Once Within a Time

Released Oct 13, 2023

52m

Comedy

Fantasy

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17 Reviews

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Celebrated director Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi) returns after ten years with a new experimental film unlike any other from his already daring career: a bardic fairy tale about the end of the world and the beginning of a new one, tinged with apocalyptic comedy, rapturous cinematography, unforgettable vistas, and the innocence and hopes of a new generation. Featuring an electrifying score composed by Reggio's longtime collaborator Philip Glass with additional vocals from Sussan Deyhim and co-directed by veteran editor and filmmaker Jon Kane, ONCE WITHIN A TIME is the indie revelation of the year.

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Benjamin R

Gorgeous and creative first half. Visual poetry, and Glass' music is wonderful, BUT the cultural icon references and cliches were over the top, blunt trauma obvious, leaving little room for a viewer to bring much of their own creativity and interpretation to the film/experience. The peak was the Mongolian kids, a sublime cathartic moment of pure real-world joy, but bringing Mike Tyson in afterwards just collapsed the entire thing into farce, self-indulgence, completely discarding any serious artistic or intellectual credibility. The separate documentary about the making of the film is however quite touching and beautiful.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/14/23

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Godfrey Reggio

Director

Jon Kane

Director

Apollo Garcia Orellana

Actor

Tara Starling Khozein

Actor

John Flax

Actor

Brian Belott

Actor

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Once Within a Time: Trailer 1

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Lyvie Scott

Inverse

Godfrey Reggio’s latest is an archival dreamscape... and a self-aware warning about climate change.

Oct 28, 2023

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Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

Clocking in at 51 minutes, the film is all mood, all rhythm, with a kaleidoscope structure and undulating ever-shifting visuals in a constant state of flux.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 13, 2023

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List

“Once Within A Time” is the product of a ferociously creative hive mind, at whose apex sits an Old Testament prophet furiously warning us of the apocalypse at hand.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 13, 2023

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J Simpson

PopMatters

Once Within a Time‘s beautifully bewildering carnival of pop surrealist imagery will haunt you long after its 51-minute concludes.

Jan 26, 2024

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Diane Carson

KDHX (St. Louis)

A work to be experienced visually and aurally, it is also one to ponder.

Dec 6, 2023

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Oscar Goff

Boston Hassle

It is heavy-handed nonsense, but it’s so freewheeling and uninhibited and really and truly strange that I ultimately found it difficult not to love.

Nov 10, 2023

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Synopsis

Celebrated director Godfrey Reggio (Koyaanisqatsi) returns after ten years with a new experimental film unlike any other from his already daring career: a bardic fairy tale about the end of the world and the beginning of a new one, tinged with apocalyptic comedy, rapturous cinematography, unforgettable vistas, and the innocence and hopes of a new generation. Featuring an electrifying score composed by Reggio's longtime collaborator Philip Glass with additional vocals from Sussan Deyhim and co-directed by veteran editor and filmmaker Jon Kane, ONCE WITHIN A TIME is the indie revelation of the year.

Director: Godfrey Reggio, Jon Kane
Producer: Lawrence Taub, Michael Fitzgerald, Dan Noyes, Steven Soderbergh, Alexander Rodnyansky
Screenwriter: Godfrey Reggio
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: opticnerve
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 13, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 52m

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