The Discovery (2017)

Two years after the afterlife is scientifically proven, a man attempts to help a young woman break away from her dark past.

Director:

Charlie McDowell

Writers:

Charlie McDowell, Justin Lader

Stars:

Robert Redford, Mary Steenburgen, Brian McCarthy

Cast

Credited cast:
Robert Redford	...	Thomas
Mary Steenburgen	...	Interviewer
Brian McCarthy	...	Sound Recordist
Jason Segel	...	Will
Rooney Mara	...	Isla
Jesse Plemons	...	Toby
Ron Canada	...	Cooper
Riley Keough	...	Lacey
Connor Ratliff	...	Coroner
M.J. Karmi	...	Janice (as MJ Karmi)
Kimleigh Smith	...	Hospital Receptionist
Willie C. Carpenter	...	Hospital Janitor (as Willie Carpenter)
Wendy Makkena	...	Mom
Adam Khaykin	...	Oliver (as Adam Morrison Khaykin)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lindsay Schnebly	...	Newscaster

Storyline

Writer-director Charlie McDowell returns to Sundance this year with a thriller about a scientist (played by Robert Redford) who uncovers scientific proof that there is indeed an afterlife. His son is portrayed by Jason Segel, who's not too sure about his father's "discovery", and Rooney Mara plays a mystery woman who has her own reasons for wanting to find out more about the afterlife.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | alternative reality | after life | playing in the surf | playing a mouth organ | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Descoberta

Filming Locations:

Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment,Netflix,Protagonist Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie McDowell directs his girlfriend Rooney Mara and his mother Mary Steenburgen in this film.

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Goofs

Will rules out the possibility of the image retrieved from a corpse being a memory of the deceased person, on the grounds that it does not match the events that took place in real life. Science has discovered, however, that memory is in fact not an accurate record of what one perceives but rather a distorted and malleable one, and Will, being a neurologist, must have been aware of this.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Interviewer: Dr. Harber, before we're live, I just wanted to say thank you for choosing me.
Thomas: [warming up his voice] Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Interviewer: The rich history you have with other journalists...
Thomas: I chose you precisely because we don't have a history. Now, don't fuck it up.
Producer: Fifteen seconds...

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jason Segel/Lilly Singh/Brian Regan (2017)

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Soundtracks

A Fancy Place to Cry
Written by Billy Hayes
Performed by Patsy Maples
Courtesy of Fervor Records

User Reviews

Excellent Idea, Poorly Executed

I watched The Discovery on Netflix the other day. It has an excellent premise and looking at the description the film looks like it should be great. But instead of fulfilling its potential, it misses the mark and ends up being very underwhelming.

The film is set in a world two years after the existence of the afterlife has been scientifically proved. Intriguing, right? You could make such a great film with that premise! It's such a shame that this film just doesn't do it well.

It's because of the great idea behind it that I haven't given this film a lower score. Conceptually, it's very interesting. There are some good performances from Robert Redford and Jesse Plemons, and the film has a pretty good twist at the end. Those are the good things.

Visually, it's very dull. There are no vibrant colours. The overall tone of the film is pretty depressing, which is a shame because they could have made it really exciting. It could have been a satirical comedy or a great romance film, but it is neither of those things. It takes itself very seriously, and it's no fun to watch at all. Jason Segel and Rooney Mara aren't great, and the romance between them didn't work at all, I felt. It's a huge missed opportunity, and I hope someday they remake it and improve on the things they got wrong. It really could have been a great film, but unfortunately, they didn't get it right.

4.3/10