Review: ‘Quantum Suicide’ collapses into itself
Gerrit Van Woudenberg’s debut shows great promise, despite its many cracks.
Such films as Minor Premise, It’s What’s Inside, and Masking Threshold incorporate sci-fi elements to create a terrifying horror-based elixir. Blending genres can often be an arduous task and doesn’t always work. Gerrit Van Woudenberg’s feature-length directorial debut arrives as a bit of a conundrum. With an ambitious script, Van Woudenberg plots a story about quantum physics and one man’s search for truth. But a torrent of scientific jargon bogs down an otherwise interesting premise and drowns all character development.
Cayman (Andrew Rogerson) is something of a genius. A physicist by trade, he aims to deconstruct the theory of everything to better understand human existence. He erects a particle accelerator out of a mishmash of parts he collects on the streets and in junkyards and dumpsters. What begins as an admirable effort soon devolves into an utter obsession that leads to his mental and physical breaking point. Genevieve (Kate Totten) acts as his supportive girlfriend, at least in the beginning, but tensions boil over as Cayman’s preoccupation with his work creates rifts in their relationship. As Genevieve urges him to publish his finds (perhaps before they’ve been properly finalized), Cayman grows cold and distant.
Van Woudenberg commits completely to quantum physics and the theories involving protons, electrons, and neutrons. While enterprising, many viewers will likely get lost in the technical terminology that’s never explained in layman’s terms, thus creating an immense divide between enjoyment and understanding. From a sci-fi perspective, Quantum Suicide achieves in enticing the audience into a well-crafted, hypnotic visual world. Van Woudenberg’s approach to editing and cinematography, alongside DP Casey Bramall, is exemplary, adding strong thematic layers with fang-toothed framing, lighting, and frantic montage pieces.
Where the film falters also lies with the lack of character depth. Cayman and Genevieve never feel like real people with real problems. Their struggles are so focused on Cayman’s research that their relationship fails to get off the ground, causing the viewer to become exasperated and unable to invest in the overall story. A lack of character arcs deflates the concept and further zaps the truly striking visual elements of most of their energy.
Quantum Suicide, now streaming on Tubi, contains nuggets of fascinating elements that don’t come together to create a satisfying viewing experience. It’s a shame really – but that doesn’t detract from Van Woudenberg’s irrefutable promise as a filmmaker. He has something to say, and that alone should be commended.
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