Review: TIFF 2015: ‘The Mind’s Eye’ is a throwback made with love (Includes interview and first-hand account)

In fiction and non-fiction narratives alike, people have typically had one of two reactions to those that are different: ostracization and eradication, or envy and appropriation. While the former response can be seen through history, the latter is more often associated with science fiction and fantasy tales in which diversity comes in the form of superhuman abilities. In many cases, fear is connected to one’s incapacity to match their counterpart’s power. Thus, creating an equal playing field is the only means of salvaging peace. In The Mind’s Eye, one doctor’s efforts focus on people with telekinesis.

Zack (Graham Skipper) has been on the run for years, avoiding the faceless enemy that threatens to capture those with special abilities. But when his girlfriend, Rachel (Lauren Ashley Carter), disappears, he’s forced to infiltrate the Institute for Telekinesis by agreeing to be one of its subjects. However, in spite of Dr. Slovak’s (John Speredakos) reassurance that everything is all right and he just wants to help, the experiments he conducts indicate otherwise. Moreover, after months of confinement, Zack has yet to be allowed to see Rachel. Tired of being treated like a lab rat, Zack leads a small uprising in an effort to escape Slovak’s control. However, the consequences of his revolt are swift and severe.

The motto for most visual mediums is typically “show, don’t tell.” However, the horror genre is one of the few exceptions in which doing the opposite can be just as effective. Writer/director Joe Begos flawlessly incorporates some of the worst transgressions at the Institute into verbal exchanges between the characters. “I wanted there to be some idea of what was going on there, but by just talking about it the driving force of the movie would be these three people orbiting around each other,” he explains. Combined with camera angles that obscure certain procedures and adequate practical effects in the second half of the movie, the viewer is drawn in by the story rather than the spectacle.

Like Begos’ first picture, which was obviously inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing and Ridley Scott’s Alien, the filmmaker once again find’s his influence in a classic sci-fi film, Scanners. There are numerous similarities between this movie and the David Cronenberg masterpiece, but they’re not necessarily intentional. “My entire childhood was spent watching this stuff, so it’s sort of permanently engrained in my brain,” says Begos. “So when I come up with an idea, it organically comes from [those movies]. There’s no way around it.” He also set the film in 1990 to achieve a similar timelessness to some of his favourite pictures, such as Pet Semetary.

Begos brings back several actors from his feature debut to star in his sophomore outing and adds some other familiar faces, including Jeremy Gardner of zombie indie fave, The Battery. While Begos specifically wrote the role of Zack for his previous leading man, Skipper, he also wanted to cast actors who were well-known for their talents in the genre. Thus he approached Larry Fessenden, Noah Segan and Gardner, who all bring noteworthy experiences to the table, for parts he envisioned them in during the creative process. “And now I have a bigger group of actors for whom I can just write stuff for,” says Begos.

The filmmaker was also able to collaborate with his first-choice for composer on the score, Steve Moore, who has worked on recent thrillers, Cub and The Guest. “There aren’t a lot of really heavy action movies with a synth-based score,” says Begos. Thus, they took some of their cues from James Cameron’s The Terminator to create a brooding atmosphere that would be authentic to the narrative. “I’m really happy about how it turned out,” he adds.

Rather than simply pilfering from classic genre movies, Begos produces an homage to his beloved sci-fi and horror influences — with a dash more splatter. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Don’t miss the rest of our TIFF 2015 coverage.

Director: Joe Begos
Starring: Graham Skipper, Lauren Ashley Carter and John Speredakos

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Everest’ is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that’s true to life (Includes first-hand account)

    The prestige that comes with reaching the top of Mt. Everest makes it one of the most coveted accomplishments amongst adventurers — though not necessarily skilled climbers, who set their sights on less commercialized summits. Consequently, Everest is also one of the most expensive treks someone can aspire to complete, so not making it to the top is more than just a disappointment. The ascent is treacherous due to weather, thin air and unstable ground, and there are substantial costs associated with the equipment and manpower required to complete the journey. Yet every year hundreds of people arrive at base camp to give it a try. Everest chronicles one of the worst disasters to occur on the mountain almost 20 years ago.

  • Review: ‘Furious 7’ gives fans everything they want and then some (Includes first-hand account)

    When the first film premiered in 2001, there was a lot of uncertainty whether The Fast and the Furious would launch a successful franchise — a theory the second film did not do much to refute as it focused on only one-half of the dynamic duo that propelled the original. Though none of the early characters appear in the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift breathed new life into the franchise. The fourth film‘s reunion unleashed a can of NOS and it hasn’t slowed down since. In Furious 7, the story is looping in on itself and doing everything required of a successful series.

  • Review: ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ harbours many secrets under the surface (Includes first-hand account)

    With the rise of movie franchises, filmgoers have become accustomed to the sequel. In the simplest terms, it’s a new story involving the original characters. More often than not, it’s a continuation or extrapolation of the initial narrative. But that doesn’t mean it has to prescribe to this traditional model. It’s the link between pictures that causes one to be the sequel of another; however, how that link is illustrated or employed is — or should be — flexible. 10 Cloverfield Lane is not a conventional sequel, but it is undoubtedly connected to its predecessor by more than just its name.

  • Review: ‘The Peanuts Movie’ is the big screen reunion fans hoped for (Includes first-hand account)

    “What once was old is new again.” This phrase can be applied to a number of trends in various industries of pop culture as former favourites are repurposed, rebooted and reimagined. In film, it’s often meant taking characters and franchises from the creators’ childhood and presenting them to a contemporary audience. This has occurred countless times over the years with mixed results. The latest creation to get a makeover is Charles M. Schulz’s beloved group in The Peanuts Movie.