Shuffle (Kurt Kuenne, 2011): USA

Reviwed by Sofia Arnbom. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2012.

This is a fantastic story who gives you an adventure you will not forget.

Lovell Milo is the narrator and main character in this movie, played by the actor TJ Thyne known from Bones. When Milo wakes up every day he is in a different age  and dimensions in his life. When he falls asleep he never know when in his life he is gonna be when he wakes up. He is always aware of who he is, how old he is and who everyone around him is.

He is trapped in this choronocial time wrap and he wants to stop it, but do not know how. Milo gets some information from different persons  from different days that he has to save someone, that is his mission with his mysterious life.

As we follow Milo through his life in a strange order, one day he is 11 – another 92, we get to know different characters in his surrondings. His father Dr. Orson Milo (Chris Stone) is a workaholic doctor and is troubled by narcolepsy, he is very strict and dominant. His mother Shelley Milo (Meeghan Holaway) is kind but does not have the courage to speak up against the father. We also meet Lovells friend Grace (Paula Rhodes, Elle Labadie) both in his childhood and as a grown-up.

There is no way in the movie you can tell where the story is going. Is he going to solve the time problem? What is up with his girlfriend? What is the message with him beeing a photographer?  I liked that Lovell is talking directly into the camera and to the audience when he is thinking, instead of having voice-over or having a bubble over his head. That makes the audience involved in his problem.

The whole movie is in black and white. After the movie there was a Q & A and the director, Kurt Kuenne, told us he wanted it in black and white because it fits the theme of the movie. It is chaos and we do not know what is present and what is past. It felt weird to watch a modern movie in black and white but after a while you forgot it because the plot was so exciting.

I am so amazed how this movie could be so good with that low budget and shot in a such a short time. And I am impressed that TJ Thyne wanted to come along and be a part of the movie. He is an amazing actor. I guess they had a lot of luck, because they got a famous awarded person who made all the make-up. The make-up is incredible, the same person, TJ, plays both 20 and 92. A big applause for Barney Burman.

Shuffle contains all sorts of themes, love, comedy, thriller and some violence and at the same time being a big puzzle to solve for Lovell. I had some sort of expectations when I walked into the theatre but when I walked out, the movie had reached far beyond them. Amazing movie everybody should see. I am looking forward to see some of Kuenne’s other movies.