Remainder – The DVDfever Cinema Review

Remainder stars Tom Sturridge as Tom, a man from London. Have you had a trip or fall, recently? Well, he’s certainly had an accident, as debris from above crashes down and puts him in a coma in hospital, to the extent that he has to learn everything from scratch including how to eat and walk.

I broke my right arm in February and was off work for two months. It’s a far cry from what happened to this man, but I did get that utter feeling of helplessness at times, such as not being able to carry a cup of tea (with my right arm, at least) and the pain was excruciating.

For Tom’s situation, He can’t remember anything about the accident, but does recall conversations that he thinks he’s had in the past, yet hasn’t. He can remember that a local thug’s name is Christopher, even though he never knew that beforehand. He’s built a model of a house our of cardboard, despite never seeing the building before, there are two men chasing after him who aren’t afraid of waving guns about and he keeps seeing a young boy wherever he goes, at seemingly random times. For a time, it reminded me of the horror-based third-person-shooter F.E.A.R. 3 when Alma kept appearing out of nowhere.

With his life in disarry, Tom tries to rebuild his memories and it leads him to living the most bizarre of experiences, clearly, and slowly, starting to lose his grip on reality.

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I regularly watch Mark Kermode’s Radio 5 Live reviews when they’re put on Youtube, and recently, he said how much he enjoyed Remainder, and that he saw it on the same day as Independence Day: Resurgence. In the days inbetween watching them and doing the review on the radio, he stated thought a lot about Remainder, yet couldn’t even remember whether or not he’d seen the Independence Day sequel in 3D or 2D, such was the impression that both films left on him. (turned out it *was* in 3D, as was later confirmed)

BTW, I saw the film in 3D at 3pm on the day of release, and expected it to be quite packed as it was opening day. I was the only one there! Had Remainder been given a chance at a mainstream cinema, I definitely think more people would have been in attendance!

With dream-like sequences done in a way I’ve never seen before and echoes of Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys, and also starring Arsher Ali (Line of Duty), Remainder is definitely a film worth checking out. Since it’s a low-budget British film, it’s unlikely to be shown at your local Odeon, but it is getting a Blu-ray and DVD release on October 17th and I urge you to buy or rent it either then, or you can also watch it online on the BFI website.

Remainder is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD.and click on the poster for the full-size version.

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Detailed specs:

Cert:
Running time: 103 minutes
Studio: SODA Pictures
Year: 2016
Format: 2.35:1 (Arri Alexa)
Released: June 24th 2016
Rating: 8/10

Director: Omer Fast
Producers: Natasha Dack and Malte Grunert
Screenplay: Omer Fast (based on the novel by Tom McCarthy)
Music: Schneider TM

Cast:
Tom: Tom Sturridge
Catherine: Cush Jumbo
Greg: Ed Speleers
Naz: Arsher Ali
DI Merrill: Shaun Prendergast
DI Ayres: Rocky Marshall
Samuels: Danny Webb
Daubenay: Nicholas Farrell
Boy: Finlay Norman
Christopher: Jumayn Hunter
Busker: Dermot Keaney
Phil the contractor: Bill Thomas
Pianist: Julian Bleach
Concierge: Rebecca Deren
Driver: Benjamin Davies
Liver Lady: Ann Queensberry
Call Girl: Sasha Frost
Christopher’s friend (recon): David Bonnick Jr
Christopher’s friend (recon): Lanre Malaolu
Bank customer service (recon): Caroline Bartleet
Robber 1: Tom Cox
Robber 2: Laurence Spellman
Robber 3: Joseph Drake
Robber 4: Alex Harries
Reporter: Katie Razzall
Bank customer service: Tim Bruce
Boy’s mother: Cassie Bancroft
Sleets manager: Tim Wallers
Peter Younger: Andrew Havill
Bank Customer: Attila G Kerekes
Nurse: Jacqueline Macaulay
Yardie: Lanre Malaolu
Cat-Handler: Tim Plester
Dr. Trevellian: Adrian Schiller
The Ghost: Agnes Thi-Mai