By Romey Norton - December 9, 2024
Director Kelvin Richards brings the psychological thriller The Reflected Self. Starring Barney Jones, Daisie Boyes, and Marielle Clare, the film follows Dion (Jones) and his teenage sister Nia (Boyes) as they adjust to life in their new inherited home after the tragic loss of their parents.
Struggling with his newfound responsibility and crippled by guilt, Dion begins to see visions of a ghostly Victorian woman. As the film progresses Dion blurs the lines between reality and a world in his mind. Seeking for the truth, will he be able to find his way back home or is someone stopping him?
The narrative delves into the duality between spiritual experiences and mental illness. This isn’t uncommon in psychological thrillers; the protagonist is commonly fighting some inner demon that manifests as a spirit. The ghostly Victorian woman represents Dion’s subconscious, warning him of future dangers. Why a Victorian woman - I don’t know - but it’s still effective in its intention. What is weak is that this entity/character has little screen time. As a psychological thriller, I expected more from this aspect.
The script does well in making audiences guess which is Dion's true reality. However, this flit between what is real and what is not does become a little confusing and repetitive - like when Dion is searching for his sister. We didn’t need those scenes more than once.
I was expecting far more jump scares and there definitely were opportunities for them. These could keep audiences more engaged with the story, as the film does have a slow pace, throughout. I did enjoy the musical score; orchestral, and soft, it really helped create the mood in each scene.
The acting is to a decent standard, but sometimes the main characters' chemistry is off, and I think this is down to the poorly executed ‘twists’ and how Dion sees each character in each reality he creates. Dion's character development is there, and Jones does an excellent job of portraying a confused, scared, and anxious man.
A character called Dr. Minos comes in to explain everything to the audience, which is quite boring. I’d rather be shown, and work things out for myself, not told. She and Dion have conversations at a table, in a field, and so on, which does not do well to captivate audiences. They try to make a twist, by saying Dr. Minos is Dion’s wife, and his sister is his daughter which falls very flat. But leads to some emotional and dramatic scenes, where the acting is more impressive.
At one hour and forty minutes, I was looking forward to a dramatic end with a twist. Spoilers: The final twist is that his therapist-wife is an ex who has been controlling him through a prolonged state of hypnosis to create fake memories and make him believe he had a completely different life with her. So everything has been in Dion's head, and he’s able to walk away unharmed, but maybe a little traumatised.
The final scene is Dion in a coffee shop, and he looks to the side to see the girl his hypnosis character of his little sister is based on and she smiles at him. To be honest, this gives more romantic vibes than sibling love, so a bit weird, but a nice ending.
Despite some negative comments above, what is most impressive is that this film was produced on a tight budget of £50,000 and is made to a very high standard. The film was shot over 13 days at a quite impressive-sized house, and everyone was extremely committed to making this film work.
Held together by some decent acting and framework, The Reflected Self is a film with potential but needs more work. I’d brand it as a drama because it’s not thrilling but is worth watching if you’re a fan of moody dramas.
The Reflected Self is out now on digital platforms
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