A “spin-off” of the 1985 cult classic, Return to Oz, Reflections follows a young man named Randy Bruce on a psychedelic quest that finds him wandering aimlessly in a dreamlike state - into the past, present, and future - during which he has increasingly strange Oz-related encounters. Randy is endowed with an otherworldly gift that allows him to find objects and memorabilia related to his favorite film, Return to Oz.
A few of the wonders that await Randy on his adventures are a talking doll, a plush moose that lays an egg, and a golden key. During the film, the narrative is interrupted by several sections in which Randy, who directly addresses the audience, shares factoids about the making of Return to Oz. For instance, we learn that the original title was supposed to be “The Adventures of the Devil in the Sky”.
When we return to the narrative, we find that Randy has aged fifteen years, has gained a considerable amount of weight, and is still surrounded by and fascinated with Return to Oz memorabilia. We also discover that Randy is being bullied by the mysterious floating head of an evil witch that resides in his bathroom shower, leaves the water running on full blast, and mocks him for not having an original prop from his favorite film - showing total disregard for both his feelings and his utility bill.
Before long, we are back in the present, and Randy brings things to a close by offering one more bit of movie trivia and (literally) peacing out.
Director Aaron Pacentine clearly loves Walter Murch’s one and only directorial effort, and despite the limitations of a very low budget, manages to pay homage to the film in a way that only he can.
The film is not without its flaws - and they are legion. For starters, the character of Randy is so bland and underdeveloped that it's hard to care about him or his plight. The only purpose for Randy's existence is to show off his collectibles and to wax reminiscent about each one. It's hard to find a reason to care about these things as much as he does. When he opens a package from eBay or Amazon containing several tie-in books for his favorite film, he praises the internet as if it's some newfangled discovery that has enabled him to indulge in his Oz-obsessed universe. No one cares more about Return to Oz than this guy. The opening scene, where a wicked witch gives a sort of “parental advisory” warning, is unnecessary. Several moments are inexplicably zany - the plush moose and the talking doll scenes come to mind. The "floating head in the shower" sequence is so peculiar that it borders on comedy - of the unintentional variety. The CGI bits are a tad wooden, although I imagine this is where most of the budget was spent. The blaring music constantly overwhelms both the spoken and voiceover dialogue. I found that headphones were necessary in order to decipher what was being said. Audio falls out of sync with lip movements several times throughout. You can hear the camera operator "handling" the camera. The shot compositions are lazily executed, and there is an overall lack of finesse that pervades the entire film. Reflections suffers from tonal issues due to a slack screenplay that has little to no "flow", and seems to be largely improvised. The naiveté displayed in this production comes as a result of the uninspired dialogue and story, which seems as though it was sprung from the subconscious of a child. We are flung from one scene to the next with little to no momentum. Even though the film clocks in at just twenty-something minutes, the overall experience becomes exhausting. During the opening credits, the name of one of the actresses is misspelled - a glaring error that should have been avoided outright. There are awkward transitions and dissolves at inopportune moments that are quite distracting, and, like the few trivia bits, abruptly take us out of the film. It could really do with a tighter edit - possibly a total re-shoot. I hope that the cut that I reviewed was not the final one. This is one of the worst edits that I've ever seen.
According to IMDB, this film had a budget of $10,000. It certainly doesn't "look" that way. I've seen features that were made for less that look and sound far better than Reflections. And to be completely honest, at times, this film is very…well…confusing. Maddeningly so. As far as that last point is concerned, perhaps a bit of confusion serves the “story”, as Randy is caught in a whirlwind of dreams throughout, thereby placing us in his proverbial ruby slippers.
It must also be said that Reflections is only going to register with audiences who have seen Return to Oz in its entirety. If you have not seen Return to Oz and you go into Reflections, you are going to be hopelessly lost. Hell, you'll be lost either way.
All of that to say this: indie filmmaking is tricky. It’s hard work. It requires patience. And I admire my fellow filmmakers who set out to follow their dreams, no matter what the cost. Pacentine has used his very limited resources and a cast and crew of well meaning individuals, and he has created...something. Something beyond definition. Something that maybe shouldn't exist, but for all intents and purposes, does exist. By doing so, he is following his bliss, for whatever it's worth.
Reflections in the Mirror is quite the curiosity, and if anything, it should make you want to revisit the two films that inspired it because they are far superior to this tripe. Reflections in the Mirror is now available for purchase at Aaron’s website, FamilyFilms.net.
Directed by Aaron Pacentine and starring Randy Bruce. Featuring an original theme song by Pacentine.
UPDATE: As of 8/28, a few of the audio sync issues have been corrected, as well as the spelling error on the front credits. All else remains the same.