Saturday, November 13, 2021

Idaho Transfer (1973)

Directed by but not staring Peter Fonda, 'Idaho Transfer' is an unusual science fiction film whose reputation has probably been bolstered some by it's not always being readily available. There was a prolonged copyright issue shortly after the films original release when it's production company went under. 

Filmed chiefly in southern Idaho (Craters of the Moon, Bruno Sand Dunes), it's story concerns college freshman being 'transferred' from 1973 to 2029. Sometime between those two years there was a massive ecological disaster and some rouge scientists (possibly from ISU or the INEEL) have taken to sending teenagers from the present to the future. Teenagers are sent because for the some reason the process that can send people back and forth between those two points in time, damages the kidneys of people over 20. Also at first the presumable purpose of sending the young people would be to repopulate the world, but then we learn the time travel process also renders them sterile, so they are really sent forward in time to try and guide the mentally retarded inhabitants of the future by teaching them things, and encouraging selective breading among them. 

An interesting premise done in an odd stilted style featuring a cast primarily of non actors. The movie it reminded me of stylistically more then anything was 'Primer' (2005). While I liked the understated time travel effect, the movie never really seems to get going, feeling at least semi improvised. Also I'm still undecided as to it's WTF ending. **

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