Chronovisor turns a research rabbit hole into must-see cinema
Turning academic research into thrilling arthouse cinema, Chronovisor is engrossing docufiction searching for a mystical time travel device.
The film Chronovisor, a feature debut by writer-directors Kevin Walker and Jack Auen, is a captivating exploration of the thin line between genius and crackpot. The movie blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, image and text, and past and present, drawing the audience into a world of obsession and curiosity.
Béatrice, a Columbia philosophy professor, becomes fascinated by the concept of the chronovisor, a device claimed to have been created in the '70s by a real Benedictine priest, Father Pellegrino Ernetti. As she delves deeper into her research, she becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the truth behind this mysterious invention.
The film's immersive atmosphere, shot on 16mm and bathed in the warm light of a banker's lamp, evokes a sense of digging through archives and libraries, with Béatrice's fixation on the chronovisor feeling almost real.
The narrative weaves between the realm of research, where Béatrice collates her findings on-screen in a collage of news reports, magazine articles, and phone calls. As the suspenseful investigative journalism unfolds, the film pauses to linger on the back of Sellier's head, accompanied by a swelling orchestral score. This shift from research to suspenseful investigation mirrors the characters' journey and adds an extra layer of intrigue to the story.
The film's critique of the government's handling of potentially dangerous discoveries is both timely and thought-provoking, while the repetitive nature of the story serves to immerse the audience in the mental state of those who can't help but chase after an idea. The characters' single-minded infatuation with the chronovisor is skillfully portrayed, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of both the allure and the potential dangers of such a pursuit.
In the end, Chronovisor is a film that invites viewers to question their own relationship with research and media, blurring the lines between the real and the fantastical. It is a must-see cinematic experience that leaves a lasting impression, much like the device it portrays.
Written by urgent.news from The A.V. Club's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
