Point of Restore: Check This Out
Robert Hloz, a Czech filmmaker making his directorial debut, helms the science-fiction thriller Restore Point (Bod Obnovy). Its futuristic pitch will make you tense at first. Have patience! Your senses will be assaulted by the high-tech colors and barrage of techno-driven noises, but if you have patience, you will eventually hear a genuine heart beating underneath the virtual reality’s chaos.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that humanity is at the very center of the narrative, elevating the apparently gimmicky sci-fi proceedings to a level much above that of the typical dystopian bollocks.
In the first scene of Restore Point, debutante Andrea Mohylová plays Emma Trochinowska, the main character. Emma is a perfect example of what a female action hero should be like—she’s tough, cunning, and never afraid to show her gender. Yes, there isn’t even a romantic interest. Who has the time to do this?
Mohylová, whose work I had not previously seen, is astounding. She exudes a virile intensity that reminds me of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill as she delves into her harsh, often unclear role.
And this gal has much more on her plate than just a personal grudge!
It’s 2041 (not too far away!). We all know that crime and violence are on the increase. In the unnamed European nation where the movie is set, citizens are entitled by constitution to be resurrected in the case of an unnatural death.
Let me explain. Restore Point is an organization dedicated to preserving human life. When someone passes very unexpectedly and brutally, their life is restored.
River of Life is a group that has undertaken targeted terror attacks against the unnatural resurrection technology, and Detective Emma Trochinowski is actively pursuing them. David Kurlstat (Matěj Hádek), the scientist who invented recovery technology, is resurrected after he and his wife are killed. His spouse isn’t. In a sequence of poignant and infuriating memory montages, he relives their former happiness.
And so starts a frantic game of cat and mouse in which we never know who is the mouse and who is the cat. Despite the limited budget available to Central European films, cinematographer Flip Marek gives the picture a rich, epic, futuristic image.
The most tender scenes in this muscular, steely-edged film are when Emma and David are attempting to put their broken lives back together without tripping on any glass.
Strange, huh? In his remarkable directorial debut, Robert Hloz injects a shot full of adrenaline. Not all of it makes sense, not even in part. But the cadence never becomes clumsy. No one uses momentum as an excuse to swoosh by the check, or should I say post-Czech.
