What would you do if your family is in danger at the hands of dangerous thieves and the only way to keep them safe is by giving them whatever they are asking for? According to Fugue, you forget that you have a family and defend whatever-it-is-they-want with all your being.

Malcolm (Jack Foley) wakes up one morning or afternoon realizing he has vague memories of where he is and how he got there or why is he half naked going commando on a bed. After taking a tour of his own house or looking for the bathroom, he notices the presence of a woman who claims to be his wife (Laura Tremblay). While Malcolm still has doubts about what is happening or is still wondering where the bathroom is, he agrees to trust her until a person who claims to be his best friend (Mike Donis) appears and seems to have other intentions beyond worrying about the health of his friend. That night, two masked persons break into Malcolm’s home looking for an object in a coded safe — yes, that is how ambiguous and specific at the same time is the detail of this part of the story. Malcolm, together with his bad memory and terrible judgment, will try to understand what is happening and see if it is possible to trust every little detail that the so-called friends and family have revealed to him.

Honestly, Fugue is a movie that didn’t entertain me for the first two acts as it is predictable and slow. It sadly picks up the speed until its third act and you may still be disappointed at how fast it’s now going that they even forget to mention what it is that they were looking for. The mystery of the coveted object for which everything happens is greater than the intentions of each person, which shows a poor development of the characters. Most of the performances are good but they show quite cold characteristics— even the warm ones are icy.

At times it seems that there is no time for development but at others there are too many details that end up becoming fillers that do not add value to the plot. The process of how to get what you want by abusing the victim’s lost memory is explained more times than the purpose of the invasion to obtain an item never described or mentioned— this can create indifference for the viewer by not being able to put the events on a scale.

It may seem that everything is bad about Fugue, but it is not. There are very gratifying moments during the outcome that might let you appreciate a bit what you started but, when you reach the end of the film, the feeling is dislodged and you remember that there was never a purpose for the actions of the protagonist and antagonist.

Fugue is mostly predictable and forgettable. It may have an interesting story where the ends seem to be tied up when there never were— it will leave you with a bad aftertaste questioning whether all their actions were worth it.

5 OUT OF 10 ALARM CLOCKS