ARQ (2016)

Trapped in a lab and stuck in a time loop, a disoriented couple fends off masked raiders while harboring a new energy source that could save humanity.

Director:

Tony Elliott

Writer:

Tony Elliott

Stars:

Robbie Amell, Rachael Taylor, Shaun Benson

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robbie Amell	...	Renton
Rachael Taylor	...	Hannah
Shaun Benson	...	Sonny
Gray Powell	...	Father
Jacob Neayem	...	Brother
Adam Butcher	...	Cuz
Tantoo Cardinal	...	The Pope
Nicolas Van Burek	...	News Anchor (voice)
Jamie Spilchuk	...	Mobius Common (voice)

Storyline

Trapped in a lab and stuck in a time loop, a disoriented couple fends off masked raiders while harboring a new energy source that could save humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

time loop | face spattered with blood | electrocuted | faked death | cyanide gas | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Арка

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lost City, XYZ Films, MXN Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Feature film debut of writer/director Tony Elliott.

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Goofs

At least twice in the film, a character refers to a "kuru virus." Kuru is the Papua New Guinean term for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (first observed in New Guinea). Kuru/CJD is caused by a prion, not a virus.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Renton: You okay?
[flex-cuffs zipping]
Father: That guy you fried with your clever little trap? That was our cousin.
Brother: Cuz.
Father: That's Brother. Sonny. You can call me Father. And you two? You two are the kids.

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Connections

Referenced in The Chronic Rift: Time Loop-de-Loops (2018)

User Reviews

Arq arq arq!

A man no sooner wakes up beside a sleeping woman than a bunch of masked thugs breaks in and kills him. The man then wakes up beside the sleeping woman and again the thugs break in and kill him. And so on ...

Very pacy time looper with good, evenly spaced twists that keep the interest up. It is all fiction and not so much with the science, which is black-box nonsense. As usual there is the exposition scene, where the incredible complexity of the concept of time travel is delivered through ... a doodle made with a pencil and a piece of paper (well, not quite paper). Also it has several rabbit holes and implausibilities, but still the ride is entertaining, with plenty of blood and violence. But in the end it's not quite satisfying, and clearly sets up for endless iterations in a TV series (fingers crossed).

The performances are good. The actress is hard to judge, and there was one extended close up on her reactions that mixed the subtle and unsubtle. You judge. Best performance is the villain, whose part was well written compared to the fake romance of the two leads.

Didn't notice much about the sound. Cinematography was good, and the shifty (not shaky) cam was well judged.

Overall: fast and furious, but ultimately fluffy.