Movie review - Timestalker

Timestalker *** (out of 5) Alice Lowe has garnered a couple of dozen awards and nominations for her work on both sides of the camera, including some for this British fantasy dramedy, in which she wears the three main hats of writer, director and star. And wears them pretty well.

Lowe stars as Agnes, who lives a number of very different lives, from low-born in the 1600s, to rich and privileged in 1973, to middle class in more modern times. Her name and face remain the same, as do people playing a variety of roles in each of her lives. Nick Frost is a loutish husband in one and a stalker in another. Tanya Reynolds’ Meg may arise as a servant or friend in Agnes’ sequential rebirths; Jacob Anderson crops up in assorted supportive capacities. One constant is the emergence of a handsome guy named Alex (Aneurin Barnard), who is always her just-out-of-reach Mr. Right, regardless of how they meet. Only Agnes recalls those prior lives, and even then, only fitfully.

The premise allows all the principals to flaunt some range among their diverse incarnations. It also provides a generous diversity of sets and costumes, which probably ate up a larger-than-average percentage of the budget. Agnes’ personae may not always be particularly likable, but her vulnerability keeps the requisite empathy in place through all her changes. A few minor recurring elements also enhance the continuity from one Agnes to the next.

As actress and director, Lowe carries the ball quite capably. Her looks and bearing remind me of celebrated actress Olivia Colman (with whom she and Frost appeared in one of my all-time favorite comedies, 2007’s Hot Fuzz). The pace is good. The fact that the running time in each period varies considerably adds to the humor and suspense factors. She tosses in a few surreal touches, and occasional bits of comic gore for added liveliness. But Lowe’s script meanders somewhat in many of the segments, diluting its effectiveness. For all the frustrations she endures time after time, the lack of substance is unfortunate. There are some exemplary comic highlights, but not as many as the premise could have delivered.

If you don’t believe in reincarnation, this flick will not convince you it exists. I don’t believe in it, but know that in a previous life I did. (Sorry. Old joke I just had to recycle here. Impulse control is not one of my defining traits.) The final product is a pleasant bit of escapism that you can enjoy, as long as you’re not expecting “profound”.

(Timestalker opens in theaters and on digital formats as of 2/14/24.)