![[Review] Dylan O’Brien’s Flashback Is The Most Insane Film Of 2021](https://thathashtagshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/193736615_844829266109238_6521291820838352796_n-1200x640.png)
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET SEEN Flashback, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a film that was this trippy and perplexing. One that is completely unafraid to ostracize its audience to keep its artistic and creative integrity. If you like bizarre psychological thrillers in the same vein as Donnie Darko, The Butterfly Effect and most recently, this year’s Come True, there is a high probability that you will get a kick out of the new Dylan O’Brien thriller Flashback. There might be some people who are just not going to vibe with it at all, which is totally understandable. But, if you are willing to have the patience for something this challenging, I believe that Flashback is definitely worth your time. And it pays off in the end.
WHAT IS FLASHBACK ALL ABOUT?
The film defies explanation, but I will give a shot at delving deeper into the premise. Fred, played by the ever-charming Dylan O’Brien, is living the life that most people can only dream of. The beautiful wife, the perfect job, the nice house. But, he starts having vivid and terrifying visions of an old classmate named Cindy (Maika Monroe), who vanished in high school, never to be heard from again. He contacts an old friend (Emory Cohen) who they used to take a drug called Mercury with. This encounter makes him realize that he must embark on an anxiety-induced mental journey. Where he must burrow himself into lost memories to uncover the truth about what happened to Cindy.
HOW CONFUSING IS THIS FILM, REALLY?
The first act of Flashback was very frustrating for me because the movie provides absolutely no exposition. It doesn’t even bother to ease you into the madness. Flashback throws you in the rabbit hole headfirst, and not once did it stop to hold your hand and guide you down it. And because I went in blindly, I was completely taken aback by this unsubtle approach. I remember saying to myself, “What the hell is this movie even about?”. And to be honest, you probably won’t be able to answer that upon your first viewing.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THE FULL FLASHBACK EXPERIENCE?
Something clicked with me about twenty or so minutes in, that this movie was not going to be an easy experience. I was either going to completely tune out or invest every ounce of my mind power into it. And because of the incredible cast of performers, the creative use of hallucinogenic visuals, the inventive editing, and the riskiness of the filmmaking in general… I just had this gut feeling, like writer/director Christopher MacBride had a handle on the story he was trying to tell. That I could trust in him, And I wasn’t wrong.
HOW IS DYLAN O’BRIEN IN THE LEAD ROLE? THE REST OF THE CAST?
Dylan O’Brien, who is just coming off of one of my favorite films from last year, Love and Monsters, proves once again that he is a performer who is willing to take risks. Fred is unlike any character he has played before. Thoroughly unhinged and slowly losing his mind. And O’Brien pulls it off, while still injecting his charisma and signature-awkwardness to the role. The rest of the young cast is all fine here and do their jobs diligently, but this undoubtedly, is O’Brien’s film through and through.
I must say though, that I believe the biggest flaw of Flashback is the lack of character development. This bothered me most with our protagonist Fred. If MacBride had spent at least ten minutes at the beginning, building up this character and why we should care about him, rather than pushing on the acceleration immediately; I believe that the film as a whole would have had a far greater emotional impact.
WHY DOES FLASHBACK WORK? DOES IT ALL COME TOGETHER IN THE END?
Flashback is truly a film that will divide audiences. I acknowledge that many of the people reading this review right now, will hate it with a fiery passion. It is a mindbender of the highest order and will test your patience every step of the way. But, the reason I think it works as well as it does is because, if you look closely and pay attention, there are breadcrumbs left for you to follow at every turn to help you try and solve this bewildering mystery. The film is a frustrating and demanding puzzle, but one that makes you feel fulfilled by the end and even better, makes you want to scramble up all of the pieces and put it back together again.
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*spoiler alert*
I know this is old now but I reckon the lack of character development at the start is purposeful because Fred is only experiencing this adult Fred for the first time himself. We meet him during that fateful night and he is only experiencing this reality because he’s on merc. So we can’t see a backstory because the consciousness we’re following didn’t experience anything between teenage Fred and the guy we meet in the car.
When scar face approaches the car he’s trying to guide Fred out of this trip and back to the squat house. That’s why each time he sees scar face he flashes back to the squat house and sees the screaming face.