Arcanum (2009) User Reviews

Indie-film that surpasses expectations.

[ninja-in-the-shell · 10/10 · 23 July 2006]

I saw this film at the Fantasia Film festival in Montreal and despite the film being shown as a work in progress, the screening was packed. What followed was impressive enough to rate Arcanum a 10.

This film is indie but, knowing for how little it was made, exceeds expectations. I have seen Following, Pi, Primer, El Mariachi and as far as achieving much with little, I think this film surpasses them in scope. The film has several interesting characters, including scenes in Japanese and Mandarin, and some beautiful locales.

This is one of the few films I've seen, which attempts to explain the workings of the mind in such an intelligent way. The visuals are stimulating, and pulled together with the score, which is effective in further immersing the viewer into the journey.

In terms of story, it's ambitious. The subject approaches reality itself (think of a blend of Ringu, Waking Life, the Matrix, What the Bleep, and this gives a pale idea of Arcanum).

I would recommend seeing Arcanum, if you have the opportunity. I saw it late-night, which I find to be an ideal time to absorb this film's ideas, which are thought-provoking and offer plenty to reflect on.

What is the Arcanum?

[alexanderdoom · 10/10 · 4 August 2006]

I usually don't write comments, but seeing that this film is awaiting votes and I am probably one of the few who has seen it, I figured I may as well.

I saw a work in progress at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal in July. Fantasia is a cool film fest and this is a cool film.

It is reminiscent of films by Jodorowsky, but a lot more accessible. More sci-fi-ish too.

The film basically explores the workings of the mind by using the medium of film/video as an allegory - that's my interpretation. It intertwines this concept with the narrative, which I found kind of cool, and although I don't think that the work in progress made that clear, I'm assuming that the final version will.

This film is definitely in my top 10 of indie films. Most indie films all feel the same - but not this one. It just seems like it stands apart - that said, it's still an indie film. If you are only used to Hollywood films, this storyline won't please you (although the images and music might still).

But if you are tired of Hollywood, yet don't want to see some lame art-house film, then this film is just right for you.

Pleasant Surprise

[McCharlotte · 10/10 · 9 August 2006]

This was one of the last films I saw at Fantasia this year and I was pleasantly surprised. I really did not know anything about this film before going in, but having bought a 10 ticket-booklet and not knowing what to do with my remaining tickets with only a few days of fest to go, this one looked more interesting than the other films. The director of the film was there to present the film and mentioned that the film was still a work in progress. He also said something about having close to no budget to make the film. At that moment, I was getting worried that I would get stuck watching a film about nothing shot on a homevideo camera. Instead, I saw one of the most original films I've seen in a while. It's kinda hard to say what the film is about, but roughly, it's a sort of metaphysical drama/science-fiction. Watching it, the film was sometimes lingering, but maybe that's because the film was still unfinished and the sound was not always clear. The film sort of grew on me more a few hours after having seen it and that's really when I realized that I liked this film a lot. It would have been nice to see the finished film, but if ever it comes out again, I'll try to catch it then.

Real Sci-Fi of ideas

[jy_mrsh · 10/10 · 1 August 2006]

Most sci-fi made into films has been lame. All about cgi and nothing about, as PKD would say, the Science Fiction of ideas.

Arcanum does just that. It presents a story told from a fresh angle, full of ideas to ponder over.

The score is amazing and the visuals are rich (for an indie film).

If this was a big-budget film, I would not score it a 10 (maybe a 7 or 8). But this movie deserves a 10 for the sheer ambition.

Brief of the story: Guy finds a "camera" or arcanum, as it is called in the film, unwittingly (or is it?) unfolding for himself a world of illusion, and unfolding for us an amazing metaphysical thriller.

Hope this director gets to make other films!