sezme

To keep this brief(ish), I found this an intriguing film that dealt with heavy issues of personal responsibility, prejudice, and forgiveness. These issues and the story they were framed inside are worth exploring. Overall, the film did a good job with this and was visually quite beautiful.

The main problem I had with the film was the lack of chemistry between the lead characters. I just couldn't feel them as a real couple who cared about each other beyond their stated purpose of making a baby together. In particular, I found the acting of the husband, Georgi, to be stiff. The other characters, particularly the Roma family, and the detective were very compelling. I wasn't sure about Yuki herself, but in a scene where she confronts other characters without Georgi present, I found Kiki Sugino's performance extremely moving. So I guess it was Georgi who was holding her back.

The ending didn't flow organically from the climax but felt tacked on. And the final two words spoken by Yuki would have been better left to the audience's imagination.

So I'd recommend this film with some reservations. Still it's great to see cinema from Bulgaria, and I can only hope for more and better to come.

This is a story told more as an expression of feelings and mood than as an exposition of a finely crafted story. In other words, this is a showcase for the actors more than the writers. Should you approach this film with a need for any more than a bare-bones plot, you will likely leave disappointed. But not every work depends on intricate story details to work effectively. The Other Half tells the story of a relationship between two rather damaged but nevertheless lovely individuals, Emily (Tatiana Maslany) and Nickie (Tom Cullen).

Nickie's damage seems to arise from the loss of a close family member which has traumatized him and his entire family. As in many such cases, he is drawn to someone with problems of her own, in this case Emily, an ebullient artist who suffers from bipolar disorder. For me, The Other Half's strengths lie in making us care about these characters and showing their incredible connection. That Maslany and Cullen are partners in real life inevitably adds to the chemistry between them on screen. The depiction of two young people trying to make a life for themselves starting with almost nothing, attempting the painful process of separating themselves from their parents made me feel nostalgic for a similar time in my own life.

Finally, Tatiana Maslany once again proves herself to be one of the best and most versatile actors working today. She disappears into this role making me fully believe in this character. Having seen her in Orphan Black playing upwards of 20 parts, I was amazed to see her in this film as completely distinct from any of those characters and heart-breakingly emotionally vulnerable. Tom Cullen is likewise engaging, though I feel that the screenplay leaves his Nickie a little too opaque. I get that his numbed expression near the beginning is his expression of grief, but I would have preferred a touch more light shining through to validate Emily's falling so hard for him.

This is a film that operates at its own pace. It will reward the viewer who is willing to slow down, and and take it in moment by moment.