Wednesday, September 13, 2017

TIFF 2017: Human Traces



Human Traces is a New Zealand film set on a remote, desolate island, where a handful of scientists are researching and trying to restore the natural food chain that was disrupted when humans first came to the island. Sarah (Sophie Henderson) and Glenn (Mark Mitchenson) are husband and wife researchers, whose relationship deteriorates around the time new research assistant Pete (Vinnie Bennett) arrives on the island to replace a departing worker. The story is told three times, once from each of their perspectives, which allows us to see that some assumptions we made initially are not true, and that each of the three has done things to hurt others. The film feels as desolate as its setting, and the poison each character has contributed in pursuit of their objectives often fails, paralleling the researchers' failure to control the natural environment.

I found the construction of the film interesting, but in the end I didn't love it.

TIFF 2017 Overview

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