Director Maria Ripoli's feature debut is an uneasy blend of traditional romantic comedy and magical realism that, much like its central character, alternately charms and irritates. Evocatively reflecting its multinational origins -- the filmmakers are Spanish while the cast and crew come from Great Britain -- "Twice Upon a Yesterday" is probably too offbeat to appeal to mainstream audiences.
Highly reminiscent of the recent "Sliding Doors" in its use of fantastical situations to comment on romantic woes, the film unfortunately lacks a performer with the star presence of someone like Gwyneth Paltrow. The film was recently showcased at the Miami Film Festival and is due for a commercial release via Trimark Pictures.
Anyone who has had second thoughts about the breakup of a relationship will find something to relate to in the problems of Victor (Douglas Henshall), a perennially unemployed Scottish actor living in London who is despondent over the fact that his ex-girlfriend Sylvia (Lena Headey) is about to marry another man. Victor has no one but himself to blame for the situation, as it was his confessed infidelity that drove Sylvia away. But he feels he made a terrible mistake, as he woefully confides to a friendly bartender (Elizabeth McGovern).
An encounter with a pair of magical garbagemen -- yes, that's right -- gives Victor another chance in life. He's transported back in time to the moment before he first confessed to Sylvia, and this time he's less forthcoming. But, as any character in a time-travel movie could tell you, fate has a way of not denying its victims. Victor winds up losing Sylvia all over again. Except this time, he's consoled by another bartender, the gorgeous Louise (Penelope Cruz), who falls in love with him.
Rafa Russo's rather convoluted screenplay may sometimes baffle those who aren't playing strict attention; fortunately, she's more effective at creating well-delineated, complex characters. Every figure in the story gets his or her due and is provided with interesting motivations and feelings. And to the movie's credit, it's not afraid to make its protagonists act in some not very nice ways. No doubt, if the project had attracted major stars, they would have insisted on sanitizing some of their characters' less attractive traits.
Henshall brings a properly frenetic comic desperation to the central role, though an actor with more conventional good looks might have made more credible endlessly self-absorbed Victor's ability to score with beautiful women. Headey is excellent as the aggrieved Sylvia, and Cruz is highly appealing as the love-struck Louise.
TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY
Trimark Pictures
Director: Maria Ripoli
Screenwriter: Rafa Russo
Producer: Juan Gordon
Executive producers: Jon Slan, Gareth Jones
Cinematography: Javier Salmones
Editor: Nacho Ruiz-Capillas
Music: Luis Mendo, Bernardo Fuster, Angel Illarramendi
Color/stereo
Cast:
Victor: Douglas Henshall
Sylvia: Lena Headey
Louise: Penelope Cruz
Dave: Mark Strong
Alison: Charlotte Coleman
Freddy: Neil Stuke
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Highly reminiscent of the recent "Sliding Doors" in its use of fantastical situations to comment on romantic woes, the film unfortunately lacks a performer with the star presence of someone like Gwyneth Paltrow. The film was recently showcased at the Miami Film Festival and is due for a commercial release via Trimark Pictures.
Anyone who has had second thoughts about the breakup of a relationship will find something to relate to in the problems of Victor (Douglas Henshall), a perennially unemployed Scottish actor living in London who is despondent over the fact that his ex-girlfriend Sylvia (Lena Headey) is about to marry another man. Victor has no one but himself to blame for the situation, as it was his confessed infidelity that drove Sylvia away. But he feels he made a terrible mistake, as he woefully confides to a friendly bartender (Elizabeth McGovern).
An encounter with a pair of magical garbagemen -- yes, that's right -- gives Victor another chance in life. He's transported back in time to the moment before he first confessed to Sylvia, and this time he's less forthcoming. But, as any character in a time-travel movie could tell you, fate has a way of not denying its victims. Victor winds up losing Sylvia all over again. Except this time, he's consoled by another bartender, the gorgeous Louise (Penelope Cruz), who falls in love with him.
Rafa Russo's rather convoluted screenplay may sometimes baffle those who aren't playing strict attention; fortunately, she's more effective at creating well-delineated, complex characters. Every figure in the story gets his or her due and is provided with interesting motivations and feelings. And to the movie's credit, it's not afraid to make its protagonists act in some not very nice ways. No doubt, if the project had attracted major stars, they would have insisted on sanitizing some of their characters' less attractive traits.
Henshall brings a properly frenetic comic desperation to the central role, though an actor with more conventional good looks might have made more credible endlessly self-absorbed Victor's ability to score with beautiful women. Headey is excellent as the aggrieved Sylvia, and Cruz is highly appealing as the love-struck Louise.
TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY
Trimark Pictures
Director: Maria Ripoli
Screenwriter: Rafa Russo
Producer: Juan Gordon
Executive producers: Jon Slan, Gareth Jones
Cinematography: Javier Salmones
Editor: Nacho Ruiz-Capillas
Music: Luis Mendo, Bernardo Fuster, Angel Illarramendi
Color/stereo
Cast:
Victor: Douglas Henshall
Sylvia: Lena Headey
Louise: Penelope Cruz
Dave: Mark Strong
Alison: Charlotte Coleman
Freddy: Neil Stuke
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/22/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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