The film starts out as a pretty hipster dreamscape: our doe-eyed and lonely heroine is seemingly trapped in her successful-yet-distant boyfriend's flawlessly decorated Brooklyn apartment. Enter her best friend Em, suddenly back from a trip abroad, and Kate is swept up in an alcohol-fueled emotional hurricane.
The shots are beautiful and the acting is flawless. The film surprised me by building up to the day when all the masks come off. But I was left confused and unsatisfied.
Outside of Kate's destructive behaviour, where was Em's sense of agency or responsibility? I agree it's a masterful character arc, but only for Kate. The other three, in my opinion, remain rather two-dimensional and blameless.
While this film doesnt require a happy ending, I believe it lacked an ending altogether. It gives the audience a few scraps to chew on but overall disappointing.
Plot summary
KATE (Celeste Arias) is almost thirty, almost engaged, almost settled in her career as a writer-but is deeply dissatisfied. When Kate's best friend EM (Jennifer Allcott) returns from Paris with a surprising new lover in tow (Josh Helman),Kate and her boyfriend PETE (Grayson DeJesus) spend a weekend in upstate New York with the new couple. As Kate struggles with her suspicions about Em's new lover, dormant feelings about her own life arise, forcing her to decide whether to stay on her current life path or to burn it down and forge a new one.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Crunchy film just an appetizer
Slow drama that builds and catches you unaware
This is a drama, a very slow building drama that should be thought of as that way right from the start, do not expect anything more than that. Give this a miss if you are looking for action and explosions, this is definitely not for you.
I think most people who enjoy drama movies have seen something like this before, but it is definitely not for everyone. My partner found it boring and stopped watching after 15 minutes.
Josh Helman, who I do not recognise from any movie I have seen, even though I have seen movies he has been in, does a brilliant job in this, far exceeded my expectations. The fact that he also directed and co-wrote this really shows he is talented.
Jennifer Allcott, Celeste Arias and Grayson DeJesus, also pretty much unknowns to me hold this movie together and make it worth watching.
7/10 for me though not a movie I would watch more than once.
Recommended if you like drama that requires concentration and a bit of deep thinking.
Great little indie film about how we can get stuck with feelings about our past
I enjoyed reacting to the series of emotions Kate experiences throughout this 90 minute slow burner. Living a seemingly perfect life with a great boyfriend in Brooklyn, Kate's best friend returns from Europe with a new lover in tow. We quickly realize Kate is living in a state of unsettled confusion and we join her on her journey of reconciling her feelings about those closest to her. Will she move forward with a bright future or stay stuck rooted in the past?