Not Rated
Opens Friday
Valley Art, Tempe
3 stars

Initially a movie about quantum physics sounded like something my father would make me watch as a form of torture. Not only is this movie not painful whatsoever, but it will actually make you think.

By fusing the dynamics of movie storytelling with the aspects of a documentary, filmmakers William Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Mark Vicente have not only come away with something original, but they have made it entertaining, which is a feat in itself since we are talking about physics. And not just any kind of physics, but the study of the smallest things in the world and how they affect things.

But don't worry. If I can understand this movie so can you.

Marlee Matlin (yes, she's the actress that is hearing-impaired), plays Amanda, a photographer grappling with her life. She is also the main character that embarks on a journey. Not to Wal-Mart for more film, but a spiritual journey that dives into the question we all have: Who are we and what are we doing here?

It's very Matrix-like and that is probably deliberate. Where the Matrix trilogy used robots and computer programs, this movie stays grounded, using real instances and people. In the end, it brings the audience to a place where the Matrix wanted to take you, but got too wound up with its own special effects to do it properly. There's even a definite reference to the science fiction movie when Robert Bailey, Jr. asks Matlin "How far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go?"

Matlin is all in and we see this as she encounters different situations that show her how one little decision can effect a person's life. But it's a step above other movies that have gone this route ("Sliding Doors") because of the interviews with the scientists. It makes the movie real and extinguishes any doubt the audience may have about the science being screwed with to fit the film. If anything, the science in the movie made the film.

The question posed by "What the #$&!" is one about reality and what it is. It's a common problem because, as police know, two people rarely see the same thing when questioned. Reality is always a scary thing to think about, especially when its characteristics are questioned. In the end, it is the reality you produce that will win.

The movie isn't all a philosophical question. At one point, Amanda is sent to photograph a wedding and sees a variety of people with various addictions. One in particular is a fat man chowing down on the food at the reception. In the middle of his feasting the movie cuts to an animated scene that shows the man's insides enjoying the food and at the same time getting fatter.

I don't have to tell you that the entire wedding serves as a comment on society.