Premonition
Premonition’s previews give you that déjà vu feeling that it’s another Forgotten (did Julianne Moore even have a child) or another Godsend (is that kid really dead/his?) – and clearly no Sixth Sense (if you don’t know, I won’t ruin it). The premise is that each day Sandra Bullock wakes up to a different reality, the key difference being whether her husband is alive or dead. Understandably, she thinks she’s going nuts and has an emotionally complex story arc to complement the idea.
Except for one judicious and necessarily purposeful continuity error, this movie is worth seeing just for the complex dual storylines alone. Bullock lives the week in the out-of-order way that we the audience experience it, but everyone around her lives it Sunday, Monday, etc. like normal. I applaud the script supervisor Jillian Amburgey for keeping these realities distinct and eminently followable. And of course, we must acknowledge the screenwriter Bill Kelly for the same. When you see it, you’ll see the one discontinuity and while you may not forgive it, you can certainly understand the impossibility of getting it “right” and making the movie work. Hint: it’s in the first day we experience.
I especially appreciated the order in which the revelations came for us and Bullock. Her experiences and the “real” ones dovetail nicely. The tone is moody and disconcerting at all times, and even though we are following Bullock’s perspectives, the script handles how other people are perceiving this devolution of Bullock very well. Bullock does a good job playing the anxiety, disorientation, mourning, and detective work, and pretty much does 100% of the film’s emotional heavy lifting too. I enjoyed that I wasn’t sure if she was nuts, if it was a cruel and horrible conspiracy, or a paranormal pretzel of time that just happened. (Yes, a conspiracy is the worst idea of the three, but I liked to be kept guessing.) I found the answer quite satisfying.
The seven days of Bullock’s harrowing experience play out with careful iconography so we know the morning she wakes up on the couch that it’s the day after she sat there (which, in our timeline, was a couple of days ago) – the film takes great pains to keep us a little ahead of Bullock so we can enjoy her discoveries. Sometimes, maybe, there’s some spoonfeeding too, but it’s understandable, and it’s really not until the big finale that we ever get everything answered for us.
It’s a good rental – it would be interesting to go back and check the production team’s work, but I’m sure it holds up. It won’t change the cinematic world like The Sixth Sense, but it’s a fun mystery to divert you for a time.
MPAA Rating PG-13
Release date 3/16/07
Time in minutes 97
Director Mennan Yapo
Studio Sony Pictures
