"Why do you have to make things so complicated?"

When a planned anniversary weekend at a secluded location goes wrong (among a litany of horrors, the hotel has gone out of business and is in ruins), control-freak Dean builds a time machine so he can recapture the moment and get it right.

He doesn't of course, as his carefully laid plans are thwarted by the uncontrollable variance of human intent, the fact that he meets several versions of himself in the past, his girlfriend gets lost in a temporal loop and her ex-boyfriend turns up not once but twice. It certainly adds new meaning to being your own worst enemy.

To say more would load spoilers into the discussion about Hugh Sullivan's hugely enjoyable romp which, like so many time-travelling films, begs you to re-watch it immediately to check for consistency. Internal logic appears sound, not that logic has a big part to play here as he prefers to dwell on larger themes of control and desire. Not that he makes a big deal about that either as The Infinite Man flicks lightly across its existential material with tongue firmly in cheek and a ready wink for the camera.

With suitably greasy support from Alex Dimitriades, Josh McConville and Hannah Marshall are a delight in the lead roles as they capture the heart of screwball comedy without overplaying the material. Under Sullivan's astute direction, they become a wonderfully droll triple act as his genre-bending, philosophical sci-fi-rom-com deftly talks to Charlie Kaufman by way of Billy Wilder. And there aren't many films that do that.

A haunting, desolate location near Woomera is beautifully caught by Marden Dean's crisp cinematography and stark production design by Obie O'Brien. Together they've created a fourth character that towers over Sullivan's story in silent judgement as the time-shifting chaos unfolds inside.

Lofty yet light, clever and cutting, The Infinite Man sits in that agreeable space where art-house, multiplexes and film festivals intersect (which is a great place to sit). Small wonder it has become an audience darling from MIFF to SXSW and beyond. Add this to your must-watch list. You and all your selves will be pleased you did.

// COLIN FRASER

Previewed at Dendy Cinemas, Newtown, Sydney on 28 August 2014