The Acceptance

The Acceptance is an amazing film. The visuals and incredible and the settings superb. While not normally my kind of film (as normally I prefer faster films), this movie has a heart touching story about accepting life as it comes, and making the best of it. The heroin of the story goes though a number of trials, and while not always coming out on top; always learns a valuable lesson from each encounter. It is a movie that should be seen for its visual impact and its ability to uplift the viewer. The Acceptance is the type of movie that no two people will come away from with the same feelings, but every viewer will spend days thinking about and discussing it with those that have also viewed it.

Yogesh Khubchandani's directorial debut follows the journey of a woman trying to recompose herself in the midst of an emotional crisis and turmoil.

The Acceptance is revealing without telling, and suggestive without dictating any interpretation of its events. Instead, like the central character, the viewer must find their own way to think about the issues of love and loss, trust, friendship and how to move on.

Lyrical in its cinematography, it's an evocative visual narration that suits the sensitive and conflictual spirit of the story. Great cast, from the main actress to the youngest of the children protagonists of some quick dreamlike scenes.

Let's be honest: "The Acceptance" is probably the anti-pop-corn movie. Don't expect action scenes or any kind of fireworks. But if you're looking for real emotions, true conflicts and excellent performances, this is your film. Yogesh Khubchandani surprises us with an extraordinary debut as a filmmaker. But, without a doubt, his best achievement has been discovering for us this great actress, Alicia Lobo, probably the new Monica Belucci of the century: wild, tender, sweet, strong, beautiful, but above all.. extremely talented. It's not easy at all to do what she achieves: she doesn't have more than a hundred lines in the whole film (even though she plays Eleanor, the protagonist), but her look, her silences, all of her expressions are full of such a big amount of life and convey so much truth.. Eleanor will probably be Alicia Lobo's breakthrough role. Alicia, thank you for being an inspiration.. where were you all this time?

Khubi is a consummate artist, and this film has the spare elegance of a handcrafted masterpiece. Gorgeous location shots (in New Jersey, no less!), meticulously layered sound and powerful, understated performances give The Acceptance the austere beauty of a piece of Shaker furniture, a reminder of what art can look like when people take the time to find the beauty in simple materials. It's a "difficult" film in the sense that it doesn't simply tee up emotional payoffs for the audience to knock over. Like the heroine, we are set upon the hard road of broken relationships, loss, and betrayal, and the only guide is what we learn by looking inward as we go along. Much as with Khubi's cinematic heroes like Buñuel, the story here is lyrical and meditative, and more than a little eerie, but never didactic or informative. At the same time it is rich with real, actual life and beauty in a way few films are. You've never looked at Jersey quite this way before! By way of disclosure, Khubi has been a friend of mine for many years. No special insight, but I know it was a grueling project. I'm glad the final result is so beautifully realized.

This film is a wonderful achievement for a first time feature director/writer/producer. I thoroughly enjoyed the thought and craftsmanship that went into every aspect of production. The result is a movie that guides the audience with great sensitivity through a story of human emotional conflict, turmoil and bereavement.

The performances are subtle, engaging and honest. I especially look forward to seeing more of Alicia Lobo in the future. She brings exactly the right tone to a role that easily could have been overplayed.

Overall I would recommend this film to anyone who is looking for something more than cookie-cutter movie tropes. Bravo!