this biopic about nikola tesla, the brilliant inventor of the alternating current generator and engine, is really moving in all directions. the first time the genius appears in the picture, he is skating in a posh patio, while a violinist provides some vocal background music. a few scenes later, tesla spontaneously starts an ice-cream fight with his fellow inventor and major rival thomas edison. "probably this didn't happen", the voice-over says just to be sure, in case you don't realize it's a joke. not to mention the anachronisms: in the nineteenth century timescape of tesla, computers and colour television also appear. anne morgan, the only woman nikola tesla has ever been with, blows open a laptop, breaks through the fourth wall and then starts comparing the google search results of some historical figures. how many times do you see that happen in a costume drama? you got to hand it to him, michael almereyda has a lot of nerve with his movie. and that is to be commended. however, the final result is not convincing, because almereyda is afraid to go all-in by giving some kind of tarantino-like spin to history. on the one hand he wants to be a bit funny, on the other hand he lubricates his film just as hard with all kinds of heavy, meaningless, semi-intellectual dialogues. these two different styles collide continuously, creating a cocktail of inconsistent ideas. all right, we understand: tesla must feel like a dream, like a possible history, and in that capacity does not want to get too attached to anything. cameraman sean price williams (who also worked on good time) uses distorted lenses, sometimes films natural light (candle)and throws a nostalgic blur over his images, creating that intended atmosphere from time to time. it's pretty well designed, but where does it go? despite all sorts of numbers, names, dates and other dry facts, after the event, you still have no idea what actually drove nikola tesla as a human being to move to america and become an engineer there. his difficult relationship with women also remains somewhat on the surface. as if the makers deliberately wanted to avoid all the poignant possibilities of serious drama. that basically makes tesla as experimental as superficial. a prototype-the inventor would say-is not a marketable product.