Speed of Life

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Speed of Life, brought to us by writer-director Liz Manashil, is a tight, quick trip that carries viewers to and from the future with the speed of David Bowie’s lightning bolt. Part-homage to the transcendent nature of Bowie’s music and part examination of an imperfect relationship between two good, albeit imperfect people – Speed of Life is an emotional, fantastical ride through the world as we know it and a not-so-distant and not-quite-yet dystopian future. Full of introspect, intellect and moments of endearment, Liz Manashil has created a temporal, emotionally complex little film that’s as difficult to ignore as it’s musical muse, David Bowie, himself.

June (Allison Tolman) has always loved David Bowie and is devastated on the night of his death in 2016. Her boyfriend Edward (Ray Santiago) just doesn’t seem to get it. In fact, Edward has trouble grasping emotional nuances that can’t be broken with laughter or an inappropriate joke and sometimes June can’t stand it. This is a catalyst for an argument that changes their relationship forever. As June laments Edward’s inability to be serious and other aspects of their degrading relationship, Edward steps into a wormhole that opens in the middle of their living room. Jump to the year 2040 and Edward still hasn’t returned.

Here June (Ann Dowd) has aged gracefully, but her sharp wit and good physical health mean very little to the government who now ship those over sixty years old off to federal housing. Still living in the home that she once shared with Edward, June and her friend Samuel (Jeff Perry) discuss the possibility of running away together before her 60^th birthday to avoid matriculation into the elder community. On the evening they start to solidify their escape plans Edward is spit back out of the wormhole – still as young as the day he got sucked in.

Samuel, June and Edward are then thrust together as they try to reconcile with the existence of a wormhole, the world Edward left behind and how they all fit into each other’s lives. Samuel loves June as she is now. Edward loved June so many years ago. And June feels for Samuel but was never quite able to let Edward go. The complexities of the core relationship in Speed of Life is complemented by the story of Samuel’s daughter, Laura (Vella Lovell), as she falls in love with mild-mannered neighbor Phillip (Sean Wright). Together these characters are able to demonstrate love as it blossoms, struggles and matures.

This film is a beautiful little gem that manages to ground its science fiction elements in reality largely thanks to the performances and development of its core characters. Every single character is likeable, even when they’re not being good to or for each other. Manashil and her cast managed to jam pack the film’s seventy-five-minute runtime with a sense of sentimentality and sweetness that lends itself to the audience’s affinity for the characters as they struggle to reconcile with their very strange situation. While there is no explanation or time-travel rule establishment, there doesn’t need to be. The time travel was merely a vehicle to carry the characters through their emotional journeys.

Speed of Life is a film that deserve to be seen. The fantastical elements are palatable to those who aren’t fans of science fiction or fantasy. In fact, the real magic of the film lies within the richness of the relationships and the explorations of love. If you’re looking for a film that will make you laugh, cry, sigh and think – then go see this whimsical little picture. The movie is short and it runs quickly, but not as fast as the speed of life.