Mark Reviews Movies: LOST TRANSMISSIONS

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Review by Mark Dujsik | March 12, 2020

Inspired by a true story, Lost Transmissions tries to walk a few thin lines. One involves creativity, namely that mental health issues might be a source of inspiration for some people, while the treatment of those issues, as necessary as they are, might dull the creative spark. Another is in the portrayal of such issues, especially when it involves artistic folks, because there's the reality of things like depression and schizophrenia and then there's the tendency almost to romanticize those issues in terms of their potential influence on art.

It's a complicated balancing act across rocky terrain, and it's difficult to determine if writer/director Katharine O'Brien (making her feature debut) actually pulls off that balance. The movie clearly acknowledges that Theo Ross (Simon Pegg), a music producer suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, is in need of proper medical care and medication, but it's also drawn into his thought processes, which are delusional, yes, but also bluntly honest and alluringly mystical at times.

The other key figure here is Hannah (Juno Temple), an aspiring songwriter who's drawn to Theo before he goes off his medication. She has a history of depression, and Theo suggests that she might sharpen her musical and writing talents if she stops taking her pills. She does eventually, and while her writing does improve, landing her a job writing for a popular singer (played by Alexandra Daddario), the depression does gradually limit her productivity. This blunt acknowledgement certainly prevents one from even suggesting that O'Brien wants to romanticize mental health issues.

Before that, Theo stops taking his meds. As his mental state deteriorates, leading Theo to believe he is receiving hidden signals and is a potential savior of time, Hannah and Theo's other friends try to get him the help he needs, within a health system that isn't prepared for or legally allowed to give him the proper treatment.

Perhaps the uncertainty about O'Brien portrayal of Theo's condition comes from the movie's almost dreamlike form, which lends a mysterious quality to Theo's delusions and to the central relationship. That tone, though, is juxtaposed with some harsher truths—how Theo's life is crumbling, the ways doctors either won't or can't help him, an encounter with the police that's nearly tragic. Lost Transmissions moves between these modes with such regularity that its definitive goal and meaning remain just enough of a puzzle.

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