It may not be a new concept, the mad genius in his own haunting world, but The 4th Dimension still triumphs as a dark amalgamation of styles. You can see the influence of some of the greatest filmmakers to ever work in cinema as the film progresses, moving with a methodical madness to a decisive, emotional end. Yes, The 4th Dimension is a good film, but it is also one that has moments that are truly great.

Jack spent his childhood trying to help his critically ill mother regain her strength. She was still a loving and supportive influence, encouraging him to study hard in school. In the future though, Jack is apparently working as a craftsman and not the physicist he likely could have been. His anti-social and compulsive behavior is a sign of obvious psychosis. As his genius continually collides with his madness, it’s up to the viewer to discover where Jack’s insanity ends and where his reality begins.

Jack’s sanity is as discontinuous as Jack believes time is. In his dreams he can visit his mother in the past or watch Albert Einstein put together a clock without hands. It’s a harrowing journey we take with Jack through the darkness that lurks inside his mind. That makes it easy to compare the directors David Mazzoni and Tom Mattera with a David Lynch, but they are both far better filmmakers. It’s more important to find the dizzying and surreal story supplemented with a small injection of Spielbergian humanism and a big shot of Wellesian technique.

Watching this film, I was reminded of the first time I watched Orson Welles’ The Trial. The low budget, Kafka-inspired film’s dark, industrial setting is where I draw that comparison, as well as the inspired, often laborious shots. The similarities with The Trial aren’t insignificant, but I do settle on comparing the film to culty indies like Christopher Nolan’s Memento or Darren Aronofsky’s Pi.

The 4th Dimension, though, is an interesting first feature to behold. There are moments when I fall deeply in love with Daniel Watchulonis’ unique and accomplished cinematography. I could watch the opening credit sequence over and over, with the long single shot reminiscent of Touch of Evil. I also loved the thought of an intelligent, idea-driven narrative. The film doesn’t necessarily live up to those things I loved, when making a beautiful or intelligent film becomes the end not the means.

The misplaced objective was also my complaint when it came to reviewing Memento and Pi. Though some of this review dwells on the negative, so did my criticism of those films. I own Nolan’s early work and Pi. I choose to live with them because the great things about those films are honed and tweaked, giving birth to even greater films often immediately following that establishing work. Those films, along with The 4th Dimension, are cinematic instances of great discovery. Mazzoni and Mattera have the potential to be just as important to filmmaking as Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky, even if they aren’t yet as well known.