"I am destiny in perpetual repetition..."
The Hidden Review has watched Palindrome. A nuanced exploration of the human psyche concerning grief and loss, with some exciting stylisation, Palindrome is a strange journey through narrative and perspective. Usually, at this point, I would give a brief bit of context about what I have watched, but in this case that is made somewhat difficult. The plot is deliberately ambiguous, some of it is in a psychiatric hospital, there’s an armed robbery, and ‘Fred’ the central character spends most of his time confused, looking for a phone number. A lot of the moments have an expressionistic intrigue which works well, occasionally the plot feels confused and lacking in focus, but most of the time, the deliberate ambiguity is good.
The stylisation of design aspects is where the film is at its best and makes up for an occasionally clunky script. Beautifully deliberate shots and an excellent score give the film a rhythm that it was in danger of losing due to long scenes. The sound provides the impetus for scenes and sets the tone well; grand musical crescendos raise the stakes in clouded confrontations and uncomfortable conversations. The acting is generally good, Jumaane Brown plays ‘Fred’ well, appearing lost and disoriented, and while this becomes a little repetitive, he plays well off his surroundings to make the internal battle a compelling watch. Sarah Swain is very strong as Anna, an artist rapidly losing herself. The dramaturgical beats of the film leave you with a lot to think about, usually the sign of a good piece of art. There are two distinct acts, focusing on Fred and then Anna, both offer different things, and the second act definitely finds its rhythm better, the writing improves, and the characters are fleshed out better. Overall, this has a lot of interesting ideas introduced and while it could do with more focus and a more precise drive behind it but is a watch that takes time to sink in and well worth it.
Hidden Fire stars 7/10 ⭐️
