Like all other timeloop movies I can think of, this one has a rather narrow focus; i.e. We only ever see the events of a few days and key moments repeated, even though the loop supposedly lasts for several months by the end. Usually this makes watching the protagonist fumble around witlessly rather frustrating when they, with a little creative thinking and broader focus, would be able to do all kinds of crazy things that would derail the movie. 'Jagged Mind' however, does something I haven't seen before (and while this is a spoiler, it becomes pretty obvious early on after just a few resets) - its point of view character is the one being gaslit by the one controlling the loops - which is both creative and a smart way to shift the viewer's focus away from potential fridge logic pitfalls, especially since the abusive girlfriend is psychotically single-minded in her pursuits and the artifact controlling the timeloop has some unusual restrictions. Of course, not thinking too hard (or at all really) about those mechanics is the default requirement as the time-travel shenanigans don't hold up to any kind of scrutiny, but thanks to the aforementioned efforts this never becomes distracting. Along with those elements, the characters are well-developed and believable, if a bit overdramaticized, the editing is quite competent as the scene changes are never confusing, and the cinematography is quite beautiful as well, even if the locations are somewhat unremarkable. The atmosphere is what could have been improved the most, in my opinion, since even though Alex is quite brutal and ruthless, she never really manages to terrify the viewer along with her chosen victim.

Well, I had actually never heard about this 2023 thriller movie titled "Jagged Mind" from Hulu, prior to sitting down and watching it. But that only meant that writer Allyson Morgan and director Kelley Kali had every opportunity to impress me.

But "Jagged Mind" turned out to be a rather bland thriller. Sure, the concept of the storyline, as written by Allyson Morgan, definitely had some interesting aspects to it. Just a shame that it wasn't properly utilized or delved further into. As such, "Jagged Mind" turned out to be a somewhat less than adequate thriller laced with some supernatural voodoo elements.

The acting performances in the movie were fair enough. I wasn't familiar with anyone on the cast list though.

"Jagged Mind" ran for 88 minutes, throughout which the narrative was just going straight out of a path without any turns, twists ups or downs. And yeah, that made for a rather bland viewing experience. Especially since you would be expecting something to get your heart pumping from a thriller.

While I managed to sit through the entire ordeal, this is definitely not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I will recommend for fans of the thriller genre to rush out and get to watch.

My rating of "Jagged Mind" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Billie- a lesbian art curator from Little Haiti- is stuck in a limbo, between her former lover; favourite artist; and mysterious new girlfriend.

One of which seems to have some suspiciously nefarious intentions.

Her former lover is toxic.

Her new girlfriend is clearly gaslighting her.

And her favourite artist seems to know more about her than she possibly could.

All of which comes on, as she begins to suffer from- what seems like- a progressively deteriorating neurological issue, that has her memory running in loops.

So...she's unable to rely upon her own recollection.

Putting her in a position where she doesn't know who to trust.

Some people in her life, seem to be trying to help her...while others are out to exploit her condition, in an attempt to manipulate her, for their own ends.

And it's not until the bizarre, villainous, twist comes around, that these convoluted series of events take on any sort of clarity.

With Billie, inevitably, taking the initiative to take fate back into her own hands.

As you might have guessed...it has something to do with Voodoo.

And an inherently toxic love triangle.

Though, why she particularly became the target...and what ends the villain is trying to achieve...are not exactly clear.

Unless, we are to assume, it's solely due to her proximity to their previous lover.

That being said, it's not an uninteresting story.

And it has an intriguing plot structure.

But it comes off a bit convoluted...especially at the beginning.

Before offering too straight up of an explanation.

Which kind of detracts from the element of mystery, in my opinion.

Though, considering it is only director Kelly Kali's sophomore feature...I think it will be interesting to see how she matures into a filmmaker going forward.

Because she definitely has potential.

But from an entertainment/engagement perspective...this one gets a "meh", from me.

4.5 out of 10.