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Alejandro Montiel's latest crime thriller, Recurrence, continues the story of Pipa (Luisana Lopilato) years after the events of Intuition (2020), with a significant overhaul in the setting and premise. Beginning with an exciting shot in La Quebrada in the north of Argentina, the film does not take long to dive into the major crisis. However, from there onward, everything goes downhill.
The film follows Pipa, who is trying to live a quiet life as a farmer and raise her son in peace. However, she soon finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, something she has been running away from for ten years. The confusing premise saw a lot of tension in the town, corrupt law officials, and rebellious local tribes. Anyhow, the film failed in almost every respect.
The film premiered on July 27, 2022, on Netflix. Read on for a review of Recurrence.
Recurrence review: Lack of compelling characters ruin a promising story
Following the life of retired Detective Pipa in her exile, the film drags in a cliche direction by introducing a crisis, where the protagonist is forced to use her skills from the police force. This has been seen multiple times in Hollywood, most recently in the Jeff Bridges series, The Old Man.
It wouldn't be right to say that each time the idea has to be fresh for a film to deliver interesting content. It does help in making the film unique, but a common idea can be used to make a brilliant film. It's just that Recurrence failed to do so.
The film is extremely confusing at times, with barely any context for viewers who have not watched the previous two films in the series. Not only that, but the characters also feel massively undercooked and overwhelming. Things move too fast at times, possibly leaving viewers confused about a certain storyline's progression.
The film tried to make things fast-paced, a common approach for thriller films, but this one ended up being a mess of underdeveloped plotlines. The film lacks clarity in most places and is overly predictable in others. There is also an issue of an excessive number of sub-plots. Sub-plots are an integral part of any story. Sometimes, they can single-handedly raise the standard of a film. But Recurrence had so many plotlines that it often did not make sense.
The story, though seen many times before, had promise. It is the kind of story that viewers like and appreciate. But the lack of a compelling hero or villain made the film excessively bland. While watching, viewers will struggle to relate to any side.
The film also had ample opportunity to use natural beauty as a surplus in its cinematography, but it let that go to waste. The camera work is good, but it could have been so much more. The same cannot be said about the sound design, which was outright improper. The sound design was needlessly heavy, stacked with elements, and overcompensating in general.
Verdict- Should you watch Recurrence?
In all honesty, this film is best avoided. The film has little to offer to first-time viewers. Perhaps, it would provide a conclusion to viewers who have previously followed Pipa's story, even if it's an unsatisfactory one. Other than that, there is almost no reason to binge a nearly two-hour film.
Recurrence is now streaming on Netflix.
