Canadian film maker Otto Buj creates a unique and interesting experimental film with his debut effort, The Eternal Present. A chaotic and oddly structured piece, this movie plays with time and sound to tell the story of an ordinary man who finds that he may be much more than your usual Joe. Made on a micro budget of $45,000 (US$) Buj uses creativity and a unusual editing to make a film that is slightly unsettling and thought provoking.

Tim is a normal average guy. Nothing exciting or out of the ordinary has even happened to him in his 27 years, he talks in a monotone and is more or less just sleepwalking through life. Things take an odd turn when he starts working at a newspaper though. He gets a job filing obituaries and notices some strange coincidences; people that he meets or passes on the street start dying. A lady he helps cross the street later gets hit by a car. A woman he meets in a bar is listed as missing and presumed dead. It gets even stranger when he starts receiving death notices before the people actually die.

Tim can't quite understand what his place in this mad scheme is. Is he somehow causing these deaths? Is he a killer? Is he the personification of Death? Or is it something else altogether?

This avant guarde film has a lot going for it. The director was very creative in the editing room, and has crafted a movie that constantly just on the brink of making sense. Just like the main character Tim, the viewer is never really sure what is going on.

One of the most effective aspects of the film is how Buj plays with time. This isn't a linear film, and the viewer isn't really sure where the story starts or ends, even after the credits have rolled. This film doesn't just rearrange the order of the scenes ala Pulp Fiction though, even individual sections of the film are not shown in a straight forward fashion. While Tim is talking to someone he may flash to the end of the conversation, of something that happened earlier. This serves to rivet the viewers attention, and also mimic the unsettling feeling that Tim is experiencing.

Sound is also manipulated in a strange fashion. The movie has purposefully uneven levels. Sometimes the dialog is nearly too quiet to hear, and other times the sound of a dot matrix printer can be screechingly loud. The audio to one scene will be carried over to the next after, and sometimes conversations will be drowned out by ambient noise. This is jarring at times and further leads to the feelings of uncertainty that permeate this film.

Not everything works though. Some of the things that Buj tries just don't seem to help the movie. The omnipresent black screens that permeate the film were interesting at the start, but were used a little too much and became a distractions. Similarly, some of the "we know this is a movie" elements near the end of the film lessened the impact, and the clock counting down the amount of time left mainly reminded viewers that we were just watching a movie. These are minor critiques though, and overall the film is an interesting experiment.

This DVD has been released in a limited edition of only 1000 copies. It comes in a thin clear plastic case that is similar to the cases that AOL was mailing out CD-ROMs in the recent past. Inside the clear spine, there is a strip of 16mm film from the movie. The only qualm I have with this is that there is no title on front cover or the spine of the DVD case.

Audio:

This film has a stereo soundtrack that fits the film well. The entire movie was redubbed after filming was complete, and it's pretty obvious that this was the case, but that isn't a major distraction. As for the quality of the audio, the film has a lot of very loud sections, as well as subtle sounds, and both are reproduced well. The soundstage isn't used much, with all of the sound centered on the screen. There isn't a lot of range, but this film doesn't really require it either. Background noises and other audio defects are absent, and there are no subtitles.

Video:

The full frame (1.37:1, the film's original aspect ratio) black and white image is pretty good considering the film's origins. This movie was shot on 16mm film, and there is naturally lots of grain due to the source, and the print used for this transfer has some spots and dirt. The contrast was good and the level of detail was fine. Digitally, there was some aliasing, especially in the background, and a few instances of cross colorization, but these weren't major defects.

Extras:

The only extra is a commentary by writer/director Otto Buj which is very interesting. Financed by himself, Otto discusses the problems of making a small budget film, behind the scenes details, and comments on some scenes. Budding film makers can learn a lot about the pitfalls of making a movie and ways around some of the problems that crop up. A good commentary that is well worth listening to.

Final Thoughts:

This isn't a film for everyone. It's an experimental film and it doesn't have a straight forward narrative which will put off many mainstream viewers. If you enjoy avant guarde film however, this is a disc worth seeking out. The film itself bears repeated viewings, and Otto Buj's commentary is a great source of information for novice film makers. It comes in a nice package too. This gets a high Recommendation for people who are looking for something new and unusual.