MacKenzie and Reece are twins. and Reece's partner Conner is, well, he's a piece of work. An incident, an algorithm, a reconning. These are the elements of the story layer, but it is how they play with the visual layer that hammers everything home.
Stylishly shot, Remembrance emphasizes a sort-of empowered charactization by giving us a combination of beautifully jarring images along with an editing style that allows for the audience to play those images against one another. There is a touch of Fincher mixed with the best of Shaymalan in the way the editing and cinematography put the story together as much as the acting does. That is a difficult trick in a genre film, and Remembrance pulls it off without making us feel as if we're being pulled; we are being shown the path, and we make the journey ourselves.
The acting is strong, and it plays within the shooting most strongly, while also not being overly showy. This is a piece in which some areas seem subtle, sly, while never feeling deadened. A difficult trick, for sure. The way a simple gesture like a welcome home kiss becomes an opening for something much darker, more important to the layers of story, of character, of meaning.
I really enjoyed this film, and as one of the few films in the Student program that I've managed to see (I only work with the primary shorts program), I have to say that it looks like they're off to their usually fantasic start!
You can see Remembrance as a part of Shorts Program 9b - Student Shorts at Century 20 Redwood City on Wed, Mar 8 9:00 PM, Fri, Mar 10 10:15 PM, and Sat, Mar 11 3:50 PM