Fantasia 2014: Time Lapse (2014) – Review

The creatively titled Time Lapse played right into the “what if” fantasy, and I absolutely loved it for it. And really, who hasn’t had the “what if” fantasy with respect to suddenly having access to endless amounts of cash. Whether it’s by an inheritance, winning the lottery, a sudden windfall, or by having access to a time machine, we’ve all fantasized about what we’d do if we were suddenly rich.

But how far would you go for that elusive pot of gold?

Would you get involved in some illegal activity? Would you push your friends beyond their ethical limits? Would you betray your friends? Would you kill?

Well, that’s pretty much how it’s played out in Bradley King and B.P. Cooper’s Time Lapse, which screened at the Fantasia Film Fest in Montreal.

Basically, the film — starring Danielle Panabaker, Matt O’Leary, George Finn — tells a cautionary tale of three struggling friends who discover a machine, looking like something you’d see in Captain America, that takes pictures of the future, 24 hours at a time. They then use the machine for personal gain, and as karma would have it, things take an ugly turn for the worse.

The sci-fi is on the light side in this genre film, as it’s more of a character study that reveals the dark, greedy, and covetous side of humanity. This is beautifully executed in a way that’s not preachy and not over acted. All you want to do is watch, enthralled, to find out what happens in the end. And the end is definitely worth the wait.

Time Lapse definitely proves what you can do with a simple, familiar story and how you can make it feel original. It also proves what you can do with a small set, scope, and cast. In a sense, with the claustrophobic atmosphere created in Time Lapse, it’s a near Hitchcockian film, but with a Rod Serling vision.

The Verdict:

Time Lapse is an absolute pleasure to watch. There’s not a lot of graphic violence, but enough to appease those who crave it, and it should be enjoyable for both those who enjoy character-driven films and those with the sci-fi bug. Despite the film’s dark tone, both visually and thematically, it ultimately makes you feel good about yourself, because there’s no way you’re as twisted as anyone in the film.