Inertia

A film which propels itself forward with a recitation of the three Newtonian Laws of Physics, Inertia is the tale of children and parents. Specifically, it presents the story of a troubled, spirited boy with electromagnetic powers. The boy, Roman (Brocagh Lynn) is the son of Dmitri (Aidan Everly) and Mariya (Jelena Uchev). Dmitri, as we see in the film’s cold open, is a hit man. He encounters Mariya in a bar and, after a deeply romantic night, leaves her pregnant, with a note promising her forever. Roman is born under a fallout cloud of nuclear waste. Clearly, the air raid sirens presage the powers he will present as a teenager.

Fourteen years later, he encounters Lennon (Reese Grove), a bored, musically inclined girl who is given to huffing weed. She works at a thrift store, where Roman attempts badly to shoplift. After he agrees to join her for a weed session, they frolic. Mariya, meanwhile, is having a bad day. First, she can’t quite afford clothes at the thrift store. Then she needs to find her and Roman a new place to stay, as Dmitri has been absent for all of Roman’s brief existence. Finally, Mariya finds herself in several unexpected altercations where each person informs her that her son is a demon, which seems a stretch.

“Roman is born under a fallout cloud of nuclear waste.”

Inertia works as a paranormal slice of life story. Here is a day in the life of Roman. The trouble he and his mom find themselves in, and the tactics they use to get out of trouble again. The difficulty inherent to Roman’s life, and the real challenge of Inertia I shall not reveal, as the metaphysical and quantum entanglements surrounding Roman’s very existence deserve to be discovered when you sit down to watch the film, gentle reader. And I encourage you to do just that.

This film serves as Martinko’s first feature-length film. Much like its spiritual predecessor, Donnie Darko, Inertia is not afraid to play with the very notion of time and timelines. Martinko is very good at gently coaxing and guiding his actors along the plot’s trajectory of conflict. All films revel in the interpersonal dynamics of their characters. With Inertia, Martinko brings us a story that has a smooth, languid pace, until it doesn’t. The transition from the sweet scenes of Roman and Lennon hanging out to the discordant and jarring reunion of Roman and his parents provides the subtle non-sequitur conflict inherent to a film that wishes to discuss Newtonian physics and puberty. That this well-crafted film only cost $10,000 is astounding. This is the sort of film Film Threat was oriented to champion. It is a true indie gem.

If you’re in the market for coming-of-age science fiction, Inertia is absolutely for you. Were I you, gentle reader, if I wanted to watch a strange but delightfully quirky film concerning the trials and tribulations of a gifted mutant, this is a great choice. Do seek it out if you liked Donnie Darko or even Midnight Special. Ultimately, this is a great first feature film from Will Martinko. I will be watching his future (or past?) efforts with great interest.