Je T'aime, Au Revoir

If you've ever attended film school you will understand this movie. It is a drama filled up and down of personal relationships attempting to break into the industry while also following your dream. Matt Ukena plays the forlorn director who attempts to find deeper meaning through his films. He recruits his muse played by Ashley Moret who epitomizes every single detail of a struggling actress willing to put herself in a project. Knowing full well what feelings the director has developed for her she strings along Matt however, she is not to blame. One gets the feeling of a platonic arms length relationship on her part but unfortunately as a dreamer and hopeless romantic, Matt doesn't see past this. This is the subtle nuance that transcends the typical corny melodrama. That there are no "good guys" or "bad women" but just trying to live amongst the struggles of Hollywood. We want to judge but we can't. What I absolutely love about this film is that it creeps up on you. We traipse along with him to feel all his anger, pain, betrayal and ultimately...well it's hard to describe...perhaps...existential resolution of his art being an outlet for life's pitfalls. It is bittersweet, melancholic and thought provoking for any artist who always attempts to organize reason, control and life's unpredictability. This film is also vastly different from director Bennie Woodell's wheelhouse but seems to be a lot more comfortable here than the ultra-violent macabre previous flicks. To that, I wish he'd make more of these.