Undo TV Series: You've Never Seen It Before

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Unusual graphics, time travel and a story about family relationships await you.

Eight episodes of Undone aired on Amazon Prime. The project has already attracted the attention of audiences and critics in many countries. At the time of this writing, his rating on IMDb was 8, 3, on Rotten Tomatoes - 100% from critics and 95% from viewers.

Comedian Rafael Bob-Waksberg is behind the creation of the series - the author of the legendary "BoJack Horse". But there is practically nothing in common between the two projects.

Strictly speaking, "Undo" is not like any other famous film or TV series at all.

It's all about a very non-standard approach to filming and animation, as well as the combination of different themes that make the story complex and multi-layered.

In the center of the plot is the girl Alma, mired in a routine life. Her father died in a car accident 20 years ago. On the eve of his sister's wedding, Alma sees his ghost on the road and because of this crashes into a post. Waking up in the hospital, she gradually realizes that she is now moving at arbitrary times. And the father's ghost asks the girl to help prevent his death. But those around him think that Alma is just suffering from trauma after the accident.

Layer one: amazing visuals

Even when watching trailers, the unusual approach to filming immediately attracts attention. "Cancellation" is billed as a live-action television series. The main role was played by Rosa Salazar - she is now best known for the movie "Alita: Battle Angel", and her deceased father was played by Bob Odenkirk from "Better Call Saul".

But after filming, each frame was redrawn using rotoscoping technology. As a result, the viewer gets the feeling that he is watching a cartoon.

This is not the first time such a technique has appeared in the cinema. For example, Richard Linklater used rotoscoping in his paintings Awakening Life and Blurred. In these cases, the director, through an unusual visual series, conveyed the feeling of a dream or hallucinations of a drug addict.

The very first episode of "Undo" may surprise, because nothing particularly fantastic happens in it, and therefore animation seems like a strange end in itself and a simple attempt to stand out from a series of similar projects.

But already from the second episode it becomes clear that these oddities are simply necessary. After all, Alma can suddenly find herself in extraordinary places, the situation around her literally falls apart, and the people around her change their appearance.

If the authors decided to create such special effects more realistically, as they do in science fiction films, the budget of the series would grow exponentially. And animation allows you to forget about any laws of physics and just finish drawing everything you need.

On the other hand, if in "Cancellation" the shooting was replaced by the work of artists, and the actors only voiced their characters, he would lose his liveliness and drama. After all, animation is different from the work of the operator, and Bob Odenkirk's performance is wonderful. Therefore, the picture in the series remained completely cinematic, and the performers of the main roles were able to play characters at different ages without complex makeup.

Layer two: mind games and time travel

From the first descriptions, one could assume that the plot is built in the likeness of "Back to the Future" or the idea of a time loop. That is, Alma will be able to travel to the past and will try to save her father over and over again.

But the action turned out to be more confusing and emotional. At first, the heroine cannot control the leaps of time at all: she finds herself in the same situation several times, gets confused in the sequence of events, and then even meets herself.

All this often resembles not just science fiction about time travel, but rather plots built on the logic of sleep: Alma can accidentally move from the hospital ward into the forest drawn in the picture, or even suddenly find herself naked at work.

Gradually, it builds up in one consistent and almost logical series. But still, the madness of what is happening continues to the very end.

Layer three: the detective and the search for the killer

Alma's movements in time do not seem to be an end in themselves. As it turns out, her father wants to teach her how to manage her new gift, so that the girl understands the mystery of his death. After all, perhaps he had an accident for a reason.

And that's why a pretty good detective line appears in the series. The heroine realizes that her mother hides from her many details from the past related to her father's activities and their relationship.

Moreover, in some cases, Alma is helped by her abilities, but sometimes she has to act like a real detective: find leads, interview witnesses and understand motives.

The only difference is that the heroine can not only find the culprit, but also help to avoid a terrible tragedy.

Still, the denouement of this story is more of a drama than a detective story. It makes you think not about the conspiracies of large companies and not even about jealous lovers. This is the story of a man who is absorbed in his work and realizes too late that there are more important things in the world. And Alma at a certain moment will have to make a choice: repeat the same fate or go a different way.

Layer four: a drama about family and intimacy

But there is also the most touching part in the plot. And here it all depends on how to perceive what is shown on the screen. After all, it is not for nothing that the relatives and friends of the main character do not believe in what is happening to her.

Alma's life has turned into a monotonous gray routine, the heroine realizes that she has no prospects with her boyfriend. And then there's the younger sister getting married.

Perhaps everything that happens next is just a reflection of Alma's loneliness and the search for support. Of course, the girl misses her dad, who once left her right on the street. And in the most difficult moments he is waiting for his advice and help. After all, she is sure that she is losing her sister, and her mother is constantly hiding something.

Moreover, the viewer can independently decide which of what happened is real. But, regardless of this, the main thing is shown in the frame. After all, everyone got into a situation when they wanted to rewind time a little back and not say hurtful words to a loved one, not reveal someone else's secret, not be rude in response to care, or just stay with their relatives longer.

And "Cancel", albeit in a fantastic form, but very sincerely and realistically talks about such moments. And often Alma, like any person, only for the third or fourth time understands what should have been done. Unless she really gets the opportunity to change everything.

“Cancellation” is not in vain honored by critics. After all, with all the above points, it remains a fairly easy-to-understand series. Moreover, the whole season lasts a little longer than a regular full-length film.

In less than three hours, the authors manage to confuse the viewer and make him believe in the possibility of time management. And after watching, I just want to once again hug loved ones more tightly.