Review | Reminiscence movie review: Hugh Jackman dives into memories in dreamy mystery drama by Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy

This film noir-flavoured sci-fi mystery set in Miami looks at how memories can affect emotions

Jackman, Ferguson and Newton make the best of the script, and the visuals of a flooded Miami are amazing

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Hugh Jackman and Thandiwe Newton in a still from Reminiscence (Category: IIB), directed by Lisa Joy. Rebecca Ferguson co-stars.

Published: 12:00am, 19 Aug 2021Updated: 12:00am, 19 Aug 2021

3/5 stars

After several years serving as the co-creator of HBO sci-fi show Westworld, Lisa Joy makes her feature directorial debut with Reminiscence. As on the TV show, here she gets to play with future tech in a dreamy mystery story that examines the emotional impact memories have on the soul.

Hugh Jackman plays Nick Bannister, who lives in a near-future Miami which has been flooded as climate change leaves an ugly stain on the world. Together with his business partner Watts (Thandiwe Newton), he makes a living by servicing clients who wish to wallow in their old memories.

This is done via a gizmo known as “the tank”, which allows users to immerse themselves in a 3D cinematic projection of their formative experiences. Something of a closed book, Nick finds himself drawn to one of his clients, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), who has her own reasons for plundering her past.

Styled very much as a film noir, Reminiscence comes complete with the obligatory voice-over and, in Mae, the archetypal femme fatale. Unsurprisingly, she and Nick become amorously entwined – one vigorous love scene rivals Fatal Attraction for kitchen sex – which inevitably leads to dangers for him when it’s revealed that Mae is embroiled in murder.

Blending this gumshoe-style drama with science fiction elements is intriguing, and Joy creates a believable vision of a flooded future. The look of a waterlogged Miami is striking, and all credit to the VFX team and production designer Howard Cummings, who worked on Westworld with Joy.