Dylan O’Brien has proven himself to be a truly gifted actor since fandom made him the surprise breakout star of MTV’s Teen Wolf. That is firmly on display with his latest, from writer-director Christopher MacBride, and his mind-bender that is Flashback.
If it seems like every aspect of MacBride’s film that can give readers a sense of what they’d be in for with Flashback is a spoiler, you’re not far off. But if there is one thing we at The Movie Mensch do with our reviews, it is not giving away anything pertinent to the film’s enjoyment by our readers. That being said, here is a rough sense of what occurs with the story.
O’Brien is Fred and he’s been remembering things from high school lately, spurred by the fact that his mother is in the late stages of dementia. She doesn’t recognize him or remember him, and although that hurts, memories of his life with her and while he lived under her roof are flooding back.
One aspect that he finds peculiar is that one of his friends from back in the day, Cindy (It Follows’ Maika Monroe) has vanished, and nobody seems to be able to recall whatever became of her. Fred’s wife Karen (Hannah Gross) isn’t thrilled about her husband’s sudden obsession with a former classmate. Given his circumstances, she puts up with it.
The memories seem to fade once he started hanging with the school’s big drug dealer, Sebastian (Emory Cohen), and a couple of his pals, Andre (Keir Gilcrest), and Cindy. He reconnects with both Sebastian and Andre, and they are not as seemingly obsessed with Cindy’s disappearance as Fred, but they too believe it had something to do with a designer drug called Mercury (aka Merc)—one they did a lot.
That is when and where things start to get trippy. MacBride not only plays with timelines and multiverses but the entity that is memory itself. His film recalls that iconic Grateful Dead lyric, “what a long, strange trip it’s been.”
The key to whether the filmmaker’s ambitious effort works or not lies firmly on O’Brien’s shoulders. There is so much required of him as Fred beyond being front-and-center in practically every moment of the movie. He not only has to play himself as a married adult but also as a teenager, as well as on the myriad of “presents” that MacBride has envisioned for his characters.
The young actor, recently seen in the absolutely amazing Love and Monsters, not only carries the film, but once those credits roll, it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role of Fred. There’s committing to a part, and there is what O’Brien achieves with Flashback.
He is a supreme talent, and that is on full display throughout the experience that is MacBride’s sophomore effort (after 2012’s The Conspiracy). There are so many balls in the air that O’Brien is tasked with juggling, it’s as mind-blowing as the film itself how well he does with them.
Keenly knowing how a film is shot, i.e., out of sequence, it is all the more impressive how centered O’Brien is in his telling of Fred’s story and the multitude of avenues it takes. This has us thinking about the fact that the actor has barely scratched the surface of what he is capable of achieving. Given time, and this may seem out of left field, but there could easily be an Oscar attached to his hand at some point over the next few decades.
If it seems like those around O’Brien raise their game given the brilliance emanating from the film’s star, one could easily argue that is the case. Monroe, in particular, turns in a performance that adds fuel to the fire that is the film’s conflict and mystery. What is her role in this tale and how does it influence Fred’s present and past? That question looms large throughout and thanks to the elusive performance of Monroe, it adds layers to the mind-messing nature of MacBride’s flick.
Flashback is about something specific and that is made clear from its opening moments to every frame throughout. Memory. Having memories, losing memories, misconstruing memories… all have a place in MacBride’s endeavor. As more and more grapple with the crippling emotional and physical toll of dementia, the film taps into that but doesn’t center on it by a longshot. But he does bring up a lot of fascinating elements of memory. As one is losing theirs, another is gaining ones once thought lost. Also, can we trust our memories? Has time altered the reality of what occurred all those years ago?
Anytime a storyteller embarks on a journey where the storyline itself seems to be ever-altering based on what is occurring at that particular moment in a film, there are risks that it will not add up when all is said and done. MacBride commits to this through and through. There are moments that seem confusing, but I believe, that is on purpose. It all contributes to the effort the filmmaker undertakes to actively turn your mental landscape into an omelet.
Stick with it. Movies nowadays are more often wrapped up in a nice bow and too little do not give us something to talk about after the film is done with us. Flashback will not only make you think about your own life choices and how different avenues chosen would lead to alternative outcomes, but do not be surprised if attempting to dissect MacBride’s film takes over your present. The filmmaker deserves mad credit for swinging for the fence. Although he didn’t hit a grand slam, the auteur certainly cleared the bases.
Flashback is a rabbit hole, one well worth venturing down into for much more than just O’Brien’s seismic turn.
Grade: A-