Restore Point, 2022
Directed by Robert Hloz
Starring Andrea Mohylová, Matej Hádek, Milan Ondrík, Václav Neuzil, Karel Dobrý, and Jan Vlasák
SYNOPSIS:
Set in central Europe in 2041, powerful technology allows people killed unnaturally to return to life via ‘restore points’ that back up brainwaves. This allows an ambitious young detective the chance to investigate the case of a murdered couple when the restoration team brings one of them back.
Robert Hloz’s impressive debut comes on like a tech-fuelled neo-noir thriller imbued with existential questions of the kind favoured by sci-fi writers of a certain ilk. Hailing from the Czech Republic, Restore Point intelligently explores heavy cerebral questions while not being afraid to offer up explosive action sequences and stunts.
Bringing to mind the work of Philip K. Dick – who penned Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? the source novel for Blade Runner, as well as many other adapted works such as Minority Report. This classy outing into the further reaches also recalls the classic futurism and cityscapes of 1920s expressionist touchstone Metropolis. Is it cyber? Is it punk? Yep. Does it paint a compelling picture of ageless philosophical dilemmas in a dynamic laser-lined environment? Definitely.
The Central Europe of 2041 is not a terribly happy place. Rising economic difficulties have led to gross inequality within society and violent crime is commonplace. Thankfully technology has blessed humanity with lots of shiny new things, including the chance to back up brains at regular intervals to safeguard against unnatural death. This is the Restore Point, which works like saving progress in a video game.
There are plenty of folks opposed to such hubris. These include a shadowy movement known as The River of Life that aims to attack technological developments to make life valued again or some such. They do this by employing methods for ‘absolute murder.’ This is when someone cannot be brought back because they have not backed up in the last 48 hours.
When David Kurlstat (Matej Hádek), the head researcher at the Restoration Institute, and his wife are found murdered without any recent backups, the movement looks to be the likely culprits. The two have no recent backups so the case becomes even more difficult.
However, Kurlstat has a 6-month-old backup which is booted up by the institute. Tough ambitious detective Em Trochinowska (Andrea Mohylová) is tasked with looking into the case of the murdered couple, alongside this version of Kurlstat. Along the way they have to deal with the unwanted attention of a hostile Interpol agent (Václav Neuzil) as well as the burdensome psychological manifestations of grief, jealousy and despair.
Visually the film is a compelling trip into the near future. Marked out by bold washes of colour that don’t strictly follow the rain-soaked noir of Blade Runner, the film cleverly keeps things streamlined and neat. Knowing full well how quickly things can date and look jaded, Hloz keeps the setting attainable and lets the concepts do the heavy lifting. Soundtrack-wise there is a good amount of driving synthwave plus the recurring motif of Debussy’s melancholic piano piece ‘Clair de Lune.’
Overall the tightly wrought story is impressively handled with characters showing their human insecurities in the face of ever-accelerating tech. As a calling card for Hloz it is bound to attract attention, and deservedly so.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
