PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Opening recently at FrightFest 2019 this past August, Volition, directed to perfection by Tony Dean Smith (The Killer Downstairs 2019) and co-written with his brother, Ryan W. Smith (Next Gen 2018), is a brainy and brilliant crime thriller. The film stars Adrian Glynn McMorran (Arrow TV series), Magda Apanowicz (The Green Inferno 2013), John Cassini (Se7en 1995), Frank Cassini (Timecop 1994), Aleks Paunovic (War For The Planet Of The Apes 2017), and Bill Marchant (Chappie 2015).
Synopsis:
A man afflicted with clairvoyance tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own imminent murder.
Volition opens with the main character, James (Glynn McMorran), saying in a voice over: “They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. I wish it were that simple.” James has a gift, you see, to foretell the future in glimpses, enough to allow him to be of use to his criminal associates. But he doesn’t have any real control over it.
This an interesting irony considering the film’s title, because the word “volition” means: the power to make your own decisions. But in James’ world, the future seems set, and he’s just stuck watching it play out. He soon gets a job from a gangster to ensure the safe moving of some diamonds. He also has a chance encounter with a woman (Apanowicz) that he had seen in flashes, so he knows they are connected. Things do not go as planned, leading James to see his own death in one of his visions. Now, he must decide whether he should try to change what is already written.
The way that Volition is written reminds me a bit of Inception (2010) crossed with Memento (2000). The film flashes forward and crosses back on itself as James attempts to alter his fate again and again.
As a college student, I was obsessed with the writings of Thomas Hardy, whose characters would vainly struggle against a terrible fate that they were destined for. And no matter how long, how hard, and how nobly they struggled, they could never escape it. Much like a Hardy protagonist, James seems hurtling towards certain death. The difference is that, in James’ world, he knows what is coming, but can he do anything to change his fate? Or is he just another doomed character?
Needless to say, I am wildly impressed with Volition. It’s been a long time since a film has made me think so much about the nature of fate and free will. It also had a level of the unexpected that surprised me. You will absolutely believe the film is going a certain direction, and then midway through, there is a clever twist that will change everything. The writing and crafting of Volition is just masterful, insuring that each and every part keeps the whole puzzle standing. It’s an incredible feat that you must see to fully appreciate. The acting is fantastic, with Glynn McMorran doing an sensational job as the doomed man struggling to stay alive. I was also impressed with the solid presence of the always wonderful Bill Marchant.
This isn’t a film that will blow you away with action, but for a mind-bending great time, you absolutely cannot miss Volition.
