Hello Lonesome

Adam Reid's first feature is excellent. He takes three unrelated but interwoven stories about love and life and sadness and loss, and makes one cohesive whole of them. Very smoothly and in a way that really draws you in.

Reid develops his characters in strong and believable ways, never overacted or romanticized. The story interweaves many emotions, and lives, and moments in a way that often makes you feel something real. And that is a rare accomplishment in a first film.

The cast is also very strong. Subtle and nuanced performances. Especially by first timer Harry Chase.

Watch it, you'll see, and I bet you'll tell your friends about it. Oh, the music choices are great too.

We observe several everyday people. Neighbors, friends, blind dates, as they meet up in various ways. The one thing they all had in common was being alone. One couple meets on a dating app. An older, younger couple starts spending time together when one can't drive any longer, and the nice neighbor helps run errands. The voice-over actor decides to be more social. He calls up an old girlfriend. He tries to reunite with his daughter, and even makes buddies with the delivery guy who brings his work assignments. Some twists, turns, some challenges. Happiness, sadness. It's all life. Written and directed by adam reid. He has won a bunch of film fest awards. It's very sweet... kind of a study of human relationships.

There is no way this deserves 5 stars. It is far better than other titles that are rated a great deal higher here. The few external reviews I've had a chance to read seem to agree, it is an excellent film.

I cannot sing the praises of Hello Lonesome highly enough. Everything about it was almost perfection. Great writing, direction, cinematography and not least, superb casting and acting! It amazed me that all the actors were unknown to me, yet all were more than competent and also talented.

Every story was believable and each one elicited emotions and feelings in me. I could relate to every character.

Honestly, I enjoyed this as much or more as anything I have seen in my many years of seeing movies. It is now on Netflix streaming, which is how I saw it.

I only buy movies that I think are exceptional. This is one that I will be purchasing (for myself and a couple to give as gifts).

See it - I'd be surprised if you didn't love it.

I'm thinking of writing a book called "Everything You Really Need to Know is in Some Beatles Song". In this case, the song would be "Eleanor Rigby", though here all the lonely people - whose portrayal seems to be the main point of this film - find at least some company. But the portrayal of loneliness is also a popular indie film theme and here it is very much given the indie film treatment: self-conscious quirkiness, studious poignancy, at least one out of the ordinary pairing. And largely aimless development, alas. Aimless, yet predictable in its aimlessness. As so often in first films (and this done on a very small budget), there is a lot to like here, notably the acting, which is alive and natural throughout. And there may come a time when this is mainly remembered as this promising director's early effort. What is more, the success this film has had award-wise show that indie juries at least still like the essentially formulaic approach of this sort of film. Me, I was watching four indie films in a row and hoping for that one you usually get that awakes and surprises you and goes beyond anything you expected. This wasn't it.

This is a lovely and intriguing film filled with humanity, humor, pathos and most importantly whimsy. The story unfolds in such a gentle, sensitive yet matter-of-fact way that the viewer immediately consents to be taken along as part of a journey cushioned with the innate feeling that real, though maybe quiet, magic is possible, even available in real life to real people. The actors all do a fine job, particularly Lynn Cohen, James Urbaniak, and Kamel Boutros. First time director, Adam Reid brings to the screen a palpable empathy for the characters and has the light touch that a more experienced director might have developed. I look forward to future work from him.