Synergy is defined as follows: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. In looking it up, I saw that since the 2010s there has been a huge spike in use of the word. It’s like synchronicity – the new age magic of many things coming together to create one beautiful picture. THE ODD PERSPECTIVE is about Aleix (Christopher Hunter), a synergist – or someone able to see the patterns and synergy in reality. I only wish Aleix could explain to me the synergy behind the incohesive, cluttered mess of THE ODD PERSPECTIVE. 

Aleix is coerced to join forces with his brother Jaume (Arne Gottschling) to uncover a serial murder case. Jaume is the Chief of Police investigating a string of murders and attempted murders, and it’s going to take a lot of work for these two brothers to see eye to eye on this case. Aleix immediately sees the patterns in all of it – the age range and appearances of the victims, their birth dates and how the numbers add up, and so on. Everything Aleix sees is a fibonacci spiral – but something isn’t quite adding up. As Aleix unpacks the case he discovers the corruption of the system, the corruption of his own family, and the corruption within himself. While he struggles to solve the mystery of this serial killer, he uncovers the mystery that has haunted him since childhood – what happened to his father, and how his kidnapping at a young age fits into the synergy of his life.

THE ODD PERSPECTIVE left a lot to be desired in terms of story and plot, and with a filmmaking style that constantly left me wondering if that was the best take they could have gotten, it’s hard to focus on the highlights of this film. THE ODD PERSPECTIVE falls prey to the gimmicks and stylistic tricks du jour – utilizing a dizzying blend of slow motion, soft focus, and repetitive soundtrack vamps to drive a less-than-complex story. While the concept itself is fascinating, and potentially unique, instead I found myself distracted and disappointed in missing information and monologues that sounded like they came from an algebra textbook. There is an entire sequence of the film, in which Aleix is explaining the patterns mathematically he sees in the case, that I returned to and watched four separate times because I was so desperate to glean any information from his explanation. Facts and figures are delivered at such rapid fire pace but with such monotony and lack of conviction that even now I’m not sure what I was supposed to get from the scene. This same style is repeated several times throughout the course of the film, to increasingly dismal results.

One of the oddest things about THE ODD PERSPECTIVE is the sneaking suspicion I got that some of the footage used in the final cut was from rehearsal takes. Incomplete or ineffective lighting set ups, continuity errors, and more than that simply amateur looking camera and focus issues that should have been fixed before going for the real take run rampant throughout the film. Long, drawn out takes that needed new editing or new beats for actors — bad eye lines and inconsistent marking and blocking — all simple and second nature to the majority of filmmakers, but beyond the scope of accomplishment here.
THE ODD PERSPECTIVE couches itself as a thriller – but seems to confuse thrills with unexpected plot holes and emotional drama.The brotherly drama, the drama of the case, the drama of Aleix’s unique perspective on the world – all of these things play much more strongly than any thrill or horror involved here. In fact, the scenes with the most “thrill” barely register as more than some primetime television level high stakes crime drama.

THE ODD PERSPECTIVE is a concept that could be good enough for Hollywood,  but instead, it falls flat and just a little bit askew, leaving us wondering if the title is a play on Aleix’s condition, or on the way the movie lands with an audience.

3/10 stars