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January 16, 2015
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GalaxyGuy's Reviews

Radio Free Albemuth [DVD] [2010]

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Customer Rating

Right Up There With A Scanner Darkly

on January 16, 2015

Posted by: GalaxyGuy

Many sci-fi films are simply entertainment. Action sequences and special effects that temporarily transport me to another world. They’re fun, but forgettable. Guardians of the Galaxy was good and I enjoyed it, but I'm hard-pressed now to tell you what it was about or what it left me with.

Not so with Radio Free Albemuth. It made me think. A rarity among movies today. What is is it that makes someone ordinary courageous?

I identified with the characters' struggle to make sense of something beyond their ken. There are moments when it would be so easy to stay stuck or look away, play by the rules and get by, but Nick takes a leap of faith and embarks on a journey of rebellion. He's pretty much alone for most of it, other than an empathetic best friend and co-conspirator Silvia. Although RFA is an alternate reality, there are tons of resonances in the world today - corrupt authoritarian rule, government surveillance, political fear-mongering to exert controL. Nick recognizes Fremont for the corrupt despot he is and attempts to bring him down - something most people are content - or afraid - to live with, otherwise he wouldn't be in power. Nick's very ordinariness make his actions surprising, compelling. I rooted for him.

As good as the plot is, what grabbed me most are the ideas inherent in the story. The characters seek answers and raise questions. What exactly is Valis? A force from without or a metaphor for something within? And some see it and some don't? Or it's both, but only some are able to recognize it? The film riffs on the banality of evil from the smarmy smile of Fremont as he cracks down on civil rights to the cherubic FAP interrogators' inane questions. You don't need a scary monster to embody evil - evil in the ordinary is much more frightening. If there's a genre for philosophical Sci-Fi, this is it. I don't know if there's any movie that can ever pack as much wallop as one of PKD's books, but this movie comes close. Felt the same way about Linklatter's A Scanner Darkly.

The metamorphosis of Phil from skeptic to true believer is subtle and artfully done. Through his eyes, we see Nick's transformation from slacker to activist. Phil is both observer and participant, which brought me deeper into the story. Played by Shea Whigham, he is authentic and utterly watchable. All the performances were great, including the supporting roles. Standouts were Katheryn Winnick as Rachel and Hanna Hall as the villain. Her partner in crime was creepy good, too.

The final scene will stay with me a long time. Heartbreaking. Yet hopeful. I want to know what happens next. When a movie lives on in my head, after the credits roll - that is my kinda movie.

My Best Buy number: 2693374291

I would recommend this to a friend!

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