Hello Lonesome

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.

Hello Lonesome (2010)

An appropriate title--three couples independently form out of mutual loneliness. Unlike some movies with parallel plots (like "Crash") this one doesn't make the three separate worlds meet. What unifies them is their similar striving for companionship.

And what makes them different is partly what makes the movie terrific. For one older guy with money and a fun if whacky sense of playfulness in his life, all he can manage is a superficial evening of partying with a girl he had met almost a year earlier. For a young guy with an obsession with sports betting the growing tragic needs of his girlfriend adds a needed human dimension to his thin life. The third man is a bit of an effete introvert and he finds comfort visiting the older widow next door, with uncertain sexual intentions.

This is the bare bones, and there are turns and surprises that have to remain surprises so I say no more. Except that the movie makes each situation real and emotionally ripe without sentimentalism (which took some serious restraint in at least one of the three stories, as you'll see). Director, writer, and producer Adam Reid deftly takes a formulaic structure and makes a vivid, living, rather touching movie. The three stories on their own are probably not as complex or original as you might hope, but as a trio they form something much larger than the parts.

And Reid gets the actors to completely inhabit their characters. Necessarily, no one gets a majority role here--at most they have a portion of a third of the screen time--but each of the pairs works superbly. (One of the "couples" is mostly about the man, so there are in essence five main actors.) You can't quite call it ensemble acting since the five never meet all together (this gives nothing away--you don't expect or need this), but in each smaller aspect of the film the acting is tight and sensitive and genuine.

See this. I remember being a little bored at first, getting to know the group, and this might be because there are so many and it takes longer than usual to fall in with them individually. So give it time to start to gel and take a couple of life turns. It's a lovely independent movie.

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.

I saw this film at the Woodstock Film Festival last fall. Out of the twelve films I saw that weekend, this was my favorite one. It is the perfect combination of wit, sadness and love. It is such a great movie with, what I interpreted, companionship. Throughout the weekend, I kept hearing people talk about the film, and everyone seemed to share my feelings for it. This is easily one of the best independent films I've seen. What I specifically enjoyed about it was how every time I thought something was going to happen in the plot, I was pleasantly surprised with a small twist. There were also a few quotes from the film that still linger in my mind. All in all, it was a spectacular film. I hate to be cliché...but I definitely laughed and cried! It's a must see!!!

Hello Lonesome is a brilliant first film from some of the freshest new talent anywhere. The sophisticated direction by Adam Reid is met with nuanced performances by skillful actors. The indie vibe is unforced and genuine - not amateur or in-your-face. Never descending into melancholy, though the film's subject matter is for thoughtful adults, playfulness and joy permeate the atmosphere. Characters are three-dimensional, real people. They don't wear white hats or black hats. This is not Hollywood garbage. Watching these characters grow and evolve is a treat. There are no obvious answers to life's prickly dilemmas. And the film does not expect us to believe otherwise.

This is a gem of a film. You will be enriched for seeing it.