************************This review contains spoilers****************************
Throughout our time spent on this Earth, we all will experience hardship, pain, and challenges, albeit some more than others. When these tough times hit us, many will often try to find solace in other things, whether it be a hobby we enjoy, the company of friends and loved ones, or even simple solitude. Others retreat from the real world entirely and drift of into fantasy, an idyllic world of their own creation where their problems no longer exist; something as simple as a daydream or perhaps a book, film, or some other imaginary world. How people choose to cope under trying circumstances is the subject of the film Serenity.
Serenity features Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey), a fishing boat captain and Iraq War veteran with a mysterious past who leads fishing trips for tourists off the shores of Plymouth Island. In addition to his tours, Baker has become obsessed with finding and catching a giant tuna he has named Justice. His shadowy past soon reveals itself when his ex-wife Karen Zariakas (Anne Hathaway) tracks him down with a dark proposal — take her abusive husband Frank (Jason Clarke) out to fish, get him drunk, then throw him overboard to the sharks in exchange for ten million dollars, so that she and his son Patrick (Rafael Sayegh) can be free of the abusive household. Baker now finds himself struggling to choose between right and wrong, as well as his desire to tame Justice and his love for his son.
Although the film begins with what appears to be a straightforward mystery, it is soon revealed that the conflict at the center of Serenity is a little deeper than it appears. The storyline between Baker and the Zariakas family, and Plymouth Island itself, all takes place inside of a virtual computer game created by the real life Patrick and based upon his own tumultuous home life. Baker is an amalgamation of Patrick’s principal and his real life father who was killed in Iraq, while the video game Patrick, Karen, and Frank are based upon his real life circumstances. Patrick’s creation of the video game to escape his real life turmoil and craft a world where all his problems could be disposed of not just in a snap, but by the hand of the father tragically taken from him, is a thought-provoking look into how humans choose to cope with trauma and pain. Retreating into a dream world is a natural reaction for a child from an abused home, and also for anyone really. Everyone would love nothing more than to be able to wave away their troubles and pain in a convenient way and in a sense, retreating into fantasy gives them the ability to do so, if even only temporarily.
Baker’s seemingly supernatural connection with his “creator” Patrick adds to Serenity’s exploration of the spiritual. Baker’s obsession with catching Justice is of course due to his fishing video game programming and as long as he adheres to that programming, all is well in the virtual world of Plymouth with he and his friends and companions. Once Baker is reprogrammed to pursue literal justice as part of Patrick’s coping mechanism, Baker’s calling from his creator sows discord and backlash from all in his orbit. This feels analogous to a person experiencing a religious awakening, compelled to follow what feels like a calling from their deity and fighting not only the expectations for everyone around them, but also combating their own predilections, in Baker’s case capturing the king tuna. When one feels called upon by their religious belief to make drastic change, the sudden change in behavior and thought can be jarring and hard to handle both internally and externally. Serenity uses Baker’s story to thoughtfully explore this theme.
Serenity is a bold, creative twist on neo-noir mystery, slowing revealing to the audience that not all is what it seems. The originality in its plot is notable and admirable in a cinematic world that is increasingly shunning the unconventional or complicated. The nature of its twist and reveal demand more than one viewing simply just to go back and try to decipher all the clues included by director and writer Steven Knight. Despite the tech, Black Mirror-like twist at the center of the film, I couldn’t help but feel like its reveal came slightly too early and it might have better served the film’s suspense if it was delayed slightly. The early reveal that the characters are living inside a video game does provide viewers the opportunity to ponder the film’s narrative questions on coping mechanisms, spirituality, and free will, but would a last minute twist have been more gratifying? It feels as if that might be the case, but ultimately it’s hard to say so definitively. The star studded cast give their all to their characters with McConaughey shining brightly as the lead, Jason Clarke nailing the detestable Frank, and Anne Hathaway perfectly capturing Karen’s sultry but desperate personality. Still, despite the presence of strong individual parts, the sum of what Serenity offers feels as if it juuust misses the mark on being something greater than what you’ve seen. It’s certainly worth a watch, particularly during the slow doldrums of the early part of the year where theater offerings are slim, but the potential that was there for it to reach bigger heights can be hard to ignore. Serenity’s interesting and original premise do deserve your eyes and ears, however. Any attempt at such creativity in theaters should be rewarded.
Image: Aviron Pictures
