Alternatives is the tagline feature for other forms of entertainment outside of discussing literature. These posts may encompass television, movies, games, and music with a randomized flavour of the moment approach to each post.

Alternatives
Movies – Coherence (2013)

Genre: Science-fiction, Thriller, Drama
Duration: 89 Minutes
Directed/Written By: James Ward Byrkit

On the night of an astronomical anomaly, eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of reality bending events. Part cerebral sci-fi and part relationship drama, COHERENCE is a tightly focused, intimately shot film whose tension intensely ratchets up as its numerous complex mysteries unfold.

Coherence is as coherent as someone attempting to convince you that coherence is spelled with a –rent. (Okay that doesn’t make any sense at all but I’m running with it.)

Coherence is a solid, in-your-face, handheld recorded (well…not quite, but it looks like it), claustrophobic and dialogue-improvised film that gave me mental and physical chills. I’m not going dissect this film because it’s a viewing best experienced without prior inclinations. I’ll just say that I elicited, “what the [expletive]?” on numerous occasions and perhaps I have an affinity for swearing more when enjoyment increases—or perhaps not—but my swear jar sure is pleased. But I’ll try to spur some interest anyways while making some half-baked commentary.

Continue reading below at your own discretion.

As a low-budget film rooted in metaphysics, my appetite to think, to wonder, and to imagine the possibilities was cleverly satisfied. The film might not make sense the first, or even the second run-through, but the juggling of ideas as the story unfolds—or even well after viewing the film—is something remarkable for what little spectacle there is. The pacing in dialogue against the unfolding narrative felt right. It felt natural; organic even, as there is never any roadmap to conversing and so improvised eccentricities allows tangents to thrive. That isn’t to say that the dialogue is nonsensical. There is intent behind the majority of phrases but perhaps these are best understood retrospectively. Coherence is like a giant, confusing, Easter-egg hunt with nuances everywhere to propel viewers toward certain finality (because despite the proclivity for open-endedness—metaphysics doesn’t care how we feel).

So there is an ending…and then there might not be an ending. If one thing is certain: in another reality, there is no uneaten food.

Cheers,
Joey

(Disclaimer: I had to edit the movie poster so I could fit the movie title and the important graphics involved. Sorry for the quick and shoddy edit.)