Once Within a Time

Play trailer

1:49

Once Within a Time

2023

52m

Comedy

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

10/13/2023

3/4

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.

Go to Full Review

Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

10/13/2023

3.5/4

“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.

Go to Full Review

Peter Debruge

Variety

10/12/2023

“Once Within a Time” invites young people to question the systems they’re confronted with in the real world, from politics to electronics.

Go to Full Review

Joonatan Itkonen

Region Free

07/03/2024

5/5

Anchored by a mesmerizing score by Phillip Glass, Once Within a Time is a vision best seen in the cinema... Think of it as a meditation tank for the soul.

Go to Full Review

J Simpson

PopMatters

01/26/2024

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

Go to Full Review

Diane Carson

KDHX (St. Louis)

12/06/2023

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Benjamin R

10/14/2023

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.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Godfrey Reggio

Director

Jon Kane

Director

Apollo Garcia Orellana

Actor

Tara Starling Khozein

Actor

John Flax

Actor

Brian Belott

Actor

Poor Things

92%

80%

Poor Things

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Poor Things

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

42%

81%

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

75%

78%

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

My Old Ass

90%

89%

My Old Ass

Watchlist

TRAILER

for My Old Ass

The American Society of Magical Negroes

25%

59%

The American Society of Magical Negroes

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The American Society of Magical Negroes

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Once Within a Time: Trailer 1

1:49

View more videos

View more photos

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: Mara Campione, Godfrey Reggio
Screenwriter: Godfrey Reggio
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: opticnerve
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 13, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 52m

Most Popular at Home Now