Lisa Joy, co-creator of ‘Westworld,’ is bringing us her first feature film this fall. ‘Reminiscence‘, starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, and Daniel Wu, takes place in a half-sunken Miami where war has left nothing but mystery and nostalgia. Nick Banister, (Hugh Jackman) plays a private investigator– of the mind. His struggling business leads him to his new client, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). “A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?”
The trailer begins with the quote, “You’re going on a journey. A journey through memory. All you have to do is follow my voice,” which is spoken through voice-over by Hugh Jackman. The trailer itself walks us through a journey to uncover the truth about Mae, and just how much Nick is willing to do so. These two minutes and 46 seconds do an excellent job at revealing the film’s elements and Mae’s mystery, and setting the scene for this action thriller.
The song the trailer is set to escalates the way the plot does, and this is intentional. Joy talks about the fact that music is key to the film, and each character’s mysterious story holds clues in the songs chosen for them.
Despite this film being fictitious, the cast describes it as one that holds many universal themes audiences everywhere can relate to. “It’s a heart ripping open: it’s life and death,” said Jackman about the film. The entire cast spoke about their excitement and passion for the film and its process, and they cannot be more thrilled about its release.
At a screening of the trailer, Joy talked about how the ‘Reminiscence’ story came to be. At her grandparents’ house in England, she was searching through her grandfather’s old belongings and came across a picture of a woman whom he had encountered on his travels, and despite never seeing her again, he kept the picture, showing the significance of that moment to him. This, along with the birth of her daughter, led Joy to wonder about memories and their value. She discussed that even though moments disappear, they change us. “And how nice it would be able to go back to these memories fully for a moment, to live that life and feel the way you felt when you experienced them,” said Joy.
‘Reminiscence’ is far more than a sci-fi film. It is a story of humanity, with relatable characters and mystery that fills the heart. It is a film that shows us that the future is now and that ultimately, the past is a dangerous place.
This Warner Bros. film will air in the United States on August 20, 2021, and will be available for streaming on HBO Max for 30 days after. In the meantime, experience the trailer here.