I saw this movie in two sessions. I watched the first third or so at a film festival but had to leave before it was over. I found it hard to leave the screening, and the movie stayed in my mind. I used IMDb to get the e-mail address of its production company and contacted the director/writer. I was able to buy a disk of Where We Started and was finally able to see the entire film. I'm glad of that.
Where We Started is essentially a two-person movie with minimal supporting cast. Matthew Brumlow plays Will and Cora Vander Broek plays Nora. They look like people you could run into on the street on any given day, a fact that adds much to the believability of WWS. The two had a remarkable ease of interaction in their roles as they carried out high quality dialogue written by Christopher Hansen and themselves. It was the dialogue and rapport between the actors that hooked me on my first shortened viewing and that's what made me seek out the DVD to finish my viewing. Will and Nora are nice, normal, likable people who aren't really happy with their humdrum, married lives. That likability carries the first two thirds of WWS but the two aren't without their flaws. WWS is decidedly not a romantic comedy, but it is rich with humor and lightness that thinly cover a more serious issue--marital infidelity. Will they or won't they? I'm not saying; Hansen tells the story far better than I ever could.
Keep in mind that this is a lower budget film made in Texas. I tell you to keep that in mind because that is a strength of this film. It is polished without being slick. WWS is not the typical Hollywood pablum. It is fresh, interesting, and theater ready. Too bad that distribution is such an issue for films that don't come in a Hollywood wrapper. The cherry on top of WWS is a infectious soundtrack performed by local talent. It will stick in your head.
With its limited cast and sets, WWS would be at home on the stage if Hansen ever decides to adapt the screenplay.
WWS is a job well done.
