Retrospekt is a Dutch film dealing with abusive relationships and how people deal with them, told in a piece wise, out-of-order manner. Mette (Circé Lethem) is a mother and wife who works for an agency that assists abused women. We see her at various times pregnant, caring for her newborn child and young daughter, and recovering from physical trauma, putting the pieces together as the film progresses. Like Memento, which tells its story in reverse, the mixed-up timeline reveals details when the director chooses to, and the time jumps serve to keep the audience somewhat disoriented and unsettled. That feeling is strongly reinforced by a musical score and sound effects that are loud and annoying, making the film very uncomfortable to watch.
I was enjoying the first half of the film and thought I knew where it was headed, but the continuing needling of the annoying sound track wore me down, and in the second half I was hoping it would end soon. The ending of the film was also less satisfying than I had hoped for, not in terms of expecting a happy ending, but because there was less closure and clarity than I expected.
TIFF 2018 Overview
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