The non-linear structure of Munjal Yagnik’s debut aims at Memento-like noir but doesn’t gather the narrative shards into a compelling whole

Mulholland Drive and Memento are celebrated examples of how narrative fragmentation can dovetail well with the philosophical heart and aims of film noir. While this low-budget thriller doesn’t have the finesse of either of those films, it does at least aim high in its sundered viewpoint on the jealousy-filled menage à trois at its centre. Debut director Munjal Yagnik plays it entirely non-linear to begin with, before settling into a more conventional but still mobile flashback structure.

Mark (Gregory Waits) wakes up in disarray, quickly turning into despair when he walks into the bedroom to find (what we assume is) his partner dead on the bed. But the next scene reveals he has been playing away: his wife, Sidney (Nadine van Asbeck) returns home to find him frantically cleaning. Taking his sudden move to buy a new mattress as a sign he is still being unfaithful to her with lover Naomi (Sophie Moshofsky), she forces him to sign divorce papers. Not that his new relationship is going any better, as we next loop back to join him in the initial stages of corpse disposal immediately prior to Sidney walking through the door.