The Discovery

2017’s “The Discovery”, directed by Charlie McDowell.

Starring Robert Redford, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Segal, Brian McCarthy, Jesse Plemons, and Rooney Mara.

Set in a future that looks a lot like today, “Discovery” depicts a world where millions of people begin committing suicide after Redford’s scientist character proves that an afterlife is possible. Segal’s character travels to a remote island via ferry, meeting Mara along the way. She is difficult but intriguing, and sure to show up later. Segal is picked up by his brother (Plemons), and taken to a former boarding school where their father(Redford), runs an organization based around experimenting with recording dead people’s visions. Segal wants Redford to stop the studies, as he believes they cause more harm than good, but is also trying to track down where some visions he has recorded came from, and what they mean.

Somewhat of a “Flatliners” for world class brooders, Segal seems tortured by something he doesn’t understand and can’t alter. Redford is somewhat mysterious as the cult like leader, leading experiments that include interviewing people that are difficult not to compare to “The Master”’s Scientology scenes. There’s plenty of fertile ground here in terms of themes to explore life and death, but it’s tough not to feel “The Discovery” shirks the fecund ideas of life, death, memory, the afterlife and reincarnation, as much as possible. As well, as Segal attempts to get to the bottom of his past amidst his visions and recordings of his possible death states, we’re still trying to get to the bottom of who these characters are. Redford is the mad scientist, and everyone else his subjects, but we know nothing about these people, who all are attracted to that place where life and consciousness divert. It’s a shame that the only real discovery to be found here is that the wanna-be cool, circular exposition of the film doubling as a substitute for character development and plot. Featuring a “tell, don’t show” screenplay, heavy on words that explain little of why our characters do anything or what they are actually feeling, “The Discovery” shows little about human experience that we don’t already know.

2.5/5 (May require a second viewing to adjust score)

Trailer: Click Here.