Directed by Ross Holman, Memory Lane (2022) stars Bianca Holman, Ross Holman and Steven Wilkins. A science fiction adventure shot in B-movie style, the film finds its protagonist, Arcadia Smith, who discovers he can travel both into the past and future which leads him to relive and recalibrate his life.
Holman, who both directs and stars in the production, balances both roles pretty nicely. With the weight of the entire narrative on his shoulders, Holman approaches both his character and the production with a form of B-movie energy that is perfect for the tone of the story. Fabulous directing aside, Holman brings his zany energy to his characters as well; charting an illustrious story that takes the audience down a path of timeless adventure.
With interesting and quirky characters introduced throughout the narrative, the film keeps things moving along nicely. From the costumes to the dialogues, every character has a different flair to him or her that speaks to the level of dedication and complexity that the makers wanted to infuse in the production. Of particular note are the sets where Holman has made effective use of both green screen and real locations to shoot the various skits in the story. One particular locale that pops on the screen is the green hillside where the conclusion of the film takes place. Furthermore, the interspersed footage of the protagonist's past also invokes some much needed depth in the story and makes the protagonist more relatable to the audience.
Running at just over an hour, Memory Lane (2022) has just enough action and adventure to satiate everyone. It is obvious that the production is a labour of love by its makers who have tried to make the very best film possible within the creative and fiscal limitations handed to them. Although this is very much in the realm of a student film, the technical choices in regards to editing and narrative structure are very much in the vicinity of a Hollywood level production.
To sum up, Memory Lane puts Ross Holman on the map, illustrating his gifts as both a visual artist and an avant garde filmmaker who will go to the edges of what is possible to bring the most unique film ever made. It is fairly obvious that Holman has a terrific future ahead of him and we can't wait to see what he comes up with next.