Very effective and powerful drama

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2004)

This was a very powerful drama. More about painful human relations and a
fatalistic and negative view of life than about science fiction. But the sequences that played in reverse indicating all the painful events were being undone was expertly done and was accompanied by great visuals and sound. I think more
powerful than just stepping into a hokey old time machine for a while.
All the terrible things that happen to the four main characters in the many
different reincarnations of reality are not far-fetched at all to those of us that have lived life for a while. The most powerful image to me was the deep laceration cut into the face of Kayleigh as a child and then the subsequent deep scar in her face as she appeared on screen as a very unhappy but resigned prostitute.
I didn't expect the happy ending. All Evan's efforts to do something positive in his past end up with negative results. So when he finally achieves a positive end by doing something negative, it's a bit ironic and perhaps not all that credible. But I admit I was relieved that the film ended on a positive note after so much darkness and despair. Hope still springs eternal and I drove home with a good feeling. ***1/2!