Aardvark

Greetings again from the darkness. The feature film debut from writer/director Brian Shoaf benefits from the talented cast he has assembled. I do wonder about his initial "pitch". The film opens with barely-there lighting as we watch a zoo-based aardvark borough through his tunnels. We can only assume prospective producers were not clued into such an oddball opening scene. Of course as the film progresses, the tie-in becomes obvious - maybe too much so.

Zachary Quinto stars as Josh, a young man who tries to take ownership of his issues by scheduling sessions with Emily, a therapist played by Jenny Slade. See, Josh has a bad haircut, some type of undiagnosed psychosis, and to top it off, his very successful older brother is back in town - an event causing much consternation for Josh (and soon for Emily as well).

We are never really sure of Josh's mental illness or affliction, but we do know he has visions and hallucinations. The most serious of these are when he imagines his brother has morphed into other beings/characters just to mess with him. Much of our time is spent trying to discern who is real and who Josh is imagining. When Craig, his polar opposite brother, actually appears, it turns out to be Jon Hamm. Emily then proves herself to be the world's worst therapist as she begins sleeping with her patient's brother - the source of his anxiety.

Emily admits to a history of man trouble and poor judgment in this area. It turns out she and Josh are both lonely souls, and charming actor-brother Craig may be the key for both of them. Along the way, Josh befriends Hannah (Sheila Vand from the terrific A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT) and they seem to bond (in spite of Josh being Josh). Of course, we are left to ponder if Hannah is real or not - at least until the film's final scene.

There is a running gag here that Emily is not a doctor, but rather a licensed practitioner. It appears to be the only real attempt at humor outside of having one of the Sonic commercial guys bump into Emily on her morning jog. Mental illness and loneliness are subjects that require a deft touch, and though director Shoaf seems to be striving for quirky, his film desperately needed to push the envelope much further. This one comes off just a bit too simple and clean. The best line in the movie, "I miss the things that weren't there", also sums up the feeling most of us will have after watching this one

I really enjoyed this film and you will too, if you like movies that are not spoon fed to you. For the most part, it follows a pretty simple linear narrative, with occasional 'imaginary' sequences. Unless you are drunk while watching, these will make total sense based on the overall narrative structure.

The acting and directing is very good, especially if you are fan of Jon Hamm and Zachary Quinto.

Overall, it is a refreshing and interesting examination of how mental illness effects a person and those around them. While some people might find the film's themes of loneliness and despair too depressing, this film always keeps things light and moving.

I'm sorry to say, this movie didn't work for me at any level. The cast is strong and the ending is decent, but those are all the positives I can come up with.

The dialogue is terribly stilted and the storyline consistently doesn't seem to know where it wants to go. I would say save yourself the awkward and painful trek here. In a postscript, Jenny Slate's character may be the worst therapist in the history of movies (maybe she missed the classes on therapist/patient boundaries).

Boring no action absolutely positively no reason to watch this

I went into this with low expectations because of the rating and came out with a big old smile on my face. There are some slightly fantastical elements to this film because the lead character has mental health issues, one of the main reasons I wanted to see this film. Josh is confused about his reality. And so is the viewer. It sets us in the mind of Josh, smart, vulnerable, but hopeful. The only awkward moments for me were between his therapist and the brother. It was messy, but that's the point, right? Life is messy, regardless of who you are. The film was beautifully shot. The night scenes with Josh especially, and the acting was fantastic. Josh makes a statement towards the end and I screamed. Because why not? At that point I was up for anything. This film isn't perfect but it IS thoughtful. It's all about perspectives and how we don't all see things the same way, whether it's a single event, or the world in general, but that doesn't mean we're not happy. Josh is a benevolent catalyst for change that leaves you wondering who really needed help the most. The last minute or so were perfect.