‘Timecrimes’ is an Intriguing Thrill Ride [The Overlook Motel]

Welcome to The Overlook Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films are given their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations to be suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable, I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct’. 

On this installment of The Overlook Motel, I’m looking back at Timecrimes. This flick is tense, suspenseful, and gripping. From the sometimes-cacophonous score to the frantic camerawork and editing utilized in the chase sequences, Timecrimes is an unnerving and fast-paced good time that needs to be seen by a larger audience. 

Héctor (Karra Elejalde) observes a series of peculiar events from his yard. Upon further investigation, he happens upon a research facility where time travel is studied. Consequently, Héctor travels back in time, setting a series of life-changing events in motion. 

This is a somewhat scrappy film that makes the most of very few locations and only a couple of characters. The film gets additional mileage out of those locations and characters due to the existence of overlapping timelines. The time loop storyline allows different versions of the same character to fulfill more than one role within the narrative. And it’s used to brilliant effect. 

Timecrimes avoids monotony by revisiting the same timeline from different points of view. We see the same series of events unfolding but usually from a completely different perspective than that from which the previous originated. That approach is likely to keep the viewer on their toes while also adding to the sense of intrigue. 

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Seeing the same scenario unfold from an entirely different perspective also provides more insight that helps slowly piece the fractured narrative together. And after having seen a given sequence from multiple perspectives, everything not only makes sense but fits together pretty perfectly. 

Due to all its moving parts, Timecrimes shouldn’t be watched just once. After I checked it out the first time, I had the urge to go back and give it another watch to put everything together after all had been revealed. In doing so, I was able to see just how well the different perspectives fit together. 

Writer/director Nacho Vigalondo tells his story by disassembling the puzzle and mixing up the pieces. But he slowly starts to reassemble them to the point where the narrative (eventually) becomes cohesive. More so than just cohesive, it becomes apparent that Vigalondo has interwoven the timelines seamlessly and with painstaking attention to detail. 

Vigalondo frames his film perfectly, building tension with tightly cropped shots, intentionally choppy camerawork during action sequences, and a discordant score. The director has a clear mastery of crafting and sustaining suspense and accordingly, Timecrimes plays out like a thrill ride. Each scene builds upon that which came before it, creating a frantic narrative that is likely to keep the audience invested throughout. 

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Like several other titles I’ve covered on The Overlook Motel, Timecrimes is a foreign language film from a boutique distributor. It has a somewhat small but loyal following. However, it has yet to achieve the level of widespread recognition a film of this caliber deserves. So, please give it a look if you haven’t yet had the opportunity to do so.  

As of publication, Timecrimes is streaming on, Pluto, Tubi, and Vudu. If you opt to check it out, please let us know your thoughts via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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