In the bonus segment of the DVD version of "Backtrack," actor Adrien Brody refers to the film in the following terms: "soul, truth, and ghost story." That is an accurate capsule of this psychological thriller.
Brody plays a psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Bower, who is traumatized by the death of his young daughter in an auto accident. The death is followed by a number of visions appearing to the psychiatrist, which leads him to put to rest the demons from his past. As a child, he felt responsible for a devastating train wreck that took the lives of forty-seven people. Now, as an adult, Peter returns to the scene of the accident, and his supernatural visions help to lead him to the truth. Sam Neill and Robin McLeavy are also excellent in their roles.
The film was directed by Michael Petroni, who has an excellent touch with set-ups, locations, and camera angles. "Backtrack" is beautifully shot with many memorable moments and images. Perhaps the most haunting is that of a toy railroad track and switching booth in a department store window. It is that image that holds the key to unlocking the past of Peter Brower.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: In the pop psychology of "Backtrack," it is clear that the filmmakers were exploring the Oedipal complex in the relationship of Peter Brower and his father. In the DVD bonus segment, the director described his goal of evoking the theme that one cannot escape one's past. In uncovering the repressed experiences, Peter Brower must confront the one person he has avoided in his life: his father.
While the final twenty minutes of the film may be overly melodramatic, writer-director Petroni nonetheless succeeded in "keeping the audience guessing," and evoking effective suspense in an above-average thriller.
Brody plays a psychiatrist, Dr. Peter Bower, who is traumatized by the death of his young daughter in an auto accident. The death is followed by a number of visions appearing to the psychiatrist, which leads him to put to rest the demons from his past. As a child, he felt responsible for a devastating train wreck that took the lives of forty-seven people. Now, as an adult, Peter returns to the scene of the accident, and his supernatural visions help to lead him to the truth. Sam Neill and Robin McLeavy are also excellent in their roles.
The film was directed by Michael Petroni, who has an excellent touch with set-ups, locations, and camera angles. "Backtrack" is beautifully shot with many memorable moments and images. Perhaps the most haunting is that of a toy railroad track and switching booth in a department store window. It is that image that holds the key to unlocking the past of Peter Brower.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: In the pop psychology of "Backtrack," it is clear that the filmmakers were exploring the Oedipal complex in the relationship of Peter Brower and his father. In the DVD bonus segment, the director described his goal of evoking the theme that one cannot escape one's past. In uncovering the repressed experiences, Peter Brower must confront the one person he has avoided in his life: his father.
While the final twenty minutes of the film may be overly melodramatic, writer-director Petroni nonetheless succeeded in "keeping the audience guessing," and evoking effective suspense in an above-average thriller.