★ 6 / 10
Timing, as they say, is everything, as there's
Alan W
Timing, as they say, is everything, as there's almost a sense of deja-vu in actor-turned-writer-director Tom Cullen's debut feature which lands in the same…
Timing, as they say, is everything, as there's almost a sense of deja-vu in actor-turned-writer-director Tom Cullen's debut feature which lands in the same month as Marriage Story and Ordinary Love: another indie two-hander drama, this time, covering 6 years in a relationship between Tatiana Maslany's more ambitious producer Jenna and Jay Duplass's part-time DJ/photographer Leon, who's more of a slacker. Presented non-chronologically, oscillating and juxtaposing, say between their initial encounter in a club and a family gathering in a pub suddenly turned sour in Year 3 or a birthday party at friends that got confrontational in Year 2 or a surprise at home that leads to a sobering argument in Year 4 and so on, the film adopts a snapshot approach in its construction, often in long, static takes that allow the actors to free flow and interact in a seemingly improvisational manner. The result is typically indie and rather conventional for its genre but it's also an honest and authentic portrayal of the beginning and, perhaps, demise of a relationship between two real characters. Despite fine performances by both leads, and Maslany is always immensely watchable in practically anything she's in, there's something missing here that might make this film works better. Maybe there's a lacking of context from how their different approaches in life and work affect their relationship; or maybe it's because I never entirely relate to the two main characters, who could potentially resonate more with a younger audience. In the end, this film simply suffers from comparison with those two similarly themed films recently which carry a more impactful emotional punch, nevertheless this remains a nicely constructed piece of work and a promising debut for Cullen.
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★ 7 / 10
Compelling Truth of Love
ASuiGeneris
Extremely accurate and relatable portrayal of the highs and lows of romantic relationships, complications, love, hate, peace and war, all included; thus, not…
Extremely accurate and relatable portrayal of the highs and lows of romantic relationships, complications, love, hate, peace and war, all included; thus, not the most easy or fun thing to watch, and often mundane. But for a lifetime psychology student and people watcher, it was constantly compelling. Many audience members will disagree, but this is real life. Watching the full range in an accurate relationship portrayal is inevitably going to contain minutiae and tedium. Extra kudos for a realistic rather than fairytale ending.
Unfortunately, this was a lesson in how to confuse the audience with arbitrary and disengaging time shifts. More seamless ones could have made this good film great.
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73%
TOMATOMETER
· 26 reviews
58%
AUDIENCE
5.9/10
686
•••
'Gender exceptions', that was enough for me. Vomit