The Discovery
Director: Charlie McDowell
Year Released: 2017
Rating: 2.0
A neurologist (Jason Segel) - along with a depressed woman (Rooney Mara) - goes to visit his famous scientist father (Robert Redford) who provided proof of the existence of an afterlife (which has led to millions of people checking out of 'this' life) - turns out Dad is developing technology to actually record the events transpiring in that very same afterlife. The premise is extraordinary (it's a go-for-broke concept) and I found it tense for the first hour while it's still unfolding ... but then around half-way through it starts falling apart, leading to its jumbled and unsatisfactory conclusion (although fans of Primer may disagree). There are some decent passages in this that discuss Big Issues about existence (like heartache and regret) but it can also be heavy handed - young McDowell (son of Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell) has some polishing up to do on his work, but he shows promise.
