Lost in the Shuffle
(Canada, 100 min.)
Dir. Jon Ornoy
Award-winning illusionist Shawn Farquhar is on a mission. When he started his career as a stage magician, the Canadian talent performed in shopping centres, casinos, night clubs, hotels, and cruise ships around the world. Later in his career, Farquhar performed on television programs such as The Ellen Show, Steven and Chris, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. For the two-time world champion in card-magic, a deck of 52 cards is his best friend. Now, after an established career, Farquhar’s latest trick unveils an unresolved murder mystery. Examining the origins of the iconic deck of cards, Jon Ornoy’s fast-paced documentary Lost in the Shuffle follows Farquhar’s European voyage to uncover the roots of a centuries-old cold-case from the French court that’s hidden in plain sight.
As the film progresses, Farquhar tours the continent in search of answers. In one of the documentary’s early interviews, Ornoy and his team visit the National Playing Card Museum in Turnhout, Belgium. During their stay, the team conducts an interview with the former director of the institution Filip Cremers.
Lost in the Shuffle balances education and entertainment with admirable ease, as Farquhar’s enthusiastic participation brings a delightful energy to the informative interviews. During his Turnhout escapade, Ornoy includes a memorable sequence involving the efficiency of printing presses where Cremers impresses Farquhar with a demonstration of their vintage technology.
The film includes brief animations that reflect the spoken-word testimonials. Through a pleasing two-dimensional canvas, the accessible character designs provide emotional punctuation. The designs are purposefully simplistic and the cartoonish appeal accompanies the cadence of the academic dialogue.
Lost in the Shuffle demonstrates with each interview the historical impact behind the renowned source of entertainment. From war tactics to monetary use, Ornoy illuminates the many social uses of playing cards around the globe. Through different audio clippings, the documentary simultaneously details the shifting value of the iconic deck throughout the 20th century.
In the process, Farquhar assembles a timeline of events surrounding the mysterious death of King Charles VIII. In true-crime fashion, Farquhar describes different motives behind the untimely death of the French monarch. Matching historical documents with the evolution of the card’s designs, Farquhar finds a mysterious connection between King Charles VIII’s passing and the region’s flag that was imprinted in the deck’s original illustrations. While medics at the time claimed the monarch’s death was caused by blunt head trauma, Lost in the Shuffle presents a new theory to the table. The devil is in the details within the iconic set of cards, where each new idea builds upon a web of intriguing theories.
Dispersed within his investigative journey, Farquhar sits down with four innovative magicians from Europe’s illusionist scene. The documentary features candid conversations with illusionists like Alexandra Duvivier, Richard Turner, Michael Vincent, and veteran Juan Tamiriz. The film reveals through playful banter their philosophies and stage strategies. They discuss their origins and their artistic motivation. Farquhar learns new tricks from his cast of talented magicians, where he re-incorporates the different techniques and life-lessons within the film’s thrilling finale.
Whereas the documentary’s direction is fairly conventional with its talking heads methodology, Ornoy extrapolates Farquhar’s irresistible charisma as its empathetic foundation. Farquhar adores interacting with people. Lost in the Shuffle includes B-roll of his talents at play, using his magic tricks to form connections with children and adults alike. Lost in the Shuffle evolves from its murder mystery framework into a surprising love-letter to the illusionist art form. The irresistible finale culminates the documentary’s interviews and lessons towards a powerful performance from Farquhar. Without essential context, Farquhar’s techniques would appear far less impressive to the spectator.
Lost in the Shuffle concludes its magic saga with an impressive performance that incorporates magic, history, and oral storytelling. Shot in Amboise, France, Ornoy stages a performance in the same royal court where King Charles VIII once ruled. With a little magic and a big heart, Lost in the Shuffle commemorates the 525th anniversary of his passing through the power of performance. While there’s still no supporting evidence that proves the theory of homicidal intent behind his mysterious death, Farquhar’s impressive sleight-of-hand makes for one hell of a show.
