Directed by: Mark Lund
Starring: Vernon Aldershoff, Robin Ann Rapoport, Kim Gordon, Paul Lussier
Justice is Mind takes place in a future where we have developed the technology to scan your brain, and watch your memories, not unlike how I just watched this film. It’s a simple thing that I, myself had wished I could do, but I’m not sure I had ever considered how dangerous this could be. Enter Henri Miller, a man who gets an MRI to find a possible reason for headaches, but ends up on trial for the murder of two missing people, the witness of the offense being his own memories. Memories that he claims he doesn’t even have.
I have always been terrified by the idea that I might be wrongly accused of some horrific crime, but if that ever happened I think the fact that I would know if I was innocent or guilty would at least provide a little bit of solace. The idea that my own memories, that I cannot even recall on my own, would be able to be used as evidence against me in a trial for my livelihood is on another level. This film's premise is fantastic, and it's a pretty good courtroom drama, one that has such an off the wall twist that is so bizarre it kind of took me out of the film because it is such a stretch.
Everyone in the film is okay at best in their roles, but not much blame can be put on them because the story was written to serve the courtroom drama rather than build good sturdy relationships between each member of the family. The direction and editing are all that are acceptable, but the film feels very plain, especially for a film that takes place in the future. Honestly, they should have just made this under the assumption that it was the current time, because the only futuristic aspect here is that an MRI could record your memories and present them on screen. Literally nothing else is different, and all the rest of the technology of the film is on par with what we have now, so it just seems like a waste of potential to make this stand out with the details.
Overall, Justice is Mind is a lot more compelling than I had anticipated. It had my attention, and with each of the twists and turns of the trial I found myself changing my opinion on not only if Henri was guilty, but it also made me really ponder the moral complexities presented by the film. Should our memories be able to be used against us, especially if you don’t even remember them? Perhaps, but before deciding for sure, check the film out for yourself, because if the twist at the end is possible, I’m not sure that there is such an easy answer.
7/10