The History of Time Travel

Ricky Kennedy's 2014 film is a mock documentary about the building of the world's first time machine. Experts speak, archive images appear, the chronology is carefully assembled. Then the machine starts being used. That is where the idea takes hold: as the past changes, the documentary itself changes. Events described a moment ago are now described differently, one of the interviewed experts disappears, the photographs in the background alter. The viewer has to notice these shifts; the film points at none of them. The budget is extremely low and it shows; no effects, no locations, almost nothing but talking heads. But the discipline with which the idea is carried through takes the film far beyond its own limits. Who it's for: those who like time travel fiction and low-budget, idea-driven science fiction. Who it's not for: viewers looking for visual production value; the film is built almost entirely on narration.