I’m not an American indie film fan, but once in a while there are one or two films that call my attention, like, for example, Winter’s Bone or this year’s Beasts of the Southern Wild. Lynn Shelton’s film did not particularly call my attention, as I decided to skip her previous and most honored Humpday as I believed the story and the kind of humor were definitively not for me. Now, after watching this film, I’m starting to think that maybe I should give Humpday a try.
Shelton’s film was a total surprise for me, as even though it looks like a low-budget production, it feels like a very good one thanks to great performances and a storytelling style that engages you quickly no matter what you see happening on the screen.
I will have to split myself to review this film, and first, let’s get out of the way everything about the “lesbian interest” this movie has. There will be some story spoilers, so if you don’t want to learn them, please stop reading this paragraph. One of the three characters is lesbian, and since the beginning of the film, you see her going to bed with a man. My reaction was to excuse her, as I know this can happen, especially when you are drunk. But how her story ends really is inexcusable as it plays with a cliché, the newest of the stereotypes, the “lesbian sperm-stealer”. I did not find this funny, and I did not like it at all.
Going back to my “normal” non-lesbian-interest mode, I have to admit that this romantic comedy in general is interesting as it basically tells the story of an unusual relationship triangle of painfully real characters. Grieving on the first anniversary of his brother’s death, Jack (Mark Duplass) is a verbally aggressive mess, so his best friend and his brother’s ex-girlfriend, Iris (Emily Blunt), invites him to her father’s cottage for some alone time to recuperate. Both are unaware that Iris’ sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) is staying at the cottage, recovering from her recent breakup with her girlfriend of seven years. So Jack meets Hannah, starts talking, starts drinking, starts what seems like flirting, has sex, and sleeps together. The next morning, Jack wakes up when he hears noises from Iris. So Iris, Hannah, and Jack are together in the middle of nowhere, and that’s when this very talkie story really starts, when Jack and Hannah try to hide all evidence of their one-night stand.
I’m a very visual person, and “talkies” have to be outstanding for me to engage. Fortunately, this is an outstanding talkie that will engage you thanks to the most unbelievably good natural dialogue delivered with very realistic performances. The film really works its way into your head until you can’t stop being truly interested and involved in what you are watching.
Since I’m not familiar with Shelton’s work, I was unaware that her storytelling style mostly uses improvisation, and I have no doubt that this is one of the best improv I have seen in a very long time. Plus, this is what makes films so engaging and realistic. Even if her character story ends in a very unpleasant way, it is undeniable that Rosemarie DeWitt’s performance is the best and almost steals the whole movie, but Emily Blunt’s gives Iris an outstanding warmth, and Mark Duplass is acceptable even when I believe that too many times he overacts with his facial expressions.
There was no real need to have a “lesbian sperm-stealer” in this story, and I really regret they used it for humor, but besides this issue, the film is quite enjoyable, entertaining, engaging, compelling, and worth watching. I highly recommend the film, but for those readers that enjoy the lesbian interest genre and tend to dislike lesbian or male sex and the use of stereotypes, I suggest staying away, as they will surely get upset with Hannah’s story.