"A space-time continuum glitch allows Vera to save a boy's life 25 years in the past, but somehow results in the loss of her daughter and Vera must fight to get her back."
Now I love my sci-fi films as they stretch the limits beyond what is known, but not to the point of pure fantasy. In the case of many sci-fi films that try too hard, there is too often too much explanation given to the plot device and it ruins that suspension of belief, but in Mirage, that is not the case. It is a simple event that occurs during a unique electrical storm. Easy as that. Beyond that premise, the film is a straight-up drama-come-thriller. Be aware that the film is in Spanish, but there are English dubs and subtitles too depending on your preference.
The premise of the film sets up this minimal communication doorway between two characters living in two different times (November 9, 1989, and November 9, 2014) and this communication ends up having a knock-on effect on the lead protagonists life quite significantly, due to 25 years of altered decisions. And that is where the best part of this film comes about, but also one of the most annoying parts.
Working with multiple times and timelines, quite rightly the film needs to have a solid foundation, and Mirage does very well to develop that. It spends the first half an hour of the film setting up both original 1989 and 2014 timelines. The time is spent, however, not only explaining each character's traits but also points out several pivotal moments in their lives, in one of the most unsubtle foreshadowings I have seen. In the writers and directors defence, it still isn't known specifically why so many pieces of dialogue, actions, or items are significant, but it is so obvious that they will be important later.
The time spent developing these timelines is vital to understanding the film as it jumps between times quite frequently, but Mirage does exceptionally well here creating a very cohesive and consistent storyline. Continuity is a major factor in the film, and a lot of effort was put into the details. Despite the slow start to the flick, it soon picks up the pace and through the introduction of a timer of sorts, you get that extra boost of tension that keeps the viewer engaged, and frustrated with any delay or deviation.
With multiple timelines and multiple mysteries, Mirage manages to hold your attention in a largely action-less thriller. In what could be seen as a modern-day adaptation of The Butterfly Effect prepare yourself for oodles and oodles of (necessary) exposition. In fact, most of the third act turns into an active recap.
There are many aspects of the film that I could talk about and call negatives, but the film really did come off as entertaining (once you got past that first development period). I would have loved a bit more subtlety in the dialogue and behaviour of supporting characters, but there is so much to take in with this film. This is one that you may want to watch again straight afterwards, purely to focus on all of the clues that lead to the twists later on.
An above average film that manages to keep the intrigue and still throw a few twists at you, Mirage gets better each time you watch it.