his story is strange and hazy until it’s all explained just before the film’s conclusion, causing him to try to fix what’s gone terribly wrong. At times, it feels like Memento: a man piecing together a past that he’s somehow unable to remember. At other times, it feels like a foreign art house film, with its quirky characters and muddled storytelling. And as Darius struggles to find answers in snippets of cloudy memories that begin gradually coming back to him, his past doesn’t start to make more sense; it often makes even less sense.
7 Splinters in Time is a story of different personalities and different timelines—of alternate realities and strange men with puzzling pasts. More than just a crime thriller, it’s mystery and science-fiction and just a hint of young love. And though it’s explained in the end, the explanation tends to lead to even more questions.
If you prefer films that are neat and linear and organized, this one is sure to make your head spin. But while you won’t know what’s happening through most of this strange and shadowy thriller, it’s guaranteed to keep you guessing.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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