Directed by PJ Dillion, Rewind tells the story of Karen (Amy Huberman) a recovering addict, who has moved on with her life. Enter Karl (Allen Leech) her ex boyfriend who appears on the scene and turns her new life upside down. A roadtrip means Karen must make some decisions along the way in order to protect her new life and family.
Huberman received ‘Best Actress’ at this year’s IFTAs for her role and it’s easy to see why. As Karen she puts in a commanding performance, torn between the past and the present. She shows herself off as a great actress, much more than we could ever see in The Clinic. There’s something about Allen Leech’s character that irks me from the start, you have a feeling this isn’t good, you want Karen to walk away, she can’t.
This is PJ Dillon‘s directorial debut and from the shots and views we are shown throughout the film, it’s no surprise to find Dillon is a seasoned cinematographer. He cleverly uses out of focus shots , showing confusion and turmoil. The blurry out of focus shots work well in other places too, especially when Karen’s husband Brendan is driving in his car. The out of focus shots used take the parochial element away. We can’t see the place names, this could be happening anywhere.
The film moves very slowly at the start but gathers pace as the story builds and probably has more in common with French cinema style than Hollywood. This pacing though is probably deliberate at the beginning as we learn of Karen’s, non exciting, day to day life.
I really enjoyed this film and it’s always nice to hear the entire cinema react in unison, in particular to one event (No I won’t spoil it), It’s a great Irish film. Go see it, and listen to Ian Smyth’s original score, amazing.