I am a sucker for low budget (often debut films) of conceptual science fiction. Often time and money constraints (which generally limit the scope a film can cover) make for some of the best innovations in building a narrative landscape. Take for example Vincenzo Natali’s single set film Cube, Shane Carruth’s time-travel out of a U-haul storage locker Primer, Hilary Brougher’s The Sticky Fingers of Time or Darren Aronofski’s Pi. So this little Lynchian mind-fuck slipped by me upon its festival run where it picked up technical awards at Cinevegas and The Philadelphia International Film Festival. It is out on DVD now.
The IMDB Synopsis of The 4th Dimension:
Jack is a loner confined to a workbench in the back of an antique shop. When a mysterious woman presents him with a broken antique clock that is not to be fixed, unexplainable events begin to occur. After finding Albert Einstein’s journal on his still unsolved Unified Field Theory, Jack becomes obsessed with analyzing time and theorizing its connection to his supernatural experiences, his surreal dreams, and his perception of reality, only to lead to the discovery of the biggest mystery of all – himself.
Youtube trailer is Under the Seat, or higher resolution flash trailer is here
I’m in the very early stages of writing a script and when I think about what sort of thing I would like to make I keep coming back to Primer… I love what they did with the concept, going so far with so little. I’m very interested in sci-fi on small scales in intimate settings. Pi is another great example. I always thought there was a gap in futuristic storylines in that there are no chamber-pieces or intimate character studies, restrained from all the gadgetry, something about our generation aging more than spectacle.
I was actually sent a screener of this many months back and never was able to get around to it. It’s still sitting on my coffee table. I feel a little bad about that actually – I was supposed to write up a review for it.
Andrew…it’s never too late!
I love all of the movies you brought up Kurt and this one definitely looks to be in the same vein. I’m curious. Now I just have to track it down!
This was incredibly bad.
That disheartens me Quiet E. We seem to be on similar wavelengths when it comes to the culty sci-fi stuff.
Question for you – Are you a fan of A Boy and His Dog?
Yup, I absolutely love that film.. especially the underground part, not to spoil it.
Nice. (Just checking..) Been meaning to upgrade my tattered VHS copy of that film.