'Timecrimes' review

Nacho Vigalondo (Credit: Magnet)

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Hector (Karra Elejalde) is enjoying life at his new country home when he catches a glimpse of a nude woman (Barbara Goenaga) in the woods nearby. When he goes to investigate, he’s attacked by a mysterious man in bandages. Fleeing for his life, Hector encounters a solitary scientist (Nacho Vigalondo) who leads him to a machine that will send him into the past and potentially allow him to change recent events. But things don’t go quite as planned.

The buzz: After several shorts, including the Oscar nominated “7:35 in the Morning,” filmmaker Vigalondo (who directed in addition to co-starring) makes his feature debut with this Spanish language sci-fi thriller that’s fit for “The Twilight Zone.” Positive notices at the Sundance film festival and Austin-based Fantastic Fest (where it won best picture) preceded the movie’s arrival in theaters.

The verdict: If only American sci-fi filmmaking was this clever and involving. “Timecrimes” doesn’t aspire to anything more than pulpy thrills, but it achieves that goal with enough wit and clarity to ensure viewers never lose their way on Hector’s increasingly bizarre journey. It’s the kind of easily accessible foreign language movie Hollywood won’t be able to resist remaking, and probably screw up. So be advised, you’ll want to see the original first.

Did you know? Vigalondo moonlights as a part of an “electro-gothic” band called Tentirujo, named after a creature from Spanish folklore.

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