Backtrack
released in 2016
www.ink2quill.com

”Backtrack” is an Australian horror, thriller, mystery directed and written by Michael Petroni. The music was composed by Dale Cornelius and it stars Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, Robin McLeavy, Bruce Spence, Jenni Baird, Chloe Bayliss, Greg Poppleton, Barbara Gouskos, Jill McKay, Sam Neill, Emma O´Farrell, Anna Lise Phillips, Malcolm Kennard, Matthew Sunderland, George Shevtsov, Robin McLeavy, Jesse Hyde and Anna Lise Phillips. Although this had only a limited release in theaters it is well worth watching.

IMDb website for the Movie:  Backtrack

”Backtrack” is the story of psychiatrist Peter Bower, played by Adrien Brody, who realizes that all his patients are ghosts. After he looks them up one at a time he discovers that these ghosts, although from different walks of life, all died on the same day. The mystery only gets deeper as Peter Bower investigates these people´s lives.

I usually avoid giving spoilers but in the case of this film I just can´t help myself. The story is so good and I´ve read so many comments and blogs from people who just did not understand what is going on in the story. Many think this is a simple tale of supernatural revenge. It is not. So here comes the spoilers.

You also might want to watch it twice. Once before you read the spoilers below and again if you do not see what I´m talking about in my spoilers. This film is a gem folks.

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WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN BACKTRACK THEN STOP READING AND COME BACK AFTER YOU HAVE SEEN IT!!!!!!

The script is excellent and the world building is fantastic. It is important to mention world building in this story because the dream like quality of this world implies that the character is not among the land of the living. Peter Bowers reactions in the story display this fact.

For example when the character of Eve collapses in his office he does not call the police or an ambulance. His reactions are one of someone in a dream. The whole story is more like a dream world than reality.

Another example is how Peter Bower is always in an old fashioned setting and he only deals with people in an old fashioned setting. As if time was standing still. His office and the university look very old fashioned. Is Peter Bower in fact straddling two worlds, the land of the dead and the land of the living? Or is he simply in one world looking over into another?

My opinion on the character of Peter Bower is that he is in fact a ghost who must confront a terrible past. One in which he was murdered. He cannot accept the things he witnesses or the fact that he is dead. So although he discovers what a horrible person his father was, he still has to accept the fact that he is dead. So at the end of the film we see him in bed with his wife who is also a ghost. That is a very interesting twist.

What I really like about this movie is how the viewer might think the ending is predictable when in fact it isn´t. It is more than just a revenge yarn and the main character, at the end, is left with issues unresolved. He still cannot accept the fact that his father killed him.

This is a great film. A real gem with fine acting and a great script. Enjoy it and watch it twice if you don´t see what I´m talking about. Ciao.

John

(Commentary by www.ink2quill.com )
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