Somewhere in the Middle

Somewhere in the Middle comes from a team of Brooklyn filmmakers led by Lanre Olabisi (whose last film August the First is streamable on Netflix) that successfully raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter in order to produce this film, a rare feat. Taking influence from the styles of Mike Leigh and other dialogue-driven directors, Olabisi manages to craft something that feels fresh and unique, and plays with our understanding of cinema in how we view individual scenes compared to how we view a complete movie.

For the first half of the film we are introduced to four protagonists in an unconventional manner, each of whom are intertwined with the others. First we meet Sophia (Marisol Miranda) in her therapist's waiting room where she meets Kofi (Charles Miller) and immediately develops a liking to him. After seeing her side of the story and how she views this meeting, we then see Kofi's perspective, and gain a better understanding of why he behaved the way he did. Anyone who has tried dating someone and felt like they didn't understand their behavior can relate to this scene. Rather than taking an omnipresent perspective, we view each vignette from a distinct point of view, then return to it from another perspective and have a completely different understanding of what happened. The result is an electrifying journey of love, deceit and evocative sexual tension. In a conventional film it is a given that the scenes play out in chronological order with nothing important in between, but in Somewhere in the Middle, information is often deliberately withheld until much later, resulting in a much more engaging and authentic experience. The closest structural companion that comes to my mind is Iñárritu's 21 Grams, which similarly is successful in telling a gripping non-linear story.

As I began to realize that the film took on the concept of 'everything is connected' I was apprehensive it would lead to a neatly wrapped coincidence-heavy conclusion, because at first it seems unlikely that the characters have any natural connection. However, as more information is revealed, it becomes clear that these characters have defined connections that aren't made clear until later in the runtime. You're never quite sure how it's all going to pan out.

Structurally, the centerpieces are the intense dialogue sequences most often between two of the given protagonists. In the beginning, the film diffuses some of the momentum by showing a large number of transition shots of characters going between places. However, once the story actually gets going, these transitions become fewer, and the character interactions start to define the film as a whole. Olabisi worked closely with all the actors to construct improvised pieces that feel authentic and motivate the story. The most dynamic character created is Billie (Inside Man's Cassandra Freeman), a powerhouse boss whose untamed love life causes most of the turbulence in the story. It is a rare treat to see a character with so much dimension who can be flawed without being unsympathetic. Billie is far from perfect yet her motivations are familiar to all. This is the type of character we love to follow, and the fact that she is a woman of color and has this much depth is unfortunately very rare in mainstream cinema, but as such, she is that much more exciting to watch.

You'll notice I have avoided speaking too directly about the specific events that happen in this film. Because of the twisting nature of the story lines, knowing less up front will produce a far richer movie-going experience. I congratulate the cast and crew for putting together such a vibrant drama, especially within the constraints of such a low budget. Somewhere in the Middle debuted at the Newport Beach Film Festival today at 5:15 pm. It will screen again Thursday April 30 at 7:30 pm. I strongly recommend you catch this film then! It is exactly the type of independent film that makes smaller film festivals so exciting to attend, and hopefully will find its way to larger release later on.

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I gave it a chance because it had a 8.6 rating. Previous reviewers (six total) must've had a dog in it, because there is no way this thing deserves that kind of rating. The characters are thin, stiff, and undeveloped. The dialog make you feel embarrassed. The pacing crawls along and makes you want to use fast forward. The plot is uninspired; it's a copy cat of the cinematic technique from Crash where seemingly unrelated threads intertwine, but lacks complexity. There is scarcely any conflict, climax or resolution. It just peters out at the end. And finally the viewer is left with a feeling of... eh, so what. Do yourself a favor, and pass.

This is sincerely a riveting, creative film that I wasn't expecting. Something like this should probably only be in the theater due to how well it was acted, written, shot, etc. The writing and acting was better than anything from DC or Marvel. The film chronicles the lives of 4 people. The editing constructs a narrativizing of the film that sequences shots from each character's vantage. Thus, sometimes you'll see the same scene later in the film, just from a different angle. It subverts typical discretized boundaries of the gendered and sexed bodies that typically delimit the domain of the thinkable. For instance, one character performs porous modes of queer and straight relationship-having. However, the film doesn't stop to magnify this sexual exploration; no more than "Time" would pause itself in the real world due to your or my intermittent contact with queerness. This film also deracializes the knowable by being an all POC cast without "BEING AN ALL POC cast" – That is, POC centrality is an unmarked norm. Overall, this film has further intensified my adulation, enchantment, and attraction for the colored female structure. Specifically it indexes colored female vulnerability, authority, beauty, and intelligence very well and in a way that celebrates women of color. If you are a POC WATCH THIS FILM TO UNLEARN COLONIAL (what sociologist Pierre Bourdieu calls) "doxa" and "distinction". Your "taste" in for non-black/brown/Asian/Native casted films is NOT due to Universal interest and a NEED to NOT center people who look like you. Just because the cast comprises 3 gorgeous WOC and a mediocre looking man with pointers to blackness (yeah I'm hating!!…3 beautiful WOC should be clamoring over ME not his crusty/corny self!), doesn't necessitate it being a bad film, or a "black" film (read: "independent", "unprofessional", "poorly directed"). If you are a POC, don't complain about "OS-CUH So WYYYYTE!!" If you don't support, rate, review, and watch this film and other all POC main-casted films on this platform. Otherwise, "the Academy" is just regarding Blackend, Browned, Asianed, Indigeonized, cultural capital the same way WE regard ourselves (I'm not deprecating other POCs, I'm just stating a basic rational fact).

This was a solid film all around. A cut above the standard relationship films. Solid acting, well photographed. What sets it apart is the nuanced script spoken and non spoken. Also, what was refreshing was the subtle take on the sexual dynamics. Nothing seemed forced. The film shows how relationships and really people's lives can turn on subtle manipulation and the slightest turn in how we deal with each other. I would highly recommend this film if interested in relationship type movies. If this is Chris Webber's first foray into features, making choices, decisions and getting involved with projects like these he will have success.

The pursuit of pleasure and the pursuit of happiness are not the same; where one tends to be a solitary exploit, the other usually begs company. Unlike happiness, pleasure can become an addiction or an obsession. Such pleasure can be sought in a needle, in a bottle, or in the bed. The one night stand is the hallmark of the pursuit of pleasure while the 50- year marriage is the relationship goal we aspire to in our collective pursuit of "happily-ever- after." Most relationships fall somewhere in the middle, but what happens when they don't? What happens when one person is seeking pleasure and the other happiness?

"Somewhere in the Middle" explores this. It recognizes the difference between happiness and pleasure, between love and obsession. Where love makes one strive to be better and seek only the best for their beloved, obsession brings out their worst, and they will seek only possession of the object of their obsession. Billie is unhappy in her marriage and is seeking pleasure. Her pursuit of Alex is devious and resembles obsession. Kofi wants to save his marriage to Billie, but Billie's unhappiness is infectious. He is seeking happiness, but will settle for a distraction. He finds this distraction in Sofia, who is seeking happiness. Alex, Billie, Kofi, and Sofia are all seeking different things in each other and the lies they tell themselves inform the lies they tell each other. Their stories are interwoven and tangled and as the film unravels the perspectives of each, we see what they gain in the pursuit and mostly what they lose. In an ending reminiscent of "In the Company of Men," "Somewhere in the Middle" reveals its characters to be at times likable and at times petty, but never saccharine or unbelievable. The characters are as familiar as their plights. If you want a sequential story with a picture perfect ending, watch "Beauty and the Beast." If you want an intricate exploration of the human condition, watch "Somewhere in the Middle."