Tribeca 2021: Ultrasound Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

Ultrasound is the latest example of a film that rewards patience but whether or not audiences will be willing to go on that journey remains to be seen. Suffice it to say that this one is a weird one for better or worse and unlike many films most have seen which only made it more appealing. As the film’s many pieces started to come together over the course of a dizzying and uneasy narrative full of many twists, turns, and misdirects, it was incredibly satisfyingly to watch as some audiences will surely find themselves consumed trying to put the pieces together while watching, keeping in mind that what they are experiencing may not always be what it seemed, and perhaps later rewatching the film in order to catch details they may have missed the first time around. All in all, they all add up to an ambitious and intense sci-fi thriller that doesn’t all work.

Based on the graphic novel Generous Bosom, by Conor Stechschulte, who also wrote the screenplay, Ultrasound tells the story of a group of seemingly unconnected characters who through a mysterious turn of events become connected. As the characters unraveled the mystery the circumstances that brought them together, this was where the film was at its best. A roller coaster from beginning to end, when it seemed like the story was one thing, it was something else as the film reveled in playing with the characters’ and the viewers’ perception of the story and the world around them. Despite the trickery, the story was still compelling to watch as one can’t help but relate to the characters’ unease and confusion from what was happening to them. Though everything does come together in a satisfying enough way, cliffhanger ending aside, it still leaves plenty of unanswered questions, getting too caught up with its trickery and skipping some story development. Meanwhile, Kartheiser, Lopez, and Wool among others, as Glenn, Cyndi, and Shannon respectively were all fun to watch.

At the end of the day, Ultrasound will be a divisive film though that being said, it’s an experience unlike many other films and taking big swings should be commended.

still courtesy of Tribeca

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.