Review: The Fare

The Fare (2019), directed by D.C. Hamilton, is a North American science fiction fantasy with an intriguing romantic storyline filled with twists and turns.  It stars Gino Anthony Pesi (Harris), Brinna Kelly (Penny), and Jason Stuart as the voice of the Dispatcher.  It’s the story of a cab driver, Harris, who discovers that he is trapped in a time loop with a mysterious repeat fare.

The non-linear narrative commences when Harris recalls the name of his mysterious female passenger whom he has previously picked up on a barren stretch of country road.   It’s an intriguing film situating the narrative within a famous ancient Greek myth dealing with Persephone and her abduction by Hades to the underworld in a post-modernist setting.  The theme of love is juxtaposed against Harris’s backstory and his journey to self-awareness.  The film is full of twists and turns which fuel the narrative and adds to the dramatic tension.  The motif of love runs through the film and stitches the narrative into a cohesive structure.  The narrative of Harris’s quest to find the truth and save himself and his mysterious passenger is juxtaposed against the world of the supernatural filled with electrical storms and eerie phenomena.

Hamilton weaves together many visual elements to create a compelling film that will leave you in suspense.  Hamilton frames and contextualizes the relationship between his two protagonists in the intimate enclosed space of the taxi cab.  As Harris begins to remember and forges a romantic bond with Penny, he suddenly suspects her of concealing the truth which flips the narrative on its head.  Besides being a science fiction fantasy, The Fare can be viewed as a coming of age film as Harris comes to terms with his reality but also as a road move.  The repeated journeys allow Harris and Penny to connect over and over again, and rediscover the happiness they once shared.

There’s much to recommend the film.  Not only is it well-acted, well-written, and well-crafted with an intriguing dramatic story line, the film celebrates the notion of eternal love in a science-fiction context with a twist.  The film resonated with me on many levels evoking existential questions such as the meaning of life, and the importance of love and faith.  If you are a fan of science fiction or coming of age or road movies, you’ll love this film.  Do see it!

The Fare hits theatres November 11, 2019