Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 22, 2013

Mike Figgis' "Suspension of Disbelief" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Tiberius Film/Sunfilm Entertainment. The only supplemental features on this release are original trailers for the film. In English, with optional German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

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Martin (Sebastian Koch, The Lives of Others, Black Book) is a single screenwriter who lives in two very different worlds. In the first, he tries to be a good father and help his daughter Sarah (Rebecca Night, TV's Wuthering Heights), who is an ambitious young actress, as much as he can. In the second, he shapes the lives of the characters from his latest script.

While hosting a posh birthday party Martin is seduced by Angelique (Lotte Verbeek, TV's The Borgias), a beautiful and mysterious French girl. Later that night, Angelique disappears. When her body is discovered not too far away from Martin’s home, the police launch an investigation and Martin becomes an important part of it.

Soon after, Angelique’s twin sister arrives from France to identify the body. Because she does not know anyone, Martin invites her to stay at his home until the investigation is over. The moment she enters his home, the film launches three different subplots, each part of a fascinating puzzle. In the first subplot, Angelique slowly exposes events from Martin’s past - such as the disappearance of his wife exactly ten years earlier - and then seduces his daughter. In the second, an abusive director shooting a neo-noir film frequently forces a couple of young and very beautiful actresses out of their comfort zones. In the third, Martin carefully deconstructs the complex relationship between form and meaning for his students, as well as the manner in which it is constantly reinvented by film directors. Meanwhile, the police continue looking for clues that would logically explain Angelique’s disappearance and death.

Director’s Mike Figgis’ (Leaving Las Vegas) new film Suspension of Disbelief falls somewhere between David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Monte Hellman’s Road to Nowhere. It is a very moody, quite dark and wonderfully scripted film that challenges the viewer in all sorts of different ways.

The three subplots provide the film with a type of versatility that makes the finale rather fascinating to deconstruct. There are at least two possible outcomes that make perfect sense, though applying logic to everything that takes place on the screen isn’t necessary to enjoy the deeply atmospheric ride.

Shot digitally, the film has a clean, smooth, at times intentionally sanitized look that feels most appropriate for the frequent transitions between the subplots. The sequences where Martin’s brain is playing tricks on him while he struggles to remember exactly what might have taken place after the party are also filmed with some nice digital effects. A few of them remind of the raw video effects that are present in many of Atom Egoyan’s early films.

Figgis also composed the film’s excellent soundtrack. Moody sax solos are mixed with energetic electronic music which opens up the film very well. Original music from Radiohead and Wagner is also heard.

Koch is unquestionably the star of the film, but Verbeek is also fantastic as the mysterious twin sister. In the second half, the chemistry between the two actors is excellent. Night is likeable, but frequently she looks too elegant and strong to be daddy’s girl. Julian Sands also has a small cameo in the film.

Note: In 2012, Suspension of Disbelief was screened in the XXI section of the Rome International Film Festival.

Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mike Figgis' Suspension of Disbelief arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Tiberius Film/Sunfilm Entertainment.

Shot digitally (Cannon 7D), the film has an appropriately smooth and clean look. Light and shadow are frequently used in unique ways to highlight important events from the subplots as well as Martin's dreams (there are some black and white sequences as well). Predictably, there are minor clarity and sharpness fluctuations, but they are part of the film's visual design. Colors range from soft and warm to moderately cold and very well saturated. There are absolutely no stability issues. Also, there are no purely transfer specific anomalies to report in this review. All in all, I believe that Suspension of Disbelief looks as good as it possibly can on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. For the record, Tiberius Film/Sunfilm Entertainment have provided optional German subtitles for the main feature. (For the few exchanges in French and German there are printed English subtitles).

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio track is fantastic. The film's sound design isn't groundbreaking, but music is effectively used to enhance the moody atmosphere in a variety of different ways. Needless to say, the excellent depth and wide range of nuanced dynamics make the viewing experience a special one. The dialog is clean, crisp, and very easy to follow. Additionally, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers -
  
  1. Original English-language trailer for Suspension of Disbelief. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).
  2. German-language trailer for Suspension of Disbelief. In German, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailers - trailers for other Tiberius Film/Sunfilm Entertainment releases.

Suspension of Disbelief Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mike Figgis' latest film Suspension of Disbelief isn't for everyone, but viewers who enjoy dark and very moody thrillers should definitely try to see it. I enjoyed it a lot. I thought that it was even more atmospheric than Monte Hellman's Road to Nowhere, one of the best films I saw in 2011. The film's technical presentation is simply outstanding. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.