Review: Timecrimes

Timecrimes
Written and Directed By Nacho Vigalondo
December 19, 2008

Continuing the reviewing of this years foreign film hits, Nacho Vigalondo's Timecrimes is absolutely one that deserves it. Timecrimes (Los Cronocrimenes) has been a huge success at several different festival's around the globe (Sundance, Sitges Film Festival) but was most recognized at the 2007 Fantastic Festival in Austin, Texas where it won a gold medal in Next Wave Award for Best Feature as well as a silver medal in the Audience Award; and to add on to the list, the "Golden Asteroid" in Trieste, Italy (science fiction festival).

Timecrimes is a thought provoking story about a man named Hector, who has just moved into a nice house with his loving wife Clara. Hector the relaxed new mover decides to bring some binoculars with him outside and look into the woods of his backyard. As he is looking through the binoculars he spots a young women, he continues to watch her and she begins to get undressed. While confused and curious Hector decides to go into the woods to look for her, and that's where it all went wrong. Hector traveling through the woods, begins to stumble upon some strange things on his way to trying to find the women. Upon finding her she is completely naked as well as what looks to be passed out on against a fallen tree. He approaches her slowly to see if she is okay, when suddenly stabbed in the arm by a pair of scissors, he instantly starts running for his life from a man in a trench coat wearing bloody gauze around his face as if it were a mask.

The chase leads Hector to a man's time machine that brings him back almost an hour in the past, and so the complications begin. The man who's name is Chico (played by the movies writer/director Nacho Vigalondo) starts to explain to Hector that he must not interfere with the other Hector (Hector 1) because they need to get him into the time machine to fix the problem. Things begins to complicate Hector 2 eventually gets into a car crash that causes a facial injury so he begins to wrap the gauze from his injured arm, around his face. The naked women from earlier shows up and try's to help, at this point Hector 2 has figured out that he must try to stab Hector 1 to get him to run to the time machine so that the problem can be fixed.

Things get even more complicated once Hector 1 is put into the time machine Hector 2 travels home to find his wife, the wife mistakenly thinks that he is some kind of murderer and is forced to chase his wife around the house, she goes for the roof, but loses her balance and dies. This causes another major problem Hector 2 who is now border line crazy goes back to the time machine and tells Chico to send him back, we soon learn that there is already a Hector 3 that he told Chico not to send back Hector 2 because it was a big mistake. Hector 2 dosen't listen and is sent back, it continues to unfold and different twists are revealed until the ending.

Timecrimes is a very complicated thriller, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat in wanting to figure out this whole mess. Timecrimes isn't something you can grasp fully right away, but as time goes you are able to figure out the physic's and process of the idea. Overall, Timecrimes is very satisfying and attention getting, one that makes you want to understand the method of this perplexing narrative. Timecrimes is sophisticated, mysterious and overall creative, until the very last scene. Maybe not as complex as your Donnie Darko but maybe that's a good thing.



Rating: 8/10