Elena Undone

OK, put away your presumptions and your prejudices about what a "lesbian" movie is. If you skip this movie because "it's about lesbians," or gays, or the mysterious "other," then you're missing out on one of the best romantic films I've ever seen.

First, I'm a happily married straight guy, 45 years old. Now having dispensed with that, on to the review!

As another reviewer has already noted, this is a romance film. It happens to be a romance film with two women as the lead actors. Sure, you can call it a lesbian film, if you wish to force it into some niche. You can note that the director and producer, both women, are partners, and therefore let that make a choice for you about the movie. I recommend, however, that you watch the film, and let it stand on its own merits. You won't be disappointed.

While some say that this film appears to be somewhat formulaic (girl meets girl, girl loses girl, girl gets girl back in the end,) movies use formulas because 1) they work, and 2) they are true representations of how life happens. What separates this movie from other romance movies isn't that the main characters are women, but the visceral, raw, and quite real emotions captured by the camera and shown to us on film. I was bowled away by the acting, amazed by the cinematography, and stunned by the chemistry. Oh yes, there's chemistry! I'm making a distinction between the acting and the chemistry because I would like to speak to the acting in general, and the chemistry in particular. Am I exaggerating when I write "bowled away", "amazed", and "stunned?" OK, maybe a little bit. Obviously, I'm biased- I really like this movie! But allow me to explain.

The acting in "Elena Undone" is wonderful. And I don't mean wonderful for an indie film. I mean truly wonderful. The phrase "suspension of disbelief" gets bandied about quite a bit in film reviews, and I don't want to, again, exaggerate, but I really felt like I was there when watching this movie. There were so many scenes where I was no longer sitting in my living room, but I was "there", at the park, or in Peyton's living room, or in her (their) bedroom... I felt like I was disembodied, hovering at the periphery of the scene, really watching events unfold in real-time! Not just the main characters Elena (Nacar Zadegan) and Peyton (Traci Dinwiddie), but all the actors performed wonderfully.

The cinematography was also excellent. There are two main themes in the cinematography that I would like to speak to. One is the "style" of the movie, and the other, from a comparative point of view, is the role that the park plays in the movie. I can point to the "narration style" used where one of the actors, Tyler, talks to the camera in the guise of the cinematographer-type role that he plays in the movie. Similar to other movies that have used this device (Kenneth Branagh's "Othello" comes immediately to mind), it helps steady the movie and keeps things moving along. The park is another part of the cinematography that plays an important role in the movie. The park becomes almost like another part of the cast, present at many important points in the movie. It's there when Elena and Peyton first see each other, although they don't meet then. It's there when "girl loses girl," and also there when at the very end and the credits begin to roll, they are at their happiest. I bring these points up not because they are especially important, or especially poignant, but to demonstrate to you, the reader of this review, that particular care was spent in the cinematography of this movie. Please be assured, that if the cast and crew cared about these things, they certainly cared about all other aspects of this movie that make it so great.

Lastly, the chemistry. This movie, were it not for the chemistry between Nacar Zadegan, and Traci Dinwiddie, would be an above average romance movie. With it, it explodes on the screen! From their first glance that shows interest, to their open conversations, to the scene where there is that first spark that ignites the tinder, to the scene where the tinder begins to blaze a little more, to that scene... that scene where the flame is no longer small, but all-consuming, engulfing them... I don't even know if I can properly even describe it to you, to give it its due. You just are going to have to take my word for it, when you see this scene, you will be so affected, as I was, it's so amazingly beautiful and raw- the acknowledgment of Elena's feelings, her forthrightness, yet tempered with her knowledge that she may be changing things irrevocably, but with her stubborn, almost petulant need to charge forward into the abyss... And by the way, it's not a sex scene that I'm writing about (while there is sex in the movie, it's thoughtfully and provocatively muted, sensual, loving, while still being erotic and sexy!) Anyway, I'm probably letting my feelings thinking about this scene get away with me, but once again, please let me say to you, you deserve to see this scene, and by extension, the whole movie!

To summarize, and to close this somewhat lengthy and totally biased review, you need to see this movie. Yes you, straight man, as well as you, lesbian lady, and you too, curious lady. And hey, you too, straight woman with a boyfriend. All of you can put aside whatever baggage you're bringing to the table and watch this movie. If you aren't affected by this romance, this love story, this amazing retelling of how two people can meet, and fall in love, and run into problems, and become redeemed because of their unassailable love for each other, then you must be dead inside.

I did not like the presentation of the husband. He just didn't work as a conservative pastor or as a man. That said I thought that every other thing resonated with truth.

One aspect of love and affairs that rarely gets attention is the feelings of the third party. Peyton in this film gets to have the range of emotion, loving the individual , not knowing where exactly they fit in, not knowing when or if they will get to share their love in the open. It tears at the soul, it sows doubt and Nicole Conn gives us an inspection of that part of love, that pain. We also get the pain and doubt and confusion of the person who wasn't looking for love, but found it none the less.

It is a thoughtful film, it is a romantic film. It has some of the most sensuous love scenes that I can recall and yet nothing explicit enough to actually offend any but those who are predisposed to offence. You could watch this with your adult children and not be embarrassed.

Elena Undone is by far, the best lesbian movie I've ever seen. The chemistry between the two women is palpable, the script is well written and believable, and the acting is wonderful by the two leading actresses as well as the supporting cast. Traci Dinwiddie (Peyton) especially stands out when she is preparing to share her feelings with her up-til-then platonic friend. Her discomfort yet innocent naivety was delightful. She conveys with one raised eyebrow or sigh, her embarrassed, self consciousness. There were two other scenes where she took my breath away: in the short love scene when her lover, Elena (Necar Zadegan), asserts herself sexually and Peyton is forced to face her own control & trust issues, fears, and vulnerability; and in the swimming pool when her pain overwhelms her after their breakup. Peyton's pain becomes our pain as she disappears sobbing underneath the shimmering water.

I actually regard The Longest Kiss as the first love scene in Elena Undone. The energy and determination with which Elena bursts into the room would cause any heart to race and the poignant dialogue between kisses rang so true that it only added to their rising passion. Necar Zadegan is enchanting as she wrestles with her new found reality of finding herself in love with a woman. She owns the screen in the morning-after breakfast scene and in the park when her dreams begin to crumble as Peyton emotionally steps back and pushes her away. Two other actresses deserve special mention: Mary Wells as Wave, Peyton's best friend, was fabulous! She's a best friend everyone would want. And Sabrina Fuster as Tori was simply charming. They both offered sterling performances.

One final mention…the music is remarkable. Between Jennifer Corday's "Make Me Come Undone", Marc Chait's score, and Sabrina Fuster's "Suddenly", the music pulls at our heartstrings and keeps us emotionally tuned in every moment.

In closing, I don't know how Nicole Conn does it. A great script is the key and this was indeed a wonderful, reality based script. The movie just gets better and better. It's important to note too that Nicole Conn has given us more than just a lesbian movie. It's a movie about relationships and an affirmation that if we pay close attention and truly show up in our lives, then our chances of finding love is better than we think.

Janet Liss

Last night at the Philly Qfest, the director of this film blamed her lesbian audience for why her film was low-budget (she says it's because "lesbians don't go to the movies...").

Low-budget doesn't explain why the narrative rhythm of her feature film was reminiscent of a deaf, dumb, and blind elementary school's band who's music teacher is conducting over the web. No pace. No rhythm. The first 30 minutes was the worst. Needs to be re-edited!!! Eventually, the film did improve significantly, and at times, was very funny. The acting was good and I appreciated the casting.

However, overall,the story itself reeked of self-indulgence and attempted to cater too much to the real life back story of its filmmakers at the expense of developing an authentic narrative that could breathe on its own. So much of this film simply needed to be re-edited. The psychic guru guy... I understand his character and finally got around to liking him but he needs a completely revised introduction into the script. It simply doesn't work.

One thing I didn't understand was the wardrobe of the lesbian protagonist's character. The story seemed to be set in 2010 but her wardrobe was very 1990's. The actor didn't look comfortable in those clothes. Again, was this artistic detail (e.g. wardrobe) catering to the integrity of the autobiographical story over the authenticity of its recreation?

Oh, and about that long kiss....it was long. Too long. Sadly, it looked too staged and indulgent to the filmmakers rather than seeming authentic to the actual characters. It's nice when art has the potential to imitate life but it has to happen naturally. It can't just happen for it's own sake.

Lastly, a low-budget breeds creativity. I liked what was done with inserting the "real life" stories of heterosexual lovers. It was a nice touch which has been successfully executed in other films but in this film, it didn't fit in seamlessly. I've never seen such careless editing and loose story structure with all the flashbacks, and side stories, and voice-overs. More time was needed to tighten up this film. The acting itself would make it worth seeing again if it was re-edited.

I was disappointed and frustrated to see that the only review of this film so far was by a woman who had the nerve to dish on a film that she walked out of after only the first 40 minutes. Seems to me that that should automatically disqualify her review and critique on that grounds alone.

My partner and I, on the other hand, stayed for the entire film, and would have quite happily stayed for a second showing if they'd decided to have one. We agreed that it was the best lesbian film that we've ever seen (and we've seen most of them that are out there).

When the reality is that most (though thankfully not all) lesbian films are mediocre at best, and embarrassingly bad at worst, "Elena Undone" sets a new standard for what lesbian films can and should be: intelligently written, well-cast and well-acted and well-directed, with natural and believable dialogue, a storyline that is actually believable, and characters that you can relate to (and may even want to be friends with), and extremely erotic scenes that still manage to be tasteful and believable. It is rare to find all of these qualities in a mainstream blockbuster feature film, and nearly impossible to find them in lesbian movies, so I was thrilled almost beyond reason to see what can be accomplished in lesbian film-making.

And then there's the astounding beauty of the two co-stars and the incredible and believable passion and eroticism of the connection that builds between them as the movie evolves. To say that this was a satisfying element of the movie would be a serious understatement... I have never been so aroused by a film, and couldn't stop thinking about it for the entire week since I've seen it. I have watched the trailer at least once a day since and am totally hooked! I am not embarrassed to admit that I have fallen hopelessly in love with this exquisite film.

I encourage every woman-loving-woman out there (and our friends and allies) to do whatever it takes to SEE THIS FILM, even if it means buying it sight-unseen (yeah, it's THAT good!) We need to create a market for more high quality lesbian films like this, and the only way to do so is to provide support to the talented filmmakers who gift us with delicious movies like this one. SEE IT -- YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Kathy Berkeley, CA