Em

This view is a spot on yet tender depiction of mental illness and its' ravages on a loving relationship. This is also a perfectly paced sad sweet love story that beautifully encapsulates the relationship in all its phases: discovery disappointment anguish and acceptance. I loved the way the film captured the city landscape as well as the interior landscape of the extremity of moods and the dashing of expectations that are part and parcel of bi-polar disorder. There are no cartoonish depictions, no sensationalism or oversimplification of the often misrepresented and constantly misunderstood realities of mental illness. It is also a visually gorgeous film saturated with color and a profundity of powerful images.

This movie failed on many levels. Mostly, it was utterly humorless and it lacked any intelligence. The actress, Stef Willen, was strangely masculine and seemed more creepy than mentally ill. She was unlovable with her wacky hats and phony expressions,and it made no sense that he male lead would tolerate her. There was no exploration of mania other than she likes to sky dive or buy one way tickets. Absurd. The sex scenes were gratuitous and yucky. Why an aspiring actress would so degrade herself for this lousy film is sad. I hope never to see Stef Willen's bad acting and annoying face in any other film. This was a missed opportunity. A waste of time.

This film is a true work of art! Predominately told with visuals it is as if you are watching a series of paintings unfold. There is a poetic minimalism to this film which is rarely seen in contemporary American cinema.

"Em" is a subtle, honest and beautiful meditation on what it is like to love someone who is mentally ill. This is not your "look at my Oscar moment" type of mental illness but rather something that is deeply truthful. There is not one manipulative or false moment in this movie which is saying a lot given the subject matter. Everything about this film operates on a visual level and the acting is no exception. The two leads are unbelievable at using subtle facial expressions to convey pivotal character beats. These types of subtle performances can be easily overlooked but this is behavioral acting at its best! Almost immediately you can see the planning and artistry that went into this film. From each shot which is meticulously framed and lit to the color progression, right down to the effectively minimal score which is carefully placed. There is an incredible attention to detail in every aspect of this film. However, this is not a film for everyone as it assumes patience and sophistication on the part of the audience. Nothing is obvious or spelled out in fact we don't even know the two main characters names until about 20 minutes into the film.

From frame one this film sets its own rules and strictly follows them making "Em" a unique and cohesive work of art!

..it gives some idea of the film, that there are only ten IMDb written user reviews in total, and the last one is four years old.. hardly anyone's heard of Em, and assuredly less have actually seen it... but it had won accolades and awards at several film festivals.. and yet this is one of the best little films dealing with romance, heartbreak, and mental illness that you will be fortunate to come across.. and she is one of the best young actors that you will discover.. and yet according to IMDb she has only four productions to her credit.. {and with eight years on twitter only 169 followers).. it is unfathomable that it is only this one film production of hers having merit, and it's been her last major work since.. what happened to her.. that could be a story-line for a screenplay in itself..

Em is a compelling and simple film. Subtle and beautiful, it unwraps the lives of two people struggling to come to peace with their emotions. Relating to anyone who has ever dealt with or encountered someone with a mental illness, Em is a movie that speaks to all generations.

Editing progresses the film quickly, relying on the viewer to fill in any gaps. Actors focus on relaying emotion rather than speaking lines and before you know it, you're hooked.

This movie achieves what every film should aspire to – it tells an intelligent and well planned story without any pretense. Told with the up most care, Tony Barbieri deserves great credit for creating a painfully honest film about what it means to love.