The intentions of Retrograde are tough to pin down and, if the viewer likes the movie, the Canadian indie is even more difficult to recommend because of how persistently obnoxious it is.  I should know because I belong in this camp, and I’m going to do my damndest to explain why I think Adrian Murray’s movie is a brilliant comedy.

Molly (Molly Reisman) is pulled over for a driving violation and, after a condescending debate between her and the police officer (Peter Frangella), she simply can’t move on from it.  Molly proceeds to obsess over the confrontation, refusing to admit she did anything wrong and that the officer’s behaviour was out of line.  However, considering the audience watches the roadside discussion firsthand, it’s clear the issue is being blown out of proportion by Molly.  Another point of reassurance is Molly’s friend Gabrielle (Sofia Banzhaf), who also witnesses the confrontation but doesn’t entirely object to the cop’s reasonings.  At one point, during Molly’s incessant debating and unwillingness to confess to her mistake, Gabrielle volunteers to pay a sum of the fine;  which turns into the friend begging to pay the entirety of the ticket so the issue can be dropped.  Unfortunately, Molly’s stubbornness is greater than any fine.

What could be billed as “The Adventures of Election’s Tracy Flick”, Retrograde is deliberately pesky and anti-climactic.  Reisman, portraying one of the best characters I’ve seen in years, hilariously doubles down on Molly’s neurotic qualities up until the very end of the film, while everyone around her has perfect, subdued reactions – from feigned politeness to physically removing themselves from the chat.

The production’s commitment to Molly’s character suggests that perhaps Retrograde is the quintessential “OK boomer” comedy – a cynical satire that roasts a younger generation of people who feel like they’re owed something for being misunderstood or inconvenienced.  Granted, that dicey take is subjective, and I don’t expect it to be the most popular view on what Adrian Murray was trying to achieve with Retrograde.  But then again, writer/director Murray allows his minimalist filmmaking to be interpreted freely by his audience.  It can just as easily be described as a political movie exploring hypocritical liberalism, or a broad deep-dive into the conventions of cringe comedy.  Murray isn’t just recording persistent, locked-off conversations that go in circles – he’s making our gears spin as well by cleverly fooling us that his movie is simply all surface.

If anyone needs to be inspired by the power of minimalist filmmaking, point them in the direction of Retrograde.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie