Struggle of Cassandra

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2020)

If you are somehow aware of a future apocalypse, and you tell it to the people, you would be treated as crazy. It is called Cassandra Complex, derived from a Greek legend, and is what happens to the protagonist Cole.
Cole, a prisoner in the dystopian world of 2035, is send to 1990, and later to 1996. We learn from him that 99% of human race will be eradicated in 1996 and 1997 by a deadly virus, and his purpose is to obtain information about the virus before it mutates.
He explains his situation to the people, and naturally is put in a mental asylum. He is a rough and vulgar man, having volunteered to the task only for a pardon, but somewhat shows a sense of duty, as heroes played by Bruce Willis always do. He meets Kathryn, a beautiful and sympathetic psychiatrist who you would want to make believe yourself more than anyone else. Actually how she comes to believe him is the most interesting part of the film.
As a time-travel mystery, the plot is quite complicated. To be honest, I needed some help from explanation websites to understand the details after watching it. It seems to me that some pointless distractions make it more complicated than necessary. And although I know he was nominated for an Oscar for the role, I don't find the Brad Pitt character that interesting or attractive, compared with the two leading characters, and even with the creepy David Morse.
But it still has true tension and thrill that compel you to follow the story to the end. It's exciting to watch the time-travelling twists where an act can solve a problem and cause a new problem at the same time. I love the scenes from the post-apocalyptic 2035, like scientists singing Blueberry Hill and the face of an elderly female scientiest magnified in a lens. The entire film is filled with dizziness and nightmare, but strangely beautiful.