Do you love murder mysteries? I sure do! And while scrolling Netflix, I came across the latest movie from Argentina, “Recurrence.” It is a film that explores a crime and pits the lead actor against the administration in the quest for justice for the victim.
However, are the makers able to execute the premise well? Is Recurrence a good film to watch? All these questions are answered in my review of this latest flick on Netflix.
Recurrence Review Summary
While trying to deliver a murder mystery, Recurrence ends up offering “misery.” It cannot create the thrill required to make up for an exciting watch. Keep reading my Recurrence review to see how several factors shape the movie’s outcome.
Recurrence Movie Synopsis
Pipa, an ex-cop, is caught in the middle of a murder mystery she must solve to deliver justice. However, there are enough roadblocks and hauntings of the past to torture her in her quest. Will she be able to find the culprit?
Directed by Alejandro Montiel, Recurrence stars Luisana Lopilato (Manuela “Pipa” Pelari), Mauricio Paniagua (Rufino Jerez), Benjamin Del Cerro (Tobias Pelari), Paulina Garcia (Alicia Pelari), Ariel Staltari (Mellino), Ines Estevez (Etelvina Carreras), Malena Narvay (Mecha Carreras), Aquiles Casabella (Cruz Carreras), Santiago Artemis (Paco), and Laura Gonzalez (Samantha Sosa), among others.
What Works for Recurrence?
Climax
Though not precisely accurate, Recurrence has a good climax up its sleeve. It is not entirely unpredictable; still, the climax holds well for the movie. And when a film is mainly surrounded by not-so-good elements, even a slight ray of astuteness seems enormous.
Decent Performances
Usually, while a movie might fail in every aspect, it doesn’t disappoint in terms of portrayals by the cast. Recurrence comes good but only by a small margin. It is a collective failure rather than an individual fallacy. To some extent, poor execution of the story adds to the agonizing forays of actors.
Playing the lead character of Pipa, Luisana Lopilato tries hard to look fierce, independent, and competitive. However, it is the characterization that fails her. Her scenes should have been bold, wholesome, and compelling. Instead, she is depicted as a below-average individual.
The presentation must have been several notches higher for an ex-cop in the Violent Crimes Unit. Pipa is never able to win you over. Her outing is too mediocre to stand a chance for the lead character.
Furthermore, this should not be blamed on the actor playing the role. The mistake is from the end of those who sketched the character of Pipa.
In her capacity, Luisana Lopilato does well to sustain Pipa’s existence, but that’s just it.
Mauricio Paniagua as Rufino Jerez delivers a decent act. Again, the writing could have been better. Paulina Garcia plays a minor part of Alicia, but her endeavors ensure a lag-free outing. Everybody else in Recurrence is reasonable but let down by poor writing.
In essence, I cannot pick one actor or character from the movie and call them ‘outstanding.’
What Doesn’t Work for Recurrence?
Loose Plot
A murder mystery must be intriguing from the beginning, but Recurrence is not. Thanks to a messed-up plot, it fails to glue you to the screen. The misery is further facilitated by an aimless and confusing initial screenplay. To a general viewer, the story might not be vivid to understand.
You might have to pause and rewind to connect the dots, which should not have been the case. Though the middle phase brings the balance back to some extent, the latter half of Recurrence is again tragically plotted.
Tacky Writing
It is the worst part of Recurrence. There are numerous instances of misplaced writing in the film. The characters, scenes, set-ups, buildups, etc., are poorly penned down. Maybe, a simple and subtle approach would have done the trick. However, while trying to introduce twists and turns, the writers lose their sheen.
As I mentioned above, Pipa’s character should have been made more significant.
Half-hearted Execution
Having an idea is one thing and deploying it on the screen is another. You must ace the execution part to ensure nothing goes awry. However, Recurrence seems half-boiled from the outset. In terms of story, crime thrillers rely on three things: commission, investigation, and discovery.
But one of them augurs well for Recurrence.
Background Music
At some places in the film, you will hear strange tunes just to highlight the essence of the scene. Even one-to-one conversations are filled with peculiar background music that does nothing other than straying you away from the screen.
Moreover, Recurrence needed a more furious background score during chases, buildups, and discoveries. But it fails badly in this aspect too.
Final Word
I hate to say this, but Recurrence doesn’t deserve your time if you are looking for a fascinating murder mystery. It is just another addition to a long list of mediocre crime thrillers.
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