REDUX REDUX Review - Fantasia Fest 2025

Ahhh, multiverses in cinema—whether you're referring to the overdose we've been getting in the superhero genre, or even the recent Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once the plot device of a multiverse—or rather, the ability to surf between different dimensions and visit various timelines—has become a bit of a staple in Hollywood storytelling over the last decade. And between you and me, I was pretty much over that method. Often, I feel like it cheapens the emotional impact of certain characters or events because then you can just brush it off as, “That's alright, you're alive in a different universe, and we'll go to that universe, and everything will be okay.”

So when I sat down with the films I had before me at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival, one film that somewhat sparked my interest but also made me cringe, at admittedly judging a book by its cover, was a movie called Redux Redux directed by two brothers, Kevin and Matthew McManus. The film stars Micheala McManus (the real life sister of the directing pair) as Irene, a grieving mother suffering the loss of her young daughter at the hands of a brutal serial killer. By means that are not fully explained to us, she has access to a device— that oddly reminded me of the Dr. Who TARDIS if someone tipped it over—that allows her to travel around the multiverse, visiting various dimensions and alternate realities very similar to her main timeline, with just minor differences here and there that are sometimes very hard to spot.

She has been jumping through dimensions and traveling the multiverse for an unknown amount of years, though she assumes she’s jumped timelines nearly 1,000 times. The reason she's doing all of this is because she's trying to find the timeline in which her daughter is still alive so she can prevent the murder from happening. However, in doing this as often as she probably uses the bathroom in a week, for countless years, she becomes somewhat addicted to killing her daughter's assailant over and over again. We see some of these murders take place when she travels back; she knows where to find him at his work or in his apartment. Sometimes she shoots him at point-blank range; other times she may stab him in the heart. There are also a couple of really cool inventive kills and close-up fight choreography that we see.

The McManus Brothers do a great job ratcheting up the tension for each one of these visits through the multiverse for Irene, even though we pretty much know that she knows the outcome. There's even a point in the film when she appears bored with the proceedings, even though most people's hearts would be beating out of their chests in such scenarios.

While Irene continues on this impossible journey to stop her daughter's murder from happening, she encounters another one of the killer's teen victims, Mia (portrayed by Stella Marcus), and brings her up to speed on the whole time-jump situation. They begin to spark up a friendship eerily similar to the mother-daughter relationship Irene is longing to rekindle. So in a roundabout way, her motherly power-up is activated and she becomes a protector for Mia, commissioned by default to also stop her murder before it happens.

Redux, Redux is a brilliant twist on the played-out multiverse narrative structure. The performances are all stellar. There's even a small supporting performance from Jim Cummings (Thunder Road), who is one of my favorite filmmakers and a champion of independent cinema. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see him here, but it was definitely a pleasant shock during my viewing.

The Mcamanus Brothers really take the time to develop Irene and Mia, who are really the two main characters we are traveling on this adventure with. It's almost as if the multiverse or time travel stuff is irrelevant to this wonderful story that is both a picture of grief and acceptance, as well as a kind of a fucked-up coming-of-age story.

The film also comes with its share of astounding visuals, especially for a low-budget independent film from fairly young filmmakers—or at least young in their careers. I now have The McManus’ on my radar. The gritty and somewhat stylized, vibrant nature of the film reminded me of another independent filmmaking duo of brothers—The Nelms (Small Town Crime, Fatman).

Redux Redux is a journey you should definitely go on. Much like the characters in the film, you will eventually come to accept that the messed-up reality you are living in is essentially a murderous version of Groundhog Day. You will also be on the edge of your seat wondering if Irene can somehow win the lottery just one time and land in the correct dimension where her daughter is safe and sound. I'm not going to give it away; you'll have to watch it to find out if she plays the right hand or if her luck runs out.

Redux Redux debuted earlier this year at SXSW and I had a the opportunity to cover it for the Fantasia Film Festival. It is playing in limited release and there is currently no date for streaming or a video-on-demand release, but keep it on your radar as it is one of my absolute favorites of 2025.

🍿 SCORE = 91 / 100

*Watch my full Fantasia Top 5 on YouTube HERE.