Rewind

“Rewind” is a 2021 Kannada-language thriller film directed by Thej, who also features in the lead role. The movie blends science fiction with family drama, trying to explore a father's desperate search for his lost daughter in an unconventional route: lucid dreaming.

The film is based on "Arjun," a crime journalist whose life changes after his little girl disappears mysteriously on a holiday trip to an amusement park. Frustrated with the police probe making no headway and hours ticking by, Arjun takes matters into his own hands. His wife, a scientist by profession, introduces him to lucid dreaming, a technique by which he is able to enter and control his dreams. By employing this method, Arjun starts exploring his subconscious for underlying clues that would help him locate his daughter.

As Arjun delves deeper into his world of dreams, reality and fantasy blur. Not only does he find fragments of the enigma but also sinister secrets related to individuals he believed he could trust. Each dream sequence creates more tension, drawing the audience into a world of memories, guilt, and hope.

“Rewind” takes its cue from the South Korean science fiction thriller Lucid Dream (2017), making it a scarce Indian effort at tackling shared dreaming in a movie format. But the film meets with mixed reviews upon release. Critics appreciate the novel idea and ambitious narrative, but most complain that the execution falls short on depth and coherence. Thej's dual capacity as director and lead actor is viewed as a weak link, with some reviewers criticising a lack of direction and performance focus. Although the film's concept is new to Kannada cinema, critics point out that Rewind fails to present a thrilling or emotionally compelling experience, thus ending up as an opportunity missed rather than a lasting thriller.