Infinitum: Subject Unknown Review: Big Ideas On A Micro Budget

Release date: August, 6, 2021
Running time: 95 minutes
Directed By: Matthew Butler-Hart
Starring: Ian McKellen, Conleth Hill, Tori Butler-Hart

Jane (Tori Butler-Hart) wakes up in a strange attic, in a parallel world, with seemingly no way out. She soon discovers that she is stuck in a time-loop, destined to relive the same day over and over again.  With each 'reset' she begins to reclaim her memories and piece together the clues to what is happening to her and the world around her, which seems to now be devoid of human life.  Only through the help of Marland-White (Ian McKellen) she will uncover the truth to help her escape from this never-ending nightmare. Is this finite or infinite, Ad Infinitum?

Inifinitum: Subject Unknown is an impressive project, especially when you think about the very modest way in which it was created.  The film tackles some big ideas and some difficult subject matter, but was also conceived of and filmed during the pandemic, an impressive feat in its own right.  And on top of this, the film has good production values, which would have been excused due to pandemic filming but makes this film feel that much better.  And the movie showcases these production values in the opening with a good use of low light filming and a mysterious setup.

Infinitum touts Ian McKellen as the big star name, but overall the film is mostly about Jane played by Tori Butler-Hart.  She does a good job overall and helps to move the film forward.  There is a lot placed on her as she tends to be the only person on screen for large chunks of time.  Her pain, frustration, and joy are sometimes all that propel you through a scene.  And you also get a good chance to see her and the surrounding area thanks to the film's impressive cinematography.  There are some very beautiful shots of the surrounding countryside that help to let you get lost in the overall experience.  

The film has some noticeable indie issues, such as action that is not fully fleshed out or pursued with camera angles rather than showing it.  And occasionally characters would speak without being shown, which I wasn't sure if that was some of the big ideas in the film or the fact that the budget didn't allow for shooting those characters.  And Infinitum: Subject Unknown has some big ideas in it, that seem to be involving some sort of multiverse where there are infinite possibilities of things that can happen.  The film has aspects of time bending, of repeating days, and of quantum ideas that are all interesting but not explored in as much depth as I was hoping.  That it even took this type of subject matter on in a microbudget indie is impressive already, but I wish there was more background given and some more revelations that occurred.  As it stands, the film itself is an entertaining one, just one that might be confusing at the start.  And it seems to leave much up to the viewer to fill in the holes.  

Infinitum: Subject Unknown is an impressive indie feat that tackles some big ideas on a micro budget with beautiful cinematography and a time-looping story.

Watch it.

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Infinitum: Subject Unknown is available digitally and on demand on August 6, 2021.  

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