In her directorial debut feature, New Jersey born TV writer Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies, Westworld) presents a highly ambitious and undeniably intriguing sci-fi neo-noir which is only slightly let down by trying to do too much all at once.

Set in a dystopian future ravaged by mounting sea levels due to global warming, Reminiscence tells the story of a scientist (Hugh Jackman) whose invention allows people to relive their past and uses it to find his lost love. Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton (formally Thandi) also star while Joy’s husband Jonathan Nolan - the younger brother to acclaimed British filmmaker Christopher Nolan - acts as producer.

Nick Bannister (Jackman), a Miami based private investigator of the mind makes a living by allowing his clients to relive a particular moment of their life thanks to a new invention. Nick’s life is changed forever when he falls madly in love with myserteous new client Mae (Ferguson) who later suddenly disappears leaving him wondering what went wrong.

Meanwhile, a simple case becomes an obsession for Nick when he discovers that Mae wasn’t exactly who he thought she was. Elsewhere, Nick’s colleague and best friend Watts (Newton) is becoming more and more concerned about his dangerous and pursuit for the truth.

This film is bustling with nods to the noir genre throughout. It often feels as though the writer-director can’t seem to decide whether she wants her film to be a  pastiche or a serious genre piece. From Mae’s in your face femme fatale aesthetic - her sultry singing voice and form-hugging strapless red dress scream Jessica Rabbit - to classic first person narrator device, it’s clear that Joy has either done her homework thoroughly and has thrown all her knowledge at the piece or is having a whale of a time playing around with noir tropes.

Granted there are some decent, if a little overly theatrical performances peppered through film, but there is a real worry that Reminiscence is neither fish nor fowl. It is a film that can’t quite decide whether to offer a serious story or go all out and deliver an unapologetically contrived homage to the genre.