Our coverage of the Fantasia Film Festival continues with the Canadian premiere of Timestalker, a film from the United Kingdom that stars and was written and directed by Alice Lowe!

An excerpt from the synopsis on Rotten Tomatoes reads:

“Timestalker follows hapless heroine Agnes through time as she repeatedly falls for the wrong guy, dies a grim death, gets reincarnated a century later, before meeting him again and starting the cycle anew.”

The film stars Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk). 

Timestalker is, in some ways, an anti-romantic comedy, which definitely gives it a unique feeling to accompany its unique premise. 

So, does Timestalker keep us hooked through its time loops, or should it stay lost in the past?

My Thoughts

Right away, I need to start this review by talking about Alice Lowe, because holy smokes. Lowe not only plays the main role of Agnes in the film, but she also is given sole writing and directing credits for the movie. The movie quite literally rests on her shoulders, and I thought she did a great job. 

First of all, the thing that immediately stood out to me was the visual style of the film. While it covers a range of different times, there is still a consistent visual style throughout. I don’t mean so much in terms of the shots themselves, but more the sets, costumes, and even the effects work. This movie has some beautiful colours and props that linger throughout, which helps the different eras feel more connected. While I felt this aspect of the movie really worked, I think it also would’ve been more interesting to make the different time periods feel a bit more distinct in the way they were shot. 

Moving on from the direction, though, let’s talk about the script! Overall, I liked what Lowe was able to do here, but I didn’t quite love it. In terms of the positives, the movie is consistently funny throughout, whether it’s due to solid jokes and bits or some very over-the-top and stylized deaths. Where the movie lacked for me, though, was with how little it really does with its different settings. Once it was over, I felt like we barely scratched the surface of the potential the premise affords. The story could’ve been told in different eras without requiring changes to the script itself. For such a unique premise, it felt very samey and the movie overall didn’t feel as unique as its core idea. 

The highlight for me, though, for all of Lowe’s work was her performance. She was fantastic here and it floored me that this was the first thing I’ve ever seen her in. Her biggest strength was during the more comedic elements of the movie for sure, but she was solid in the few more serious moments she had, too. Her character could have felt a bit too one-dimensional with a weaker script and a less capable actress, but she weaves more layers into the performance as the movie progresses. 

The rest of the cast was very serviceable, but aside from Nick Frost, they really didn’t have much opportunity to really stand out. This is really all about Agnes, which works still, because of how solid Lowe is in the role. 

Beyond the work Lowe did, though, I really liked the costumes, music, makeup, and sets used in the different eras. Each period looked and felt distinct, and that was solely due to these aspects.

Also, the sound mixing was great, specifically as it relates to a particular character that I won’t spoil here. While this performance itself was great, the way they were able to add to it by weaving in certain sounds was spectacular and got more than a few chuckles out of the audience and me. 

Verdict

While I wasn’t in love with this movie, I don’t think it should be lost in time either. There was a lot here that was very positive, and Alice Lowe is an absolute force. She was able to create something with some beautiful visual style, and her lead performance alone makes this movie a breeze to get through. 

While I felt like there was more potential in the premise of the movie, Lowe still created something unique and unlike anything else I’ve seen lately too. Overall, I enjoyed this movie and I think most people would too!