Luke McWilliams gives his review of the mystery-drama film, Mirage, which is now streaming on Netflix.
In 1989, during a massive electrical storm, a young boy named Nico records a music video in his room. Soon, Nico hears screaming from next door and runs across the road to investigate.
Flashing forward to 2014, a young family move into the house formerly inhabited by Nico and his mother. On a night of an identical electrical storm, Vera (Adriana Ugarte) finds Nico’s old TV set and video camera. Turning on the devices, Vera is shocked to find Nico talking to her from the TV.
Time-travel movies serve to tell moral stories, showcasing the consequences of taking things for granted. They are great fun, regardless, due to the various methods of time-travel used, whether it be a souped-up DeLorean car (Back To The Future trilogy) or sending one’s mind back into the past (The Butterfly Effect, X-Men: Days of Future Past) and navigating the consequences of past actions.
Like 2000’s Frequency, Mirage uses a storm and technology to connect two people decades apart to help a loved one’s survival and solve a murder. Whereas Frequency was ultimately a father-son story, Mirage is a mother-daughter story; Vera tries her best to re-jig the time-continuum to return her child to her timeline.
Whereas Avengers: Endgame explained their in-universe time-travel theory, Mirage favours melodrama instead, leading to perceived plot-holes usually critical to such a genre.
Verdict: An effective, moody thriller with impressive production value. It’s a shame the time-travel ramifications and machinations don’t line up. Now streaming on Netflix. 3 stars.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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